All About the Best European Lotteries

Want to know more about Europe’s most exciting lottery draws? You’ve come to the right place! European lotteries offer some of the biggest jackpots and most exciting draws in the world! Whether you want to play the continent’s massive transnational lotteries, like EuroMillions, or local draws with great odds and affordable tickets, there’s a draw for everyone. Discover everything you would want to know about playing and winning European lotteries, including game rules, prizes, winning odds, and more!

Which European Lotteries Have the Biggest Jackpots?

In first place is the Italian SuperEnalotto which is the largest national lottery in all of Europe. It’s most known for its incredibly difficult odds that create incredibly enormous jackpots! While it only starts at €2 million, the jackpot can reach well over €100 million before being won. The lottery even has set a phenomenal European jackpot record of €371 million in February 2023! This SuperEnalotto jackpot is currently the biggest European lottery prize ever awarded!

EuroMillions, which offers up a jackpot prize that starts at €17 million that has grown to reach a record-breaking €240 million in the past! This is the second biggest lottery prize ever awarded by a European lottery. The lottery’s current jackpot cap is set at €250 million.

The Italian SuperEnalotto also holds the third biggest jackpot with it’s €209 million record from August 2019! This SuperEnalotto jackpot remained the biggest European lottery prize ever awarded for over a year and a half before EuroMillions took it’s place.

Another transnational lottery to offer incredible multi-million euro jackpots is EuroJackpot, which is the biggest lottery in Europe! Players from 18 European countries can get a chance at ending the week with a jackpot that can reach €120 million.

What Types of Lotteries Are Available in Europe?

Europe offers two types of lotteries: national and transnational.

Transnational lotteries are available in several countries. These draws tend to have much larger prize pools due to the sheer number of people participating. While the main draw and prizes are mutual, some countries also hold exciting raffles alongside the draw. For example, Spanish EuroMillions players have a chance at winning an extra €1 million prize in each draw from the El Millon raffle.

So far, Europe has three transnational lottery draws:

EuroMillions

Europe's biggest lottery to date was established in February 2004 by France's Française des Jeux, Spain's Loterías y Apuestas del Estado and the United Kingdom's Camelot.

From 2012, EuroMillions has had a jackpot that resets to €17 million after it’s won. This amount will grow with each rollover until it reaches the jackpot cap, which is now €250 million. 

Currently, EuroMillions tickets are sold in 9 European countries, including Austria, Belgium, France, Ireland, Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Draws are held every Tuesday and Friday at 20:45 CET in Paris.

EuroJackpot

With 18 participating countries under its belt, EuroJackpot is the biggest lottery draw offered in Europe. Launched in 2012, this European gem is often regarded as EuroMillions little brother due to the smaller jackpots and prizes. But don’t let that keep you from playing! EuroJackpot is still considered one of Europe’s most exciting lotteries, offering a multi-million euro jackpot and 11 additional prizes that rival those of EuroMillions.

The jackpot prize starts at €10 million, and if not won, it can eventually reach the lottery's €120 million cap. You can get a chance at winning EuroJackpot prizes twice a week, every Tuesday and Friday night in Helsinki, Finland, at 19:00 GMT.

EuroDreams

EuroDreams, Europe's latest lottery sensation, kicked off its inaugural draw on November 6, 2023, unveiling two fortunate jackpot winners. What sets this lottery apart is its captivating prize structure, promising winners a life-changing jackpot prize of 20,000 euros monthly, for a remarkable 30 years! It's not just a windfall; it's a lasting financial embrace.

Even if your luck only aligns with two numbers, EuroDreams has prizes waiting.

EuroDreams lottery draws occur twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays at 21:00 local time in Paris.

National lottery tickets are only available within the borders of the country offering them. While they’re usually much smaller than transnational lotteries that are offered in multiple countries, with the exception of Italy’s SuperEnalotto, these local draws maintain loyal fanbases. Spain's La Primitiva is one of Europe's oldest lotteries and remains a firm favourite among Spanish fans due to the jackpot cap-free policy that create enormous large multi-million euro prizes! Another beloved draw is the Polish Mini Lotto that offers daily lottery draws and some of the most affordable European lottery tickets out there.

Below are the national European draws that you can play online at theLotter:

European Lottery Raffles, Superdraws, and Special Draws

One thing that sets European lottery draws apart is the lottery raffles, special draws, and Superdraws that let players win a little extra!

• Lottery raffles are staged alongside the main draw and give players another chance at winning without having to match any of the numbers. Two of Europe’s biggest lottery raffles are Spain’s EuroMillions El Millon raffle which gives players a chance to win a €1 million prize at each draw, and the EuroMillions Austria ÖsterreichBonus.

