European Lotteries
Players looking for a variety of odds and jackpot prize amounts are well served by a number of transnational and national European lotteries such as EuroMillions, El Gordo, Superenalotto and Eurojackpot. Draws are frequent, and official tickets for some of the lotteries can be bought for as low as €0.50.
In this list are ten of Europe's biggest and most popular lotto games, enjoyed regularly by millions of people. Each has rewarded lucky players life-changing amounts ranging from a few million Euros all the way up to the maximum €190 million paid out by Euromillions. In most cases the winnings are tax-free for European residents.
Players who are thinking twice of participating in upcoming draws should act fast because most of the jackpot amounts roll down if they have no winners for a particular week.
Note: Any European lottery can be played from abroad, if you buy your entry ticket online from our list of genuine lottery websites.
EuroMillions
EuroMillions is a transnational European lottery launched on February 7, 2004, by France's Francaise de Jeux, Spain's Apuestas del Estado, and the United Kingdom's Camelot. Within ten years, the game has expanded to include the following countries: Andorra Austria, Belgium, Ireland, Isle of Man, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, and Portugal. International players can buy lottery tickets online or participate via numerous lotto betting sites.
Drawing Schedule
The lottery draws only every Tuesday and Friday weekly at 19:30 Irish Time.
Jackpot Progression
If a lucky winner has won the grand prize, it starts the pot anew with £15 million. If future draws have no winners, the lottery winnings increase by €12 million. The EuroMillions jackpot maximum is €190 million. It retains the highest prize for two weeks until it rolls down.
Biggest Prize
In October, 2017, EuroMillions had awarded a whopping £190 million to one lucky, anonymous soul who purchased a ticket in Spain. This maximum prize has been now paid out 3x since the launch.
Recent Winners
June 30, 2017: An anonymous player had won €100 million using a UK-purchased ticket.
June 2, 2017: One unnamed player with a ticket purchased from the Flemish Region earned €154 million.
How to Play
The player must select five numbers from 1-50, and two numbers from 1-12. All must match to win the grand prize. Matching the two numbers from 1-12 wins secondaries in the Lucky Stars game.
Legalities
All prizes including the grand prize are tax-free except for Switzerland, Spain, and Portugal, and are paid in full.
Read more: Detailed review of Euromillions
EuroJackpot
EuroJackpot is a transnational lottery proposed in 2006 and officially launched in March 2012. Germany, Finland, Denmark, Slovenia, Italy, and the Netherlands intended EuroJackpot to compete with the older EuroMillions. By 2015, Eurojackpot has expanded to Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden. Players from all over the world can join EuroJackpot using online services.
Drawing Schedule
EuroJackpot draws every Friday weekly at 21:00 Eastern European Time.
Jackpot Progression
The lottery begins from £10 million. The amount increases until it reaches £90 million. The jackpot rolls down if there is no winner after the 13th draw.
Biggest Prize
An anonymous player with a German ticket had won the highest jackpot of £90 million on October 14, 2016.
Recent Winners
May 26, 2017: One player with a German ticket won approximately €50 million.
April 14, 2017: A Finland-purchased ticket won an anonymous player an estimated £87 million.
How to Play
Players must choose five numbers from 1-50. To win the grand prize or secondaries in EuroNumbers, players must also choose numbers from 1-10.
Legalities
All winners will receive their earnings with a single payment. Taxes on the winning amount are subject to the tax laws of every participating country. However, online players do not pay any taxes on their winnings.
Read more: Detailed review of Eurojackpot
SuperEnalotto
SuperEnalotto began on December 3, 1997, and is the biggest lottery of Italy. It is an updated version of the original Italian Enalotto from the 1950s. The lottery has not expanded to other countries, but international players can join using online ticketing or betting services.
Drawing Schedule
Draws take place three times a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays at 20:00 Central European Time.
Jackpot Progression
SuperEnalotto begins its prizes at €1.3 million. For every week without a winner, the jackpot increases. Winnings can become significantly high because the lottery has no cap and roll-down.
Biggest Prize
On October 30, 2010, a syndicate of 70 players divided amongst themselves the grand prize of €177.7 million.
