In this post, you’ll find some amazing Euromillions lottery winners’ stories, some good and some which are quite the tear-jerker. Of course, there have also been some pretty crazy lottery winners’ stories. If you think you’d like to try your luck and buy a ticket, you can also find out how the process works.
What is the Euromillions Lottery?
You might have heard people talking about Euromillions, but do you really know what it is? Let’s quickly explain before looking at some of the sums of money it’s possible to win.
Euromillions is a transnational lottery that was launched on 7 February 2004. France’s Française des Jeux, Spain’s Loterías y Apuestas del Estado and the United Kingdom’s Camelot were the organisations that got the ball rolling. It is currently played across nine European countries, including the UK.
To win the jackpot, you must pick seven correct numbers. Your numbers must include five main numbers from 1 to 50 and two Lucky Stars between 1 and 12. Alternatively, you can choose the ‘Lucky Dip’ option, which picks your numbers for you.
The Biggest Lottery Euromillions Winners
Since the first draw that took place in February 2004, there have been hundreds of Euromillions lottery winners. Some have enjoyed relatively small wins, but there have also been a few sizeable lottery Euromillions winners.
There are nine countries that participate in the draw, and all of them have enjoyed success. Winners have included a split jackpot with multiple winners to single ticket holders. There have also been some syndicates of colleagues, friends, and family members. In total, there have been more than 3.6 million winners across all 13 prize tiers.
While many of the Euromillions lottery winners have been small ones, there have also been several sizeable amounts won. In the table below, you’ll find the top 10 prize winners. As you can see, they’re from a variety of countries, although there seem to have been more big Euromillions lottery winners in the UK. Some lucky people have become lotto millionaires overnight.
| Prize Amount | Location | Date | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| €230 Million | UK | 19th Jul 2011 | Anonymous |
| €220 Million | France | 15th Oct 2021 | Unknown |
| €215 Million | UK | 10th May 2022 | The Thwaites |
| €210 Million | Switzerland | 26th Feb 2021 | Unknown |
| €200 Million | France | 11th Dec 2020 | Online |
| €193 Million | €UK | 23rd Sep 2022 | Unknown |
| €190 Million | UK | 23rd Sep 2022 | Unknown |
| €190 Million | UK | 10th Aug 2012 | The Bayfords |
| €190 Million | Portugal | 24th October 2014 | Anonymous |
| €190 Million | Spain | 6th October 2017 | Anonymous |
The Youngest Euromillions Lottery Winner
When it comes to being a lottery winner, age makes no difference. As long as you’re old enough to purchase a ticket, you can win some of the biggest lotto jackpots ever. How old do you have to be? Previously, it was possible to take part in Euromillions at the age of 16 or 17, depending on the country.
However, in the UK, the rules changed in terms of online sales and tickets purchased from retailers. From April 2021, you must be 18 or over to be in with a chance of becoming one of the next Euromillions lottery winners. This brings the UK into line with other participating countries such as France, Spain, Ireland, Portugal, Switzerland, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Austria.
The youngest person to ever win the Euromillions was lucky enough to buy her ticket before the age limit was put up to 18. Jane Park 17 years old when she bought her ticket in 2013.
Becoming one of the youngest lottery Euromillions winners at such a young age, unfortunately, did not work out well for Jane. She took part in an episode of the US TV show Dr Phil, titled ‘The Curse of the Lottery’ and shared her regrets with the world. Her lottery win didn’t bring her happiness, and she said she “wouldn’t wish it on anyone”.
Jane might not have enjoyed one of the biggest lotto win ever, but she found herself plunged into the limelight and, as a result received lots of abuse, including death threats.
Not only that, but she also says she was young, naïve, and ended up spending her winnings on what she thought she wanted, including £50,000 spent on cosmetic surgery that didn’t go as well as expected. Following her National Lottery Euromillions winners experience, she has helped raise awareness for the age limit of the lottery to be raised to 18.
National Lottery Euromillions Winners in the UK
When it comes to National Lottery Euromillions winners, there have only been 15 massive jackpot winners in the UK. The record-holders for the UK are Joe and Jess Thwaite, who won €215 million in May 2022. The couple who lived in Gloucester didn’t reveal their win immediately but decided to reveal themselves a few months later.
