History of Eurojackpot
Development work begins on a new multi-national lottery after a number of countries take notice of the success of EuroMillions, which launched a year earlier and showed how lottery operators could share player pools to create bigger jackpots to offer to players.
An agreement to launch Eurojackpot is signed in Helsinki.
The first Eurojackpot draw takes place with seven participating countries. Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Slovenia all sell tickets for the first draw. Italy did not take part until the draw on Friday 6th April due to licensing delays.
The jackpot is won for the first time as a player from Germany matches all five main numbers plus both Euro numbers to win €19.5 million.
Spain joins Eurojackpot, becoming the eighth participating country.
The rules of the game dictate that the jackpot can roll over 12 times before must be won in the following draw. No player manages to match all five main numbers and both Euro numbers in 12 draws, so the jackpot rolls down into the next winning prize tier, in which one player matches five main numbers and one Euro number to win €27.5 million.
The first Danish jackpot winner, and the first jackpot winner from outside Germany, wins €21.3 million.
The first Finnish Eurojackpot winner sets a new record for the game when they win €29.5 million.
Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Croatia, Latvia and Lithuania join Eurojackpot, increasing the number of participating countries to 14.
The consecutive rollover limit is removed and new rules take effect, allowing the jackpot to roll over to a cap of €90 million. Read more about the Jackpot Cap.
A new record jackpot is set by a German player who wins €46 million.
Norway’s first jackpot winner, Yngvar Borgerson, wins €13.4 million. He later decides to spend some of his winnings on his local football club.
Italy sees its first jackpot winner as a single player wins €15 million.
The jackpot is won by a Slovenian for the first time, making them €21 million richer.
Croatia celebrates their first jackpot winner of €17.2 million.
A new record jackpot is won by a Finnish player who wins €57.2 million.
A new record jackpot is set by another Finnish player who wins €61.1 million.
The pool for the supplementary Euro numbers increases from eight to ten.
The Czech Republic and Hungary join Eurojackpot, increasing the total participating countries to 16.
The format change makes the game slighter harder to win, but with more countries now taking part, more tickets are being sold and more money is being added to the prize fund on a regular basis.
The jackpot reaches its €90 million cap for the first time, but nobody matches all of the numbers. Excess funds are diverted into the next tier, earning the two players who matched five main numbers and one Euro number €4.3 million each.
The jackpot of €90 million is won by a single ticket holder from the Czech Republic, setting a new record for the biggest ever Eurojackpot prize. Excess funds are again diverted among players in the next winning tier, this time three lucky participants who matched five main numbers and one Euro number share €22.9 million.
Slovakia joins Eurojackpot, which brings the total number of participating countries up to 17.
A player from Spain becomes the first ticket holder from the country to win the jackpot, winning €31.5 million.
The second-largest jackpot ever is won as a German ticket holder from Hessen wins €84.8 million.
A jackpot of €90 million is won for only the second time, as a ticket holder from the Black Forest area of Baden-Württemberg becomes Germany’s largest Eurojackpot winner.
Five players – three from Germany, one from Denmark and one from the Netherlands – share a jackpot of €90 million. It is the first time in Eurojackpot history that the top prize has been won by multiple players.
Poland joins Eurojackpot, becoming the 18th participating country.
The first draw under new rules takes place. The two Euro numbers are now drawn from a set of 12 balls rather than 10, while there is a second weekly draw every Tuesday. The jackpot cap is increased from €90 million to €120 million.
A jackpot of €110 million is won by a ticket holder from Germany.
A Danish player wins €120 million. It is the first time the jackpot has been won at its new limit.
Eurojackpot branches out to a 19th different country, as tickets go on sale in Greece for the first time.