How to Play
Players will choose six numbers from 1-90. If you match 2-5 numbers, players can win any of the corresponding secondary prizes. If players matched five numbers short of a jackpot, but one of the numbers matched the "Jolly" number of the week, they will win the lottery's second highest prize.
Legalities
Italian players of SuperEnalotto do not pay any taxes for their prizes. Online players do not pay taxes as well. Winners have a choice of receiving their winnings in a single payment or through installments.
La Primitiva
La Primitiva is run by Spain's Lotteries and State Betting Department. A centuries-old game that began from the 18th century, La Primitiva was modernized in 1985. However, it has not yet expanded to other countries. International players can use online services to join the lottery.
Drawing Schedule
La Primitiva draws every Thursdays and Saturdays at 21:30 Western European Time.
Jackpot Progression
La Primitiva prizes begin around €1 million. Weekly draws without winners increase the pot. The jackpot has no cap and roll-down, which makes it attractive for many lottery players.
Biggest Prize
A 23-player syndicate won the highest prize of over €24.92 million in October 2005.
How to Play
Players must choose six numbers from 1-49. The game will assign each ticket a random number known as the "Reintegro." Winning the Reintegro guarantees a full ticket refund for the winner. La Primitiva features a seventh-ball draw after all six numbers have been drawn. If a player matches five numbers short of a jackpot and their last number matches the seventh ball, they can win the second-highest prize in the lottery.
Legalities
Taxes for both in-country and online players varies depending on the country. In Spain, winners of the grand prize are subject to 20% tax.
El Gordo Spanish Christmas Lottery
Another of Spain's state lotteries, the "Loteria de Navidad" or Spanish Christmas Lottery draws once a year. It first began in 1812 and was modernized by the Spanish State Lotteries, an organization that also sponsors the EuroMillions jackpot. The Spanish Christmas Lottery has the world's biggest jackpot.
Drawing Schedule
The Spanish Christmas Lottery draws every December 22 annually. It is a yearly highlight in Spain.
Jackpot Progression
The lottery's jackpot is based on the number of tickets sold for the year. It awards 70% of the profits for all winners. It has no grand prize but divides prizes according to the draw of the lottery ticket number and the prize ball.
Biggest Prize
About 1,650 owners of the unique winning ticket serial number divided €2 billion in 2016's draw.
How to Play
The Spanish Christmas Lottery is similar to a raffle. All tickets have five-digit numbers from 00000 to 99999. Tickets with the same digits are printed multiple times. Two separate ball machines are used in the draw. One machine draws the winning ticket numbers and another draws the amount the ticket numbers will win.
Legalities
Anyone in Spain, including tourists and online participants, may submit their entries and win in the Spanish Christmas Lottery. As with all Spanish lotteries, a tax of 20% is imposed on all winnings above €2,500.
For more information and to find out how to play this lottery online, check out our in-depth El Gordo Review.
UK Lotto
The UK Lotto is one of the several lottery games operated by the Camelot Group and regulated by the UK National Lottery Commission. The game's first draw was on November 19, 1994. Its tickets are sold in the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man. International players can join the UK Lotto through online services.
Drawing Schedule
The UK Lotto draws every Wednesday and Saturday at 20:30 and 22:05 Greenwich Mean Time respectively.
Jackpot Progression
Prizes from the week without winners are rolled over to the following week's prize. UK Lotto does not place a cap on its winnings.
Biggest Prize
Two lucky players split the highest prize of £66.1 million on January 9, 2016
Recent Winners
Aside from the largest and most recent winners, pub regulars David and Kathleen Long had won £1 million on March 27, 2015. They have previously won £1 million in the UK Lotto on July 26, 2013, as well.
How to Play
Players are to select six numbers from 1-59. If players match two numbers, they win a Lucky Dip ticket, which is entered into the next draw automatically. Players joining the game have an entry for the Millionaire Raffle automatically. Every lotto line purchased is a raffle entry to win £1 million.
Legalities
UK laws do not recognize lottery winnings as income effectively making prizes tax-free. However, international players may need to consult rules regarding overseas winnings for tax advice.
Find out more about the UK national lottery.
Irish Lotto
The Irish Government has run the "An Crannchur Naisiunta" or Irish Lotto since March 1988. Part of its profits goes to government funding for different sectors. Only Irish lottery stalls sell tickets for the game, but international players can use online services to participate.
