The EuroMillions is a popular lottery game played across Europe. With jackpots frequently reaching into the hundreds of millions of euros, it’s no surprise that Americans look longingly across the Atlantic and wonder if they too can take part in this massive lottery.
In short – the answer is no. Americans are unable to purchase tickets for or claim prizes in the EuroMillions draw. This lottery is restricted to the nine participating European countries. So if you live in the USA, you cannot legitimately play EuroMillions.
However, that doesn’t stop ambitious Americans from wondering if there are loopholes that would allow them to bypass the rules and enter the EuroMillions from abroad. Here, we’ll take a look at the ins and outs of EuroMillions and its restrictions, to explain clearly why Americans are excluded from this European lottery.
What is the EuroMillions?
The EuroMillions lottery draws take place every Tuesday and Friday evening in Paris. Players from the nine participating countries across Europe can purchase tickets for the draw, selecting five main numbers from 1-50 and two ‘lucky star’ numbers from 1-12.
To win the jackpot you need to match all five main numbers and both lucky stars. The starting guaranteed jackpot is €17 million and will roll over until someone claims the top prize. Jackpots frequently exceed €100 million.
As well as the jackpot, there are a total of 13 prize tiers, so you can win smaller sums by matching some of the numbers. The overall odds of winning any EuroMillions prize at all are around 1 in 13.
EuroMillions tickets are sold in the nine participating countries:
– Austria
– Belgium
– France
– Ireland
– Luxembourg
– Portugal
– Spain
– Switzerland
– United Kingdom
The lottery is coordinated by lottery operators in each country. The draws take place in Paris under the supervision of government regulator Française des Jeux.
Why can’t Americans play EuroMillions?
The simple reason Americans are excluded from playing EuroMillions is that the lottery is restricted to the nine participating European nations.
Each country’s lottery operator is a shareholder in the consortium that runs EuroMillions. The shareholders have mutually agreed that only residents of their own countries are permitted to play.
So in short – EuroMillions is an exclusive European game, and currently there is no way for Americans to legitimately purchase tickets or claim prizes. The lottery operators have ensured the rules are water-tight to prevent outsider participation.
Could Americans find a loophole?
Given the gigantic jackpots often up for grabs, ambitious Americans periodically wonder if there are ways to workaround the EuroMillions restrictions and buy tickets from abroad. However, in reality there are no loopholes.
Some have speculated about whether it could be possible to:
– Purchase tickets through an agent while visiting Europe
– Set up a proxy mailing address in the UK to buy tickets online
– Employ the services of a professional lottery ticket courier service
Unfortunately, none of these methods work. The EuroMillions has strict identity verification rules in place at point of purchase and again at point of prize claim. You must physically be a resident of one of the nine participating countries.
If an American did somehow manage to sneak through and purchase a winning ticket, they would be unable to claim the prize. The moment that passport is presented, the lottery would know the rules had been violated.
So while the gigantic jackpots are certainly tempting, there really is no way for Americans to play EuroMillions – you have to be European to take part in this exclusive continental lottery.
Where did EuroMillions come from?
To understand why eligibility for EuroMillions is limited only to Europe, it helps to know a little of the history behind its creation.
EuroMillions was launched in February 2004 as a joint project between the national lottery operators in France, Spain and the UK. The idea was to create a pan-European lottery game that would offer bigger jackpots than any of the individual national lotteries could achieve on their own.
By pooling resources and combining player bases, EuroMillions aimed to become Europe’s biggest lottery and start offering never-before-seen nine-figure jackpots.
Initially only those first three countries participated. But over the next two years, six more European nations joined the EuroMillions consortium – Austria, Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg, Portugal and Switzerland.
EuroMillions jackpots quickly left national lottery offerings in the dust. The first EuroMillions jackpot over €100 million was drawn in November 2006. By 2013, the lottery had created over 20 jackpot winners worth €100 million or more.
With jackpots consistently breaking records, it’s no surprise EuroMillions has caught the attention of Americans wanting a slice of the action. But the lottery has steadfastly stuck to its European-only origins, resisting pressure to expand sales globally.
How big are EuroMillions jackpots?
Huge! That’s been the secret of EuroMillions’ success. By combining ticket sales across all nine European countries, jackpots grow far quicker than national lotteries could achieve alone. The EuroMillions ‘Superdraw’ format also allows for special events with €100 million+ guaranteed jackpots.
Some record EuroMillions jackpots demonstrate just how massive this lottery can get:
– €190 million – Current record, won by a UK ticket holder in August 2012
– €185 million – Won by a French ticket holder in December 2021
– €190 million – Two jackpots at this level were won by a Portuguese player and a Spanish ticket holder in October 2014 and October 2017 respectively
– €179.8 million – Claimed by a French player in November 2019
– €175 million – Awarded to a UK EuroMillions ticket holder in July 2022
– €163 million – Two jackpots at this amount, won by players in France and Portugal in December 2020 and October 2021
The average EuroMillions jackpot is around €50 million, but it only takes a few weeks of rollovers for prizes to start ballooning up towards that magical €100 million mark.
With so many nine-figure prizes claimed, it’s understandable why Americans across the pond wish they could get involved. But for now, only Europeans can experience the thrill of playing for jackpots of this size.
Do other countries have their own EuroMillions?
Given its runaway success, EuroMillions has spawned two additional pan-European style lotteries in recent years:
Eurojackpot
Eurojackpot launched in March 2012 as a rival to EuroMillions, with similar rules and supranational jackpots.
Whereas EuroMillions involves nine countries, Eurojackpot has expanded to include 33 European nations. Apart from Spain, all the EuroMillions countries participate, along with another 24 nations mostly from Central and Eastern Europe.
