Europe has two continent-spanning jackpot games, and they look almost like twins: same numbers to pick, same draw nights, the exact same odds of hitting the jackpot. Yet EuroMillions and EuroJackpot differ in ways that genuinely change which one is the better bet for you. We track 1,962 EuroMillions draws back to 2004 and 971 EuroJackpot draws back to 2012 — here's how the two actually compare.
The one thing that's identical: jackpot odds
Both games use the same matrix — pick 5 from 50, plus 2 from a pool of 12 (Lucky Stars in EuroMillions, Euro numbers in EuroJackpot). Because the math is identical, so are the jackpot odds: 1 in 139,838,160 for each, a figure stated verbatim on both games' official odds pages. If your only question is "what are my chances of the top prize," the two games are indistinguishable.
Where they diverge: your odds of winning anything
This is the first real difference. EuroMillions has 13 prize tiers — including a bottom "Match 2 main numbers" prize — while EuroJackpot has 12. That extra tier lifts EuroMillions' overall odds of winning any prize to about 1 in 13, versus roughly 1 in 32 for EuroJackpot. So while the jackpot is equally hard in both, EuroMillions pays out something far more often.
The full side-by-side
| Attribute | EuroMillions | EuroJackpot |
|---|---|---|
| Format | 5 from 50 + 2 Lucky Stars (1–12) | 5 from 50 + 2 Euro numbers (1–12) |
| Draw days | Tuesday & Friday | Tuesday & Friday |
| Jackpot odds | 1 in 139,838,160 | 1 in 139,838,160 |
| Any-prize odds | ~1 in 13 | ~1 in 32 |
| Prize tiers | 13 | 12 |
| Starting jackpot | €17 million | €10 million |
| Jackpot cap | €250 million | €120 million |
| Countries | 9 | 19 |
| Base ticket price | €2.50 (£2.50 UK, CHF 3.50 CH) | €2 (higher in a few countries) |
Bigger ceiling vs wider reach
The two headline trade-offs:
- EuroMillions goes higher. Its jackpot is capped at €250 million — more than double EuroJackpot's €120 million cap — and it starts higher too (€17M vs €10M). If you're chasing the largest possible European prize, EuroMillions is the game.
- EuroJackpot is cheaper and broader. At a €2 base ticket (versus €2.50), it costs less per line, and it's played across 19 countries spanning Central, Northern, and Eastern Europe, against EuroMillions' 9 mostly Western European members. More countries means a larger, more frequent stream of jackpots, even if each ceiling is lower.
A useful quirk: Spain plays both games, so Spanish players can choose between them draw for draw. Most other countries offer one or the other.
So which should you play?
It depends on what you're optimizing for:
- Chasing the biggest possible jackpot? EuroMillions, with its €250 million cap.
- Want the best chance of winning something? EuroMillions again — 1 in 13 versus 1 in 32.
- Want the cheapest ticket per line? EuroJackpot, at €2.
- Just playing whatever's available where you are? That's usually the real deciding factor — most countries carry one game, not both.
Whichever you play, remember the rule that governs both: the jackpot may be pan-European, but you claim in the country where you bought the ticket, under that country's rules and taxes. A win taxed at 0% in the UK is taxed at source in Spain or Portugal — the mechanics are the same for both games, and they're covered in EuroMillions: How It Works Across 9 Countries and Spain and Portugal Lottery Tax.