EuroMillions Jackpot Hits £143 Million: How Much Higher Can It Go?

Updated: Thursday 12th September 2019

The EuroMillions jackpot has built up a head of steam over the past few weeks and is now worth £143 million ahead of Friday night’s draw. However, the rules of the game do not allow it to keep growing forever and the time is now approaching where it may be capped. Find out more about how high it can go.

The Jackpot Cap Explained

EuroMillions has a jackpot cap of €190 million. This is the maximum amount that can be offered and is stated in euros because it is the currency in seven of the nine participating countries. Only the UK and Switzerland pay out prizes in a different currency, so the jackpot amount in euros is simply converted to pounds or Swiss francs if it is one in one of those nations (based on the exchange rate on the day of the draw).

Once the top prize hits €190 million, it is locked in place and cannot go any higher. The jackpot normally receives a percentage of the prize fund (43.2 percent for the first six draws in a series of rollovers, then 27 percent until it is won), so this money is instead diverted to the next highest tier in which there are winners after the €190 million limit has been reached.

The jackpot can only stay at €190 million for a maximum of five draws. If it has still not been won in the fifth draw at €190 million, the full amount rolls down to be split between players in the next highest category, most likely ticket holders who have matched five main numbers and one Lucky Star.

The top prize has only reached €190 million on three previous occasions and it has never stayed at that value long enough for it to spill down to a lower level. The last time it got to €190 million was in October 2017, when a player from Spain banked the lot after matching all five main numbers and both Lucky Stars.

When Might The Jackpot Reach The Cap?

Friday’s estimated jackpot of £143 million is worth around €162 million. With the jackpot increasing by around £10 million from draw to draw, it is likely to take just two or three more rollovers to reach the cap. More tickets are usually sold as the jackpot gets higher, as there is more publicity for the game and more players decide it might be worth having a go at winning.

As more of the possible number combinations are entered into the draw, it becomes more likely that someone will match the full winning line. Even if there continue to be no winners, the rules on the jackpot cap mean that the top prize is guaranteed to come down at some point in the next few weeks, leaving little time to make the most of this opportunity to play for a nine-figure windfall.

Don’t Miss Out On Friday’s Draw

If you want to boost your own chances of winning, you could try picking up more entries for Friday’s draw. One way to do this is to join a syndicate, either with friends, colleagues, family members or just other online players. It then becomes more affordable to submit multiple entries as you are splitting the cost with others.

It only takes one entry to win the jackpot, though, and you can then start thinking of all the ways you might like to spend more than £140 million. Whether you’d start by moving home and giving money to loved ones, or splash out on an extravagant purchase such as a superyacht, you could start drawing up your wish list by the end of the week.

Take part online or visit an authorised retailer to buy a ticket, then just keep an eye out for the EuroMIllions Results. You can also use the EuroMillions Checker to see if you are due any prizes from the last 180 days.

Published: Thursday 12th September 2019

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