Like EuroMillions, Americans cannot play Eurojackpot. But its broader country inclusion has seen jackpots sometimes exceed EuroMillions, with a record €90 million prize won by a player in Finland in January 2023.
UK EuroMillions
When the United Kingdom left the European Union, it considered withdrawing from EuroMillions. This would have reduced the size of jackpots.
So in early 2022, Camelot launched its own special adaptation called UK EuroMillions. This linked the UK’s EuroMillions player base into a separate draw, while allowing tickets to still be sold in EU countries.
UK EuroMillions uses the same format and has already created enormous £109 million jackpots by ringfencing UK players’ contributions. Ireland also participates after agreeing a simulcast deal.
As with the pan-European version, Americans remain unable to access UK EuroMillions. It is another exclusive European lottery.
Could EuroMillions ever expand outside Europe?
At present there are no signs that EuroMillions membership will be extending beyond Europe anytime soon. The current shareholders seem content that the current continental footprint offers enough scope for seven and eight-figure jackpots.
Of course, opening up ticket sales to North America or globally would see prize funds accelerate even more quickly. But clearly there are complex legal and logistical barriers that would need to be navigated to make that leap.
The most likely scenario for a worldwide European-style lottery is if one of the rival consortiums – EuroMillions, Eurojackpot or UK EuroMillions – can reach agreement to cross-sell tickets. But no firm plans are in place.
For Americans frustrated at being shut out of these huge European jackpots, the best option is to lobby lottery operators for a similar US-wide interstate game. Mega Millions and Powerball already offer huge prizes by combining sales across most of the country.
Lottery betting
While Americans can’t officially buy tickets and play EuroMillions, it is possible to place bets on the outcome of draws.
Lottery betting allows punters to stake money on the numbers that they predict will be drawn, without having an official ticket entered into the draw. So although Americans can’t actually win EuroMillions prizes, they can win cash by successfully forecasting the winning numbers.
Various online lottery betting sites offer odds on EuroMillions and other big global lotteries. However, organizations offering these types of services are completely independent from the actual lottery operators.
Lottery betting falls into a grey legal area in many countries and jurisdictions. Punters should perform due diligence on bookmakers and check they are regulated in reliable licensing jurisdictions before signing up.
But playing responsibly, lottery betting does provide a way for Americans to engage with and try to profit from their knowledge of the main EuroMillions draws on Tuesday and Friday evenings.
Can Americans play other European lotteries?
EuroMillions receives the most attention, because it constantly hits the headlines for its mammoth nine-figure jackpots. But it’s not the only popular European lottery out of bounds for Americans.
Every major country across Europe operates its own national lottery, with many having been in existence for decades or even centuries. Some other big European offerings include:
UK National Lottery
The UK National Lottery launched in 1994 and remains one of the biggest lotteries in Europe. It sells around 10 million tickets each draw.
Saturday evening draws offer jackpots starting at £3.6 million that rollover when not won. There are additional EuroMillions-sized ‘Must Be Won’ draws after a number of rollovers.
Americans are unable to purchase UK National Lottery tickets or claim prizes.
Spanish Christmas Lottery
‘El Gordo’ is the world’s biggest lottery in terms of total prize money. The Spanish Christmas Lottery distributes over €2 billion in tax-free cash prizes at its annual draw on December 22.
It gives out thousands of smaller prizes rather than huge jackpots. Americans are unable to participate in this seasonal Spanish tradition.
German Lotto
The German Lotto 6aus49 draw takes place twice weekly and has created jackpots of over €45 million. Germany also operates the additional Spiel 77 and Super 6 games.
Only German residents can play these games in person and online.
Italian SuperEnalotto
Italy’s national lottery SuperEnalotto holds tri-weekly draws with a top prize that keeps rolling over until won. Tickets are only on sale within Italy.
In October 2010, a SuperEnalotto record jackpot of €177 million was hit and shared between 70 winners.
Irish Lotto
The Irish National Lottery has 6/47 draws each Wednesday and Saturday evening. Jackpots begin at €2 million and continue rollover.
Plus there are additional lottery games like Lotto Plus 1, Lotto Plus 2 and Daily Millions.
These Irish games do not permit entry or claims by Americans or other international players.
Polish Lotto
The Polish Totalizator Sportowy runs Lotto and other games like Multi Multi and Mini Lotto. Twice weekly Lotto draws start at 1 million zloty and roll over when not won.
Americans are barred from participating in Polish Lotto games.
So in summary – while EuroMillions may be the highest profile inter-European lottery, Americans are excluded from playing and winning any of the major national games organized across the continent.
Conclusion
EuroMillions is an exclusive European lottery created to offer bigger jackpots than previously possible from any single country on its own. By combining players across nine nations, EuroMillions jackpots frequently exceed €100 million.
It’s understandable that such enormous prizes catch the attention of Americans wanting the chance to play. However, the lottery’s rules firmly restrict entry and claims on prizes to residents of the nine participating European countries.
Unfortunately, there are no loopholes. Purchasing official EuroMillions tickets as a US resident is impossible. Rules prohibit ticket sales abroad and block prize claims without proof of residency.
While Americans are excluded from the EuroMillions itself, they can place unofficial lottery bets on the outcome of draws with various European bookmakers. But they will never become official EuroMillions ticket holders or prize winners under the current rules.
EuroMillions has spawned two rival European games in Eurojackpot and UK EuroMillions. However, neither offers any way for Americans to participate.
For now, anyone residing in the USA must sit on the sidelines and watch as their European counterparts compete for these astronomical prizes. Pushing for a similar American lottery that unites states to offer huge interstate jackpots is the only option for US-based lottery lovers.