Euromillions History
Euromillions is an increasingly popular European lottery. The draw is held on Tuesdays and Fridays and takes place in Madrid, although the event is of European character. These lottery tickets are priced at 2,50€ and 5€ if you participate in both weekly draws.
This lottery has a very long history. It has evolved over time, improving its formats and rules so that players have more chances to win. If you want to know more about the history of the Euromillions, keep reading this article where we will tell you all the details about it.
The history of Euromillions
The first draw of this lottery was on February 7, 2004 and was won by a French player, becoming the first to win euromillions.
Although it is a continental lottery, only the United Kingdom, France and Spain participated in the first draw. However, as it quickly became popular, the other countries soon joined in. On October 8, 2004, countries such as Switzerland, Luxembourg, Belgium, Portugal, Austria and Ireland joined.
In addition, not only have countries joined, but also the format and rules have changed.
In the beginning, the draw was only held on Fridays, but in 2011 it also began to be held on Tuesdays so that players could choose the day they preferred or both.
Evolution of rules
As we have just said, the first change was made in 2011. For this date, Tuesdays were introduced in the draw, launching a jackpot of 100 million euros in play. As an extra day was added, they took the opportunity to add an additional prize category that allows you to win just by matching two of the main numbers.
Apart from that, they added two more stars to choose from, increasing from 9 to 11. Other changes arose in 2016. Before, the minimum jackpot was €15 million, now it is €17 million. The next change was to add one more star, the 12 that are today.
Evolution of the jackpot limit
At the beginning of the Euromillions there was no limit on the jackpot, but this changed on January 20, 2006, establishing that it could be accumulated for 11 consecutive times. When the 12th draw arrived and there was no winner, the jackpot was distributed among the winners of the next winning category.
In 2009, the number of times the jackpot could be accumulated was limited to 185 million euros. When this was reached, it would only add up to 5 million euros. This limit was reached for the first time in 2011, the winner was Chris Weir, who won a total of 190 million euros.
However, in 2012 a limit was placed, where the jackpot would only reach 190 million and the 5 million euros would not be increased. This is maintained for two more draws. If in the second draw there is no winner, the jackpot is distributed to the next category of winners.
In 2016 this changed again. From that time, when the prize reached €190 million and there were no winners, the prize remained the same for four more draws. During that time, the funds were increased to the prize that had reached the limit.
In the history of the euromillions the most accumulated jackpots of all time was 22 draws before it came out on October 8, 2919. It was the longest streak of jackpot accumulations.
Then, the limit increased again in 2020, going from 190 million to 200 million. When the jackpot limit is reached, it increases 10 million euros more to reach a maximum of 250 million euros.
This limit was reached for the first time on December 4, 2020, won a week later by a player, so its limit was 210 million euros.
