EuroMillions on TV

The EuroMillions lottery was launched on 13 February, 2004, but until a couple of weeks ago it has never been possible to regularly watch draws on UK terrestrial television

Whether this is something that has made EuroMillions less popular with British lottery players than the Lotto is difficult to say, but I think it’s a fair bet that EuroMillions is set to become more popular now that we can see the balls being picked for ourselves.

The new EuroMillions television show is currently scheduled to air at 11:35pm every Friday on BBC One. Tim Vincent and Sarah Cawood are taking it in turns to present the show, which is being produced by Initial, which is an Endemol UK company.

In a press release marking the launch of this TV show, the Chief Executive of the Camelot, said: “EuroMillions has already created some of the UK’s biggest lottery winners, so I’m delighted that the draw now has a regular spot on the BBC.”

I’m equally delighted, but I am a tad disappointed that we don’t actually get to see the draw taking place live as it happens. What we will see in most cases are recordings of the event, and whilst this is sometimes the case with the UK Lotto, live draws are always my personal preference.

In this day and age, where we have hundreds of digital television channels to choose from, it might have been nice for the BBC to work a live draw into its schedule somewhere. It is true that “something is better than nothing”, and the new TV show is definitely a big step forward, but surely one of the world’s biggest lottery games deserves a live spot?

Of course, I’m a big EuroMillions fan, so I’m bound to want to see the EuroMillions draw live on television. But for me a live draw adds something to the excitement. When I watch Lotto live I’m almost willing my numbers to come up – something that is totally irrational and ineffective, but which makes the whole experience seem more tangible and meaningful. Watching a recording of the draw is the next best thing, but in my opinion it’s a bit like watching a horse race that’s already been run – fantastic if you were a winner but a little like rubbing salt into the wound if you weren’t.
 

Article Last Updated: 04/06/2010 12:05:40

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