Amongst the new changes are more big money payouts and the maximum prize has also increased
New lottery rules which come into force this week mean lottery players could win much more money on the EuroMillions with the potential maximum jackpot going up to €250million.
Lottery organisers say the changes are the biggest since 2016 because more money is being put into the maximum available prize fund reports HullLive.
The jackpot cap currently stands at €190million - meaning that once that level is reached the jackpot doesn't increase any more even if no-one wins.
The jackpot cap will now rise to €200million and if the jackpot isn't won then each draw will see another €10million added until it reaches a maximum cap of €250million.
Additionally, more money is being taken out of the prize fund and put into the jackpot - 50 per cent for the first five draws - which means it should get to €100million by eight draws - instead of the current 11.
So not only are you able to win more money, you could win it more often because the jackpot will grow faster.
The price of tickets is not going up - so that means prize amounts for lower winning combinations will decrease.
There will also be more 'Super Draws' during the year - rising from two to three, and there are some small changes to the Milliion Maker raffles.
To celebrate the big changes on Friday, February 7, the first 'Super Draw' will take place with a special jackpot of £105million.
The game is due to be updated in a number of ways, the biggest of which concerns the maximum amount that the jackpot can reach. Here’s a list of the most important changes:
What’s also important to note is what’s not changing, namely the cost of a EuroMillions ticket. Despite offering bigger jackpots more often, the cost of a EuroMillions ticket will remain the same. Instead, the amount of money allocated to the lower prize tiers in every draw will be shifted around. You can see a complete breakdown of the new prize structure and how it compares to the old one in this previous article about the EuroMillions changes.
The official date for the changes is 1st February 2020, but as that is a Saturday EuroMillions players won’t see a tangible difference until Tuesday 4th February, when the first draw after the changes is due to take place.
To mark the occasion, the National Lottery has scheduled a special Millionaire Maker raffle for that night, in which 20 UK millionaires are guaranteed. Anyone who purchases a ticket for the 4th February draw will be entered into the special raffle.
If that’s not enough, the EuroMillions draw on Friday 7th February will be the first Superdraw of 2020 and will offer a jackpot of €130 million, providing an early chance for the top prize to roll over and hit that brand new €200 million cap. Prior to the draw on Friday 31st January the jackpot stood at £24 million (€28 million), so you could see as much as an extra €100 million added to the jackpot for the 7th February draw - a huge increase!
The changes due to come into effect from 1st February are the biggest in a number of years and as a result, you may find you cannot purchase tickets for draws beyond the 31st January. This is so the updates to all the necessary systems and processes can be implemented smoothly; after 1st February you should be able to advance purchase your entries as usual - any issues buying tickets should be directed to the National Lottery.
Alternatively, you can take a shot at winning jackpots worth up to €200 million by choosing your numbers online, even if you don’t live in one of the participating countries.
https://www.euro-millions.com/news/everything-you-need-to-know-about-february-euromillions-update