The luckiest EuroMillions number has been revealed after one jackpot winner scooped a massive £208 million. It became the largest amount ever won by a single ticket.
The previous record had stood for almost three years after an anonymous winner secured £195.7 million in July 2022. It came just three months after Joe and Jess Thwaite from Gloucester became the record holders, winner a staggering £184 million in May that year. Joe discovered he had won when he checked his phone at 5am.
He said: “Generally my luck is pretty terrible, to be honest with you.
“I saw how much and I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t go back to sleep, I didn’t want to wake Jess up, so I just laid there for what seemed like forever. I spent some time searching for property with no budget limit, which was a novelty!”
While the UK celebrates its biggest win, across Europe, Italy boasts the largest pot with a single ticket winning an eye-watering £317 million that was eventually split among 90 victors, netting about £16 million each.
On Tuesday, the Irish National Lottery said the “biggest ever EuroMillions” jackpot had been won in Ireland, with the location set to be revealed soon. Irish National Lottery chief executive Cian Murphy said: “We are absolutely thrilled to see this incredible and record win for an Irish EuroMillions player.
“We are advising our players to check their tickets and, if they are the winner, sign the back of the ticket, keep it safe, and contact National Lottery HQ and we will guide you through the claims process.”
EuroMillions Tuesday’s draw results were tantalizing, with numbers 13, 22, 23, 44 and 49, accompanied by lucky stars 3 and 5; notably featuring one of the most frequently drawn EuroMillions balls.
According to EuroMillions, anyone wanting to give themselves the best chance of picking at least one correct number should go with 20. That is because it has been drawn 111 times since September 2016.
Number 21 is close behind in frequency, having been drawn 108 times, contrasting the winner’s pick, 22, which astoundingly ranks as one of the least drawn numbers at just 66 occurrences.
With lucky star ball three triumphing as the most common with a total of 180 draws, contestants have a narrowed field from one to 12 to select their potential winning stars, compared to one to 50 for the regular balls.
In the race of the numbers, 26 is labelled “most overdue”, missing from results for 120 days, closely followed by the absence of number 11 for 117 days. Britain boasts an enviable track record with 46 triumphant EuroMillions wins over the past nine years out of 173 winners across all participating countries.
Tuesday’s fortunate victor makes history as the ninth Irish winner of the illustrious EuroMillion prize pot since September 2016, joining an elite group of 20 overall Irish jackpot winners since EuroMillions made its debut in 2004.