Recently, the Euromillions lottery has made a major change by setting a maximum for their jackpot which now is € 250 million. But what exactly does that mean?
The steps below summarise what happens in the draws following the activation of the EuroMillions cap. Select a step to view more details about what happens at that stage in the process.
Draw 1 – cap is hit
The jackpot hits the €250 Million cap. Any funds that would usually go towards topping up the jackpot are instead shared by players in the next winning tier.
Draw 2 – first rollover
The €250 Million jackpot doesn’t get bigger, as it would if it rolled over before hitting the cap. Extra funds are again diverted to a lower prize tier.
Draw 3 – second rollover
Proceeds as per draw two. At this point there will likely be many winners in the 5+1 prize tier, but the prize money will also be much higher than usual.
Draw 4 – third rollover
This is the penultimate draw at the cap. If the jackpot doesn’t get won in this draw a Must Be Won draw will take place in the next one.
Draw 5 – Must be won draw
This is a ‘Must Be Won’ draw. If any players match five numbers plus both Lucky Stars, they will win the jackpot as normal, but if no one manages that, the entire €250 Million prize will be shared by the winners in the next tier below.
Draw 6 – jackpot resets
The jackpot resets to its €17 million (£15 million) starting value and the next rollover series begins. The jackpot cap had previously been raised by €10 million after each win, but it is now set at its final value of €250 million.