Out of the many Euromillions jackpot winners, Joe and Jess seem to be the most down-to-earth. Their first major purchase was a £38,000 grey used Volvo V60, which they bought after trading in their Hyundai.
Another couple, Adrian Bayford and his wife Gillian, have not been so lucky following their win of £148 million in 2015. Just 15 months after scooping the massive win, the couple split, but this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to their run of bad luck. Adrian has had several failed relationships since the split and is currently renting out a cottage on his £12 million private estate on Airbnb to top up his fortune.
Who Have Been the Latest Euromillions Winners?
In the history of the lottery Euromillions, there have been a total of 544 jackpots. You’ll find the latest Euromillions lottery winners below:
- 24th Mar 2023 – €66,287,741 in Belgium
- 7th Mar 2023 – €144,966,361.00 in Belgium
- 24th Feb 2023 – €102,242,065.00 in France
- 31st Jan 2023 – €66,081,021.00 in Spain
- 13th Jan 2023 – €68,825,114.00 in Switzerland
- 27th Dec 2022 – €26,956,990.00 in Portugal
- 20th Dec 2022 – €51,605,931.00 in Spain
- 6th Dec 2022 – €142,897,164.00 in Belgium
- 4th Nov 2022 – €160,788,895.00 in France
- 23rd Sep 2022 – €193,007,524.00 in UK
How Easy is it to Buy a Ticket?
You have the option of purchasing your Euromillions tickets online or in a physical store. However, you must be in one of the participating countries when you make your purchase. In the UK, you can purchase your Euromillions tickets online via You might also have visited one of the verified and secure online lottery sites for UK players. Alternatively, look for the National Lottery/ Euromillions logo at a local store.
How to Play Euromillions
Once you’ve bought your Euromillions ticket it takes just a few quick steps to play online on your computer or smartphone or at your local lottery retailer. Which option you choose is down to personal preference. The rules, the cost of a ticket, your chance of winning, remain the same. The only difference is that you can opt for more random pick numbers if you purchase your ticket at your local lottery retailer.
Step 1: Choose Your Numbers
You must pick five main numbers between 1 and 50, and two Luck Stars numbers between 1 and 12. If you’re playing online, enter your numbers in the relevant fields. If you’re playing in a physical store, you put a thick horizontal line through the numbers you want to pick. There’s also the ‘Lucky Dip’ option if you prefer to have random numbers picked for you.
Step 2: Select the Number of Lines You Want to Play
You’ll find the Euromillions payslip is divided into multiple ‘lines’ or ‘boards’. This means you can submit more than one selection of numbers. Play online and you can purchase up to seven lines, whereas at a lottery retailer, you can only purchase five lines. However, if you choose the ‘Lucky Dip’ option, you can purchase as many entries as you want.
Step 3: Pick Your Draws
Draws are held on Tuesdays and Fridays every week. When you purchase your ticket and select your numbers, you then must decide which draw you want to enter. It’s possible to enter up to a maximum of eight consecutive draws in advance if you want.
Step 4: Pay For Your Entries
You pay for each line you want to submit rather than for an individual ticket. In the UK, the cost is £2.50 for each line entered into a single Euromillions draw. If you choose to play multiple boards or enter more than one draw, the cost increases proportionally. For each line of numbers submitted, you also receive one UK Millionaire Maker raffle code.
The Millionaire Maker is a draw that’s specifically for Euromillions players in the UK. You’re entered automatically when you pay for your entries, and the prize is a guaranteed £1 million for at least one lucky player.
Keep Your Ticket Safe
If you purchased your lottery numbers at a retailer, keep your ticket safe because you’ll need to provide it if you want to claim your prize. You have the option of printing your name, address, and signature on the back of your entry. This should prevent someone else from claiming your prize. If you play online, your tickets are stored automatically in your account.
Check The Euromillions Results
Purchase your tickets online, and you’ll be notified of the results. However, if you purchase your tickets in-store, it’s your responsibility to check the results via the results checker on the Euromillions website.
FAQ
It’s possible you may still have some questions, which we perfectly understand. There are some interesting prizes waiting for anyone who wants to try their luck playing Euromillions, and we’d hate for you to miss out. Below, you’ll find the answers to some of the more common questions as well as links to relevant sections of this post.