EuroMillions is drawn twice a week, on Tuesday and Friday. The balls are drawn in Paris at around 8pm UK time (9pm in France), and The National Lottery shows the draw at 8.45pm. Ticket sales close at 7.30pm and full results appear from around 9.30pm. It's the same draw for all nine countries.
What time is the EuroMillions draw?
Every Tuesday and Friday the balls are drawn in Paris at around 8pm UK time (9pm in France). The National Lottery shows the draw at 8.45pm on its website and its YouTube channel, which is why 8.45pm is the time you'll usually see given for the draw. Both times are the same on UK clocks all year round: the UK and France change their clocks on the same weekends, so nothing moves when British Summer Time starts or ends.
The winning numbers are known within minutes. The prize amounts take a little longer, because every country first has to count its winners. On our home page you'll find the countdown to the next draw and the estimated jackpot.
| What | When |
|---|---|
| Ticket sales close | 7.30pm on Tuesday and Friday |
| The balls are drawn in Paris | Around 8pm (9pm in France) |
| The National Lottery shows the draw | 8.45pm |
| Full results on The National Lottery website | From around 9.30pm |
| Deadline to claim a prize | 180 days after the draw |
When ticket sales close
To play in a draw you need to buy your ticket before 7.30pm that day, whether online or in a shop. Anything bought after the cut-off goes into the next draw. Online you can buy tickets every day of the week, and you can play up to eight draws ahead, so there's no need to leave it until the last minute. The options are in where to play EuroMillions.
When the results come out
The five main numbers and two Lucky Stars are drawn in a few minutes. The UK Millionaire Maker code is drawn separately on the same day. The National Lottery publishes full results on its website from around 9.30pm, and we publish the numbers, the Lucky Stars, the UK Millionaire Maker code and the prize breakdown on our results page.
To see straight away whether you've won, enter your lines in the ticket checker. It tells you the matches and prize tier for each line and, once the prize breakdown is out, what each tier paid.
Where the draw takes place
EuroMillions has been drawn in Paris since the very first draw, on Friday 13 February 2004. There's only one draw for all nine countries, wherever your ticket was bought.
The draw follows procedures set by Services aux Loteries en Europe (SLE), the Belgian cooperative that coordinates EuroMillions on behalf of the national lotteries, and it's SLE that confirms the winning numbers. After that, each country's operator does its own job: in the UK, Allwyn counts the UK winners, draws the UK Millionaire Maker and pays the prizes.
How the numbers are drawn
- One draw machine holds 50 balls, numbered 1 to 50: the main numbers.
- A second machine holds 12 balls, numbered 1 to 12: the Lucky Stars.
- Five balls are drawn from the first machine. The order they come out in doesn't matter.
- Two balls are drawn from the second machine.
- Those 5 numbers and 2 Lucky Stars are the winning combination for all 13 prize tiers.
The machines are made by the French firm Ryo-Catteau: a Stresa for the main numbers and a Pâquerette for the Lucky Stars. The UK Millionaire Maker isn't drawn from balls: Allwyn's automatic draw machine picks one winning code at random from all the valid UK entries for that draw, so every code has the same chance.
A draw every Tuesday and Friday
Two draws a week means around 104 draws a year. They take place every Tuesday and Friday unless there are exceptional circumstances; in a case like a serious disruption to ticket sales, Allwyn can postpone a draw and keep selling tickets for it.
It hasn't always been twice a week: until May 2011 EuroMillions was only drawn on Fridays. The first Tuesday draw was on 10 May 2011, and the rest of the game's changes are in EuroMillions history. Superdraws and European Millionaire Maker events take place on normal draw nights, announced in advance.
Draws go ahead on bank holidays too, including Christmas Day and New Year's Day when they fall on a Tuesday or a Friday: the draw on Friday 25 December 2020, for example, took place as normal. In 2026 Christmas Day falls on a Friday, and in 2027 so does New Year's Day. Many shops close early on those days, so buy your ticket in good time, before the usual 7.30pm cut-off.
After the draw: counting the winners
Once the numbers are known, every operator checks the entries sold in its country. The jackpot is shared between all jackpot winners across Europe; prizes in the other tiers depend on how many people matched the same numbers and, for UK players, on the exchange rate. That's why the prize breakdown appears after the numbers, and why the UK figures in pounds can differ from those paid in euros. The detail is in EuroMillions prizes.
How long you have to claim
You have 180 days from the draw to claim a prize. After that it's forfeited and the money goes to National Lottery good causes. If your ticket covers several draws, each draw has its own 180 days. The steps are in how to claim a EuroMillions prize.
Frequently asked questions
What time is the EuroMillions draw tonight?
The draw is made in Paris at around 8pm UK time, and The National Lottery shows it at 8.45pm. Full results follow from around 9.30pm.
What time do EuroMillions ticket sales close?
At 7.30pm on the day of the draw. Tickets bought later are entered into the next draw.
Where is the EuroMillions draw held?
In Paris, as it has been since the first draw in February 2004. It's one draw for all nine countries.
Where can I watch the EuroMillions draw?
On The National Lottery website and on its YouTube channel, from 8.45pm every Tuesday and Friday.
Does the draw time change when the clocks go forward?
No. The draw stays at around 8pm and the broadcast at 8.45pm on UK clocks all year round.
Why aren't the prize amounts published straight away?
Because prizes depend on how many people matched the same numbers in all nine countries. The numbers come first; the prize breakdown follows once the winners have been counted.
Last reviewed: . Independent information: official results are published by the lottery that runs the game.