Drawing Schedule
The Irish Lotto draws every Wednesday and Saturday at 20:30 Irish Time.
Jackpot Progression
The Irish Lotto begins its prizes from €1.5 million Euro. If there are no winners during the week, the amount is rolled over to the following week. The Irish Lotto has no prize cap, which escalates its winnings relatively high.
Biggest Winners
Dolores McNamara won over €115 million in August 2005.
Recent Winners
July 5, 2017: Jim Carroll, a 51-year-old former military paramedic, won €500,000 in the Lotto Plus draw on June 28, 2017.
How to Play
Players must choose six numbers from 1-47. Players can also join other games such as the Irish Lotto Plus 1 and 2 for free by ticking the associated check box. The six chosen numbers will be used for the Plus games.
Legalities
The Irish government does not recognize lottery winnings as income. However, for international players, it is advised they consult their national laws regarding overseas contests and prizes for any tax or additional legal responsibilities.
German Lotto
The German Lotto, also known as "Lotto 6 Aus 49," is a lottery run by the German government. It draws two times per week and only has ticket centers in Germany. However, players from other countries where online lotteries are not illegalized can join using online services.
Drawing Schedule
The German Lotto draws every Wednesday and Saturday at 17:30 and 18:30 Central European Time.
Jackpot Progression
The German Lotto has two minimum prizes. The Wednesday draw has a minimum of €1 million while the Saturday draw has a minimum of €3 million. Both game schedules use the same ticket and set of numbers during their draw. Amounts not won in recent draws are rolled over to the following week. If there are no winners after the 12th drawing, the winning amount will be rolled down gradually per week.
Biggest Winner
Three tickets that were drawn in December 2007 had won and divided amongst its winners €45.4 million.
How to Play
Players must choose six numbers from 1-49. After the six numbers are drawn, players have another chance to win if the seventh ball reveals their ticket's pre-existing number. The entries are automatically considered as raffle entries, which draw two winners every Wednesday and three every Saturday.
Legalities
German winners of the game do not pay taxes on their winnings. However, international players may need to consult local laws to ensure their prizes pay the right amount of tax.
French Loto
The French Loto is run by the government department Francaise des Jeux. The department was founded in 1976, the same year French Loto also began. All game tickets are sold in France only, but international players can join online if online lottery or betting is legal in their respective country.
Drawing Schedule
The French Loto draws on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturday at 20:36 Central European Time.
Jackpot Progression
The French Loto's minimum jackpot is €2.5 million. The amount is rolled over the following week if there are no winners from its three draws. French Loto rolls down its value if there are no winners after the 34th draw.
Biggest Winner
A ticket with the winning numbers rewarded a lucky anonymous winner the grand sum of €24 million on June 6, 2011.
How to Play
Players need to select five numbers from 1-49 for the main game and a "Chance" number from 1-10. All six numbers must match the winning combination to win the grand prize for the week.
Legalities
French players will receive their prizes without any taxes. However, players outside France may need to consult tax laws in their respective countries if they win.
Swedish Lotto
The Swedish Lotto, run by Sweden's government subsidiary Svenska Spel, is unique among European lotteries because it features three opportunities to win on a single ticket. Players can choose to play just Lotto 1, Lotto 1 and Lotto 2, or all two Lottos and the "Extra Game." Ticket prices vary depending on the number of games joined.
Drawing Schedule
The Swedish Lotto draws every Wednesday and Saturday at 18:25 and 18:15 Central European Time respectively.
Jackpot Progression
Swedish Lotto's minimum jackpot starts with SEK3 million. The prizes are rolled over to the following week if there are no winners in the previous draw. The game has no jackpot cap, ensuring higher progressive wins for future draws.
Biggest Winner
A winning ticket from the country had won a lucky, anonymous player SEK237 million in 2013.
Recent Winners
May 22, 2016: An unnamed player from Northern Sweden came home with an SEK127 million jackpot.
How to Play
Players must select seven numbers from 1-35 for Lotto 1 and Lotto 2. In the Extra Game, players must choose seven numbers from 1-9.
Legalities
Winners from Sweden win their jackpots tax-free. Depending on their country's laws, international players may have to pay their respective taxes for winnings.