It was launched on 7 February 2004 by France's Française des Jeux, Spain's Loterías y Apuestas del Estado and the United Kingdom's Camelot group (now part of Allwyn).
[2] Initially, only the UK, France and Spain participated, with the Austrian, Belgian, Irish, Luxembourgish, Portuguese and Swiss lotteries joining for the 8 October 2004 draw.
The cost of playing in the UK increased from £1.50 to £2.00 per line on 7 November 2009, due to the EUR/GBP exchange rate and automatic entry into its Millionaire Raffle.
All prizes, including the jackpot, are tax-free (except in Switzerland, Spain and Portugal, since 2013) and are paid as a lump sum.
[3] To participate in the EuroMillions Lotto, tickets can be purchased from many outlets, namely at licensed stores and online websites.
The gameplay changed on Tuesday, 10 May 2011 with a second weekly draw and the number of "lucky stars" in the Pâquerette machine increasing from 9 to 11.
There is no restriction on the nationality of buyers; non-residents are eligible to participate as long as they meet the age requirement.
A new rule change of 24 September 2016 stated that if the jackpot is not won five draws after it reaches €190,000,000, the prize money will be distributed among the winners at the next level.
This trust arrangement protects the participating lotteries between them from a default from one of the national companies, and ultimately the players' interests.
The first Super Draw of 2016 took place on Friday 30 September to introduce the change to the game format (12 lucky stars instead of 11 and increased price).
[13] On 3 February 2006, three winners shared the record jackpot of €183 million after the first rank was eleven draws vacant.
[15] However, cybercriminals started using their names in their email scams to fool the general public and ultimately cheat them of money.
For an extra €1 per line, players can enter their five main EuroMillions numbers in an additional draw for a fixed, non-rolling jackpot of €500,000.
According to the Euromillions website, the chances of winning the UK Millionaire Maker game[18] on a Tuesday can be estimated as 1 in 3,570,000 with a standard £14m jackpot.
The 50p was added due to weak exchange rates between the pound and the euro and to cover the expense of the new Millionaire Maker.