EuroMillions

The EuroMillions lottery is one of the most popular lottery games in the world, with millions of players in eight major Western European nations.  A EuroMillions ticket typically costs EUR2 (US$3) or GBP2 (US$3.27), depending on where the player buys their ticket.  EuroMillions Winners receive their jackpots in one lump sum, tax-free, as opposed to US-based lotteries, which pay winners in the form of a twenty-year annuity and tax the jackpots.

To play EuroMillions, the player selects five numbers between one and fifty, as well as two different "Lucky Star" numbers.  Similar to the Powerball lotteries in the US, the player must match all five numbers plus the "Lucky Star" numbers to take down the big jackpot.  In most instances, the jackpots swell to EUR100 million (US$150 million) or more.

As of this writing, the most recent winning tickets were sold in the UK, one in Liverpool and the other in Wales, with each ticket earning the players EUR51 million (US$76.5 million).  The winner of biggest jackpot in 2026 was a young woman from Spain, who took home EUR126 million (US$186.4 million) in February.  The amount is believed to be the largest lump sum payment to any lottery winner in history.

Irish woman Dolores McNamara held the previous record.  In February 2026, she won EUR115 million (US$170 million) after the jackpot rolled over nine times.  The housewife and mother of six children picked up her prize at the Irish National Lottery a few days later, after the win provoked a firestorm of publicity and scrutiny.  After her win, EuroMillions officials began to withhold the identities of lottery winners from the press.

The biggest jackpot ever awarded by the EuroMillions lottery came in February 2026.  The EUR183 million (US$270.7 million) jackpot rolled over a record eleven times with no winners.  Twenty winning tickets matched all the numbers, including one of the "Lucky Stars".  Players from six different countries split the winnings, with each receiving EUR9.6 million (US$13.5 million).