Euromillion Rolldown

The Euromillions lottery has a rule, introduced on 20th January 2006, limiting how many times the jackpot pool can rollover.

In the National Lottery’s Euromillions Game Procedures for the UK Game (fourth edition, effective from 20/1/06), Rule F, 6(b) states that if on the twelfth consecutive draw there are no winners of the Match 5, and 2 Lucky stars category (i.e. the Jackpot) then the Jackpot Pool is allocated to the next lower prize category, and this is known as a Rolldown procedure. The second category in Euromillions requires you to only match the 5 numbers, but only one lucky star.

This Rolldown has never been activated, as at the last minute the jackpot has always been won, but there is always a first time. What it means is that if no one correctly guesses the five main numbers and two lucky stars, then all the people who have correctly guessed the five main numbers and one lucky star number, will share a pot of money made up from the Jackpot Pool.

Sounds simple, but actually it is quite complicated; the Jackpot Pool is the same whichever country you win from, but the second level prizes are determined by how much your particular country has in its own EuroMillions prize pot, and the conversion value of the Euro gets a look in as well. So, no doubt there are some Euromillions lawyers and mathematicians with calculators at the ready!

Interestingly a 12 week roll series on EuroMillions was forecast to happen only once every 25 years. Yet it has happened twice in 2006.