• EuroMillions Superdraws are lottery events that take place several times a year and are anticipated by EuroMillions fans across the globe! The draw’s regular jackpot prize is boosted to €130 million and can grow to reach the lottery’s cap within just a few draws! Most of Europe’s biggest jackpots come from a EuroMillions Superdraw series, including a record-breaking €240 million top prize won in December 2023.

• Special draws are usually held in time for major holidays, such as Christmas, New Year, Easter, and Valentine's Day as well as some local holidays like Independence Day. These usually offer boosted jackpots, raffles, or additional draws.

  Italy stages the much anticipated Pasqua 100x100 raffle every Easter, awarding 100 lucky players a chance at winning an impressive €100,000 raffle prize when they play SuperEnalotto!

  France Loto boosts its jackpot to €13 million and adds a raffle in honour of Friday the 13th and the Romanian Loto 6/49 and Joker both routinely offer additional draws and boosted jackpots on regular weekdays and holidays! These are just a few examples of special lottery draws you can expect when playing European lotteries!

Which European Lotteries Have the Best Odds of Winning?

Debating on which the best European lotteries to play? One way to narrow down the list is to look at your chances of winning the lottery! As expected, smaller lotteries tend to be the ones with the best odds due to the smaller guess ranges and prizes.

In Europe, it's Poland's daily Mini Lotto draw that takes the cake, giving players a 1:850,668 chance of scoring the lottery’s jackpot prize! While the prizes may not seem that exciting, you’re much more likely to take home multiple Mini Lotto jackpots before even claiming a single EuroJackpot top prize.

If you want a nice ratio between good prizes and decent odds, France Loto offers a 1 in 6 chance of winning any of the draw’s 10 prizes, while the odds of winning the jackpot are 1:19,068,840. This might sound daunting, but compared to the most difficult European lottery jackpot to win, Italy’s SuperEnalotto eye-watering odds of 1:622,614,630, these sound pretty reasonable for a jackpot with a €30 million record! Another European lottery that has a great balance between odds and winnings is Austria Lotto! You have a fantastic 1 in 8,145,060 chance of claiming the jackpot prize, which regularly reaches €5 million!

If you’re the “odds be damned, I want to win the biggest European lottery jackpot” type, you’ll want to try your luck playing EuroMillions. In addition to awarding the biggest prizes in all of Europe, they’re also some of the hardest to win! For a chance at winning the jackpot prize, which can reach €250 million(!), you will have to beat the 1 in 139,838,160 odds! Are you up to the challenge?

Are European Lottery Prizes Taxed?

Yes and no. Some European countries may award lottery winnings tax-free, such as Austria, Germany, France and Hungary, but most subject winnings to varying tax rates that depend on from which country your ticket was purchased. In Romania, there are three tax bands with rates that range from 1%-25%. Ukraine however, has a single tax band of 19.5%.

Income tax could also be deducted in your country of residence and highly suggest you consult with an accountant and tax specialist when you see that you’ve won a big prize. To see the rules and rates from all countries, check our lottery tax guide!

Can Foreigners Play European Lottery Online?

You don’t have to be a European citizen, or even physically be in Europe to play the continent’s exciting draws! With an online lottery ticket messenger service like theLotter, you can buy official lottery tickets to the world’s biggest draws from anywhere in the world. In addition to giving you access to over a dozen European lottery draws, you can also participate in lotteries from across the globe, from huge US lotteries, to Japan’s most popular draws, and many more in between!

How Can You Win the Best European Lotteries Online?

The first step to becoming a European lottery winner is playing! At theLotter, you can simply fill in your online entry with your lucky numbers and wait to see if you’ve won.

Here’s how it works. Once your ticket order has been received, a local agent will purchase your ticket from an official retailer. This will then be scanned into your account and stored securely in our local office until the draw.

If your number matches a prize, you will be immediately notified with all the details of your win. For secondary prizes, we will claim the winnings on your behalf and transfer them directly to your theLotter account commission-free for withdrawal. If you’re lucky enough to win a jackpot or large secondary prize, you may need to collect your winnings in person. theLotter will, of course, help you in any way possible, including legal and travel assistance.

European Lottery Winners at theLotter

When millions of people play the lottery online, there are bound to be some big winners, and theLotter players are no exception! Check out some of theLotter's biggest winners of European lotteries:

• G.S.E., a lucky online player from Southeast Europe, claimed a euro;1.3 million EuroMillions prize on 12 October 2021. This win was especially exciting as his prize jumped from thousands to over a million euros thanks to the jackpot reaching the cap!

• South Korea lottery player H.S.L. matched a millionaire-making El Millón raffle prize after buying a 3-line EuroMillions entry in July 2019! In addition to this being his first big lottery win, he was also theLotter's first El Millón raffle winner.

• A few months of playing online was all it took for S.K., a chauffeur from Moscow, to win an €824K Austria Lotto jackpot in February 2016. The lucky winner had big plans for his winnings including apartments for the kids, traveling the world, and helping a young cancer patient.