As one of the biggest and most popular lottery games in the world, EuroMillions is undoubtedly in no short supply of players clamouring to get their hands on the next big jackpot. However, the organisers of this great lottery decided that they could improve the game even more and launched a supplementary game to give players a second chance at becoming a millionaire. In this EuroMillions Millionaire Maker Raffle review, we will look at how this game works and what you can win.
History
Initially launched in 2009 in the UK, this great game was first given the name Millionaire Raffle. It was rebranded to Millionaire Maker in October 2014 when the UK National Lottery launched their Mega Friday promotion. After changes were introduced to the main EuroMillions draw in 2016, the Millionaire Maker Raffle was expanded to include all other participating countries. However, this draw was held separate to the UK version of the draw, and the two still coincide happily.
How to Play EuroMillions Millionaire Maker Raffle
You may be shocked to know how simple it is to enter the EuroMillions Millionaire Maker Raffle. To be honest, it requires no effort from you at all. This is because with each line of EuroMillions numbers that you play for the main draw, you will automatically receive an entry into the Millionaire Maker Raffle—at no extra cost. In the UK, this happens every time that you purchase a EuroMillions ticket. For all other participating European countries, it only occurs when there is an upcoming raffle draw.
Your entry into the draw is printed on your ticket using a unique code that is randomly generated and cannot be chosen. Entries for the UK draw will always start with H, J, M, T, V, X, or Z. Austrian codes will begin with an A, N, O, or W. All other countries will start with the first letter of their country (e.g. Belgium will start with B, and France will start with F). The exception to this rule is Spain (which begins with an E, for España) and Switzerland (which could start with an R or S).
Each of these codes is entered into the number pool for their applicable draw—ensuring that there is a winner every draw.
Odds of Winning
While almost all of the top international lotteries have set odds of winning, this is not entirely true for this game. The European version of the raffle does benefit from fixed odds, which are not publicly available for some strange reason but some credible sources estimate them to be 1 in 1,900,000. Meanwhile, the UK version has fluctuating odds because they are entirely dependent on the number of tickets sold (and, therefore, entered into the raffle). Estimates are available for the UK version of the game and they are actually pretty decent:
There is no real point in providing you with a chart of what prizes are available, as the name of the lottery states it quite efficiently. The main prize is €1 million (or £1 million). The UK version of the draw does also offer some additional prizes such as holidays. However, these are not based on a payout schedule and fluctuate each draw.
One thing to note, however, is that the European version of the game offers 25 jackpots each time a draw is held (effectively giving away €25 million in prize money to 25 lucky players).
Drawing Time
For the UK version of the game, a raffle draw is held in conjunction with each EuroMillions draw held. This means that a draw is held every Tuesday and Friday. In addition to these weekly draws, the game also holds special draws at different times throughout the year. These draws are announced a few weeks in advance and generally have some great extra prizes.
The European version, however, is not nearly as frequent. The last draw was held on February 23, 2018, and there has not been any mention of another draw since. This is because for a European draw to occur, all member countries need to agree to the draw being held, and the money needs to be available in the EuroMillions reserve fund (from which the prizes are paid from).
Biggest Jackpots
The biggest jackpot available is (and has been) £1 million (or €1 million). However, in 2012, the UK edition of the game attempted to set a world record by awarding the top prize to 100 lucky players in just one draw. Unfortunately, their efforts fell short when only 97 of the 100 prizes were claimed.
Payout Options
As you may imagine for such a relatively small jackpot, the only available payment option is a cash lump sum.
Taxes
For residents playing from the UK, Austria, Belgium, France, Ireland, and Luxembourg, taxes are something that can be entirely ignored. Each of these countries does not levy any taxes on lottery winnings, and anything that you win will be yours to keep. In Switzerland, this is also the case—purely because of the jackpot amount, which is capped at CHF1 million. Any winnings over this amount are subject to 35% tax.
Spanish and Portuguese residents do not get away so easily. In Spain, all lottery winnings over the amount of €40,000 are subject to 20% in tax. In Portugal, this threshold is even lower, and any prize over €5,000 is liable for 20% taxation.
How to Play EuroMillions Millionaire Maker Raffle Online
Because playing in this game is as simple as purchasing a ticket for the regular EuroMillions draw, you can play it on several reputable lottery websites. Finding one of these sites is relatively easy, and some sites will tell you if there is an upcoming European draw to take note of as well.
EuroMillions Millionaire Maker Raffle – Is It Worth Playing?
If you enjoy playing EuroMillions, then this question is somewhat redundant because you will be playing the Millionaire Maker Raffle regardless. However, to give a straight answer—yes, this draw is worth playing. Not only does entry into the draw not cost you anything, but you gain decent chances of becoming a millionaire, without really having anything to lose. So, head on over to your favourite lotto website and get your next EuroMillions and Millionaire Maker Raffle ticket now—we certainly know we will.
EuroMillions Millionaire Maker Raffle Review
