Last updated on July 19th, 2024
The Biggest Euro Lotteries
Thanks to the massive advancement of technology today we live in an online era that has no shortage of lucrative games of chance. It is safe to say that ever since online casino games emerged on the internet, everyone knew it was just a matter of time before the classic games of chance ended up with an online counterpart of their own. With time, this resulted in the emergence of hundreds of different games of luck, with one such example being probably the biggest and most popular game of chance ever since the creation of man, the life-changing and always rewarding, lotteries. Consequently, being that the lotteries are one of the few games that are played globally and regardless of culture or religion, we decided to dwell deeper to find the biggest transnational Euro lotteries currently held across the old continent.
EuroMillions
We will begin the list of the biggest Euro lotteries with probably the most popular and widely played out of all transnational lotteries out there, the EuroMillions. Launched on the 13th of February 2004 by the joint effort of Français des Jeux, UK’s Camelot and Spain’s Lotteries y Apuestas, EuroMillions is commonly referred to as the “Millionaire Maker”, simply because of its absolutely ridiculous jackpot prizes that see a person in the UK become a millionaire on a weekly basis. Today, this transnational lottery is available across 9 different countries in Europe, including France, the United Kingdom, Spain, Belgium, Ireland, Portugal, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Austria.
- Draw Time: Every Tuesday and Friday at 20:45 CET
- Ticket Price: Between €2.50 and €10 per line, varies depending on the local currency
- Biggest Jackpot Win: €224 million
- Current Jackpot: €230 million
SuperEnalotto
The most popular lottery draw in Italy, the SuperEnalotto is also one of the oldest Euro lotteries currently in existence. Launched way back in 1997 and currently operated by Sisal, SuperEnalotto is known for being able to easily match the reward potential of even the mega-popular EuroMillions lottery draw, with the current estimated jackpot prize being clocked at a whopping €240.2 million. Needless to state the obvious, such huge numbers easily launch SuperEnalotto on the list of the biggest lotteries in Europe, and one major contributor to this claim is the fact that the Italian government allows everyone to participate, regardless of their citizenship.
- Draw Time: Every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 20:00 CET
- Ticket Price: €3.50 per line
- Biggest Jackpot Win: €209 million
- Current Jackpot: €240.2 million
EuroJackpot
Initially created to rival the massive EuroMillions lottery, EuroJackpot quickly became one of the most popular Euro transnational lottery games in history not because it surpassed the EuroMillions jackpot, but because of the more favourable odds. Yes, while the jackpot prize is indeed a bit smaller than the EuroMillions one, EuroJackpot still packs a rather hefty amount that can reach up to €100 million. Consequently, due to the better odds, and the fact that it is available in far more European countries than its biggest rival with 18 to its 9 (Spain, Sweden, Slovenia, Slovakia, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Iceland, Italy, Germany, Hungary, Estonia, Finland, Croatia, Czech Republic and Denmark), EuroJackpot earns its spot on the list of the best lotteries in Europe.
- Draw Time: Every Tuesday and Friday at 21:00 EET
- Ticket Price: €3.50 per line
- Biggest Jackpot Win: €90 million
- Current Jackpot: €117 million
Viking Lotto
We finally reach the first ever Euro transnational lottery, the inspiration for basically every other multinational lottery game that ever emerged on the Old Continent, Viking Lotto was launched way back in the early 90s, or more particularly in 1993. Just as you would assume simply by looking at the name, this lottery started as a joint effort mostly between the Scandinavian countries, however, today it is available in up to 10 different countries across Europe, including Finland, Sweden, Norway, Estonia, Denmark, Iceland, Latvia, Belgium and Slovenia. One of the biggest reasons why the Viking Lotto slowly, but surely conquered Europe is due to the low ticket prices, bigger odds at winning the jackpot, and the fact that it hasn’t changed its format ever since first emerging on the scene in 1993.
- Draw Time: Every Wednesday at 20:00 CET
- Ticket Price: Between €0.5 and €10, varies depending on the local currency
- Biggest Jackpot Win: €44.3 million
- Current Jackpot: €12.2 million
La Primitiva
When we are speaking about the oldest lottery draws in Europe, and consequently in history, rarely does someone come close to La Primitiva, Spain’s number one lottery. Established a few centuries back, or in 1762 in Madrid and known as the Royal Lottery at the time, it wasn’t until 1985 that this legendary lottery game got its modern look that we know and love today. Ever since its first introduction on the wide scene, La Primitiva is known for handing out some of the biggest jackpot wins not only in Spain but also in Europe, with the jackpot amount frequently nearing the vicinity of €100 million, with the winners frequently netting sums that are worth dozens of millions of Euros.
Consequently, one of the best parts about La Primitiva is the rule that anyone can purchase a ticket and participate, regardless of whether they reside in Spain or not. This, along with the whopping jackpot prizes is what qualifies La Primitiva on the list of the biggest and best lotteries in Europe.
- Draw Time: Every Monday, Thursday and Saturday at 20:30 GMT
- Ticket Price: €2.50 per line
- Biggest Jackpot Win: €101.7 million
- Current Jackpot: €2.8 million
German Lotto
The German Lotto is known as yet another one of the oldest and most popular lotteries in Europe, with the first draw dating back to the 9th of October 1955. Not only does this make the German Lotto one of the longest-running lotteries in Europe period, but this lottery is also known for releasing some of the biggest lottery wins on the Old Continent. Not only that but the German Lotto is known for letting the jackpot amount reach the $45 million limit before it is won by a random player. Given that everyone can participate regardless of the country (just make sure you are in Germany for the draw), the German Lotto is frequently a top choice for players throughout Europe, with the UK and Austria leading the way.
- Draw Time: Every Wednesday and Saturday at 18:25 CET and 19:25 CET
- Ticket Price: €1.75 per line
- Biggest Jackpot Win: €42.5 million
- Current Jackpot: €5 million
French Lotto
The last entry on the list of the biggest lotteries in Europe doesn’t necessarily mean that it is the least rewarding, especially if we consider that it definitely deserves a spot on this list. Launched in the year 1976, up to this point, the French Lotto is a “culprit” for several multi-million jackpot drops, with the jackpot amount usually starting at 2 million EUR. And this is not all! Every week that the main jackpot remains unclaimed, the French Lotto will add yet another 1 million EUR to the total jackpot amount, and this will go on until someone hits the mega win and claims the funds.
However, one of the biggest reasons for the popularity of the French Lotto is the unique raffle where 10 players are guaranteed to win 20.000 EUR. This, in addition to the rich lottery history of France, as well as the 1 million EUR added each week to the total jackpot amount, makes the French Lotto one of the hottest in Europe for quite a long time now.
- Draw Time: Every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 20:30 CET
- Price: €3.50 per line
- Biggest Jackpot Win: €24 million
- Current Jackpot: €2 million