Eurojackpot Climbs To €90 Million Jackpot Cap
The top prize in Eurojackpot has reached its €90 million maximum for the third time this year. Players across Europe can now look forward to trying to win the joint-largest jackpot in the game’s history, while the second-tier prize is also set to be far higher than normal.
Seven Rollovers To Reach Jackpot Cap
It has taken just seven rollovers for the €90 million jackpot cap to be activated, after a Norwegian man became the game’s most recent winner. He received the largest lottery payout in his country’s history when he landed €44 million on Friday 20th September.
The jackpot can grow so quickly because tickets are sold in 18 participating countries, with players contributing to a common prize fund. With a week between draws, it typically jumps up by about €10 million after each rollover, increasing even more as it approaches the cap.
Ninth Time At €90 Million
The jackpot cap has now been hit for a ninth time, having first happened back in May 2015 when a player from the Czech Republic bought the only ticket to match all five main numbers plus both Euro numbers.
The record has been equalled at least once every year since 2015, and just a few months ago a syndicate from Finland became the latest winners of the maximum jackpot on 23rd August. As they had played a system entry and also banked a couple of ‘Match 5 + 1’ wins, their final payout was worth almost €92 million and they could claim to be Eurojackpot’s biggest winners.
Bigger Prizes In Second Tier
When the jackpot climbs to €90 million, it is then locked in place until at least one ticket matches all the numbers and wins the full amount, regardless of how many draws that might take. In the summer of 2018, the jackpot was only won in the seventh draw at €90 million.
Any money that would ordinarily be added to the top prize is instead allocated to the category for matching all five main numbers and one Euro number. This creates a kind of second jackpot, which can also grow up to €90 million if there are no winners.
The odds are far more favourable in the ‘Match 5 + 1’ tier, though, improving your chances of landing a bigger prize. During the long run of rollovers in 2018, for example, winners in the second tier scooped more than €5 million each in some of the draws.
There are 12 ways to win in every draw, and you will even receive a prize if you match any three of the seven winning numbers. If you fancy trying to win a prize, possibly even the record-equalling jackpot, you can visit a retailer in a participating country or take part online.
Article Last Updated: Tuesday 12th November 2019 at 10:20 AM
