How the Jackpot Cap Works in EuroMillions
The EuroMillions jackpot cap has been activated after a rollover on Tuesday 5th July bumped the top prize up to €230 million. Learn how it works and what could happen in the next few draws.
The jackpot has been climbing quickly since a Megadraw took place on 17th June, with no tickets across the nine participating countries able to match all the numbers in the last few draws.
Tuesday’s rollover has left the jackpot at its limit of €230 million, and now new rules come into force.
With the jackpot cap in place, the prize fund for matching five main numbers and one Lucky Star is set to be far larger than normal on Friday. That’s because, once the €230 million pot is full, any more money that would usually go to the top prize will have to be diverted elsewhere.
The jackpot can only stay at its maximum amount for four draws. In the fifth draw at the limit, the jackpot must be won. This will happen on Friday 22nd July if there continue to be no winners.
In a Must Be Won draw, the jackpot is guaranteed to be paid out. If nobody matches all the numbers, it will be split between players in the category below. If there isn’t a single Match 5 + 1 winner, the entire prize fund will go to ticket holders matching five main numbers.
New Irish Record Beckons
If the €230 million jackpot is won in Ireland, it will smash the record for the biggest prize ever seen on the Emerald Isle. A family from Co Dublin currently holds that title, after landing €175 million in February 2019.
The second-largest jackpot won in Ireland came back in July 2005. Dolores McNamara, a part-time cleaner from Limerick, scooped €115 million and went public with her story. At the time, she was Ireland’s first EuroMillions winner, and the biggest winner in the game’s history.
The jackpot is now worth twice as much as the sum that McNamara won, and you can choose your numbers online now.
Written by Lewis Rutledge, 7th July 2022
