UK Players Win £6.99 Billion in First 1,000 EuroMillions Draws
Last Updated: Monday 24th April 2017, 10:40
Friday night saw EuroMillions celebrate a very special milestone as the 1,000th draw took place. With the number of draws in this pan-European lottery having now reached the four-figure mark, find out how UK players have performed over the past 13 years and how future winners might celebrate if they claimed a colossal jackpot.
As one of the founding members of EuroMillions, UK players have had the honour of participating in every draw since the game began on Friday 13th February 2004, alongside hopefuls from France and Spain. In that time, ticket holders from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have won a combined total of £6.99 billion, a sum shared across a sensational 481 million winning lines. In fact, players across the nation have claimed over 23 percent of the €34.6 billion won by all nine participating countries in the game’s history.
Total Jackpots Won
To date, a total of 365 players from across the continent have landed the EuroMillions top prize, with 65 of those hailing from the UK. France currently sit atop the jackpot winners’ table with 85 wins, while Spain occupy second-place on 82; the UK is in third. Despite trailing, the UK has produced some of the biggest winners in the game’s history, with Colin and Christine Weir from Ayrshire landing £161.6 million in July 2011 and Adrian and Gillian Bayford from Suffolk pocketing £148.6 million in August 2012.
How Players Choose Their Numbers
A survey conducted to coincide with the landmark draw revealed the habits of EuroMillions participants, with 59.3 percent of all players claiming that, when it came to selecting their numbers, they left it to chance by opting for random lines. This figure dwarfed the 36 percent of players who chose to use lucky or regular numbers and the 4.7 percent who openly admitted to relying on statistics in their efforts to win the jackpot.
What Would Players Do if They Won?
When it came to winning, only 23 percent of people said they would give up their job if they scooped a vast sum of money, while just three in every ten participants would want to go public following a big win. When it came to selecting a holiday destination, there was something of a mixed response, with the Caribbean (24.8 percent), the USA (23 percent) and Dubai (13.7 percent) all featuring, as well as Flamingo Land theme park in North Yorkshire and Craig Tara, a caravan park in Ayrshire, also being mentioned.
1,000th EuroMillions Draw Results
As for the 1,000th draw itself, there may not have been a jackpot winner, but that didn’t stop three ticket holders from the UK and Spain (2) each walking away with a prize worth £233,051 after matching five main numbers and one Lucky Star. In fact, it was a successful draw for a further 1.9 million ticket holders, all of whom landed prizes worth between £2.90 for matching two main numbers and £27,140 for matching five main numbers. For a full prize breakdown and extra information on the 1,000th draw, head to the EuroMillions Results page.
As the 1,001st draw edges ever closer, why not try your luck by picking your numbers online or playing through any authorised retailer across the UK? This Tuesday’s jackpot is an estimated £37 million, so don’t miss out. Good luck!
