How do EuroMillions Lucky Stars Work?
Last Updated: Wednesday 23rd September 2020, 13:56
EuroMillions offers huge jackpots twice a week, with Tuesday night’s prize pool worth a remarkable £101 million. Whilst players concentrate most of their timing on crafting the perfect line of five main numbers, the two Lucky Stars are just as important if you want a multimillion-pound payout. Find out what the Lucky Stars are, how they help you win bigger prizes and methods you can use to choose them.
What are the Lucky Stars?
EuroMillions Lucky Stars are two numbers drawn from a pool of 12, after the five main numbers have been randomly selected. The Lucky Stars come from a separate draw machine and complete the winning line. To secure the EuroMillions jackpot, you must match all seven of the balls drawn.
Between the launch of the game in 2004 and May 2011, there was a choice of nine Lucky Stars, which then rose to 11. In September 2016, the Lucky Stars ball pool grew to its current level of 12.
How Do Lucky Stars Help Me Win EuroMillions Prizes?
You can win EuroMillions prizes by matching two, three, four or five main numbers alone, but matching Lucky Stars on top of that drastically increases your prize value.
For example, the average prize for matching five main numbers by themselves is around £53,000, but matching five main numbers and one Lucky Star boosts that average to more than £300,000. Matching five main numbers and both Lucky Stars wins the jackpot, which has reached as high as £161.6 million in the past.
In addition, there is no Match 1 award, but if you match one of the main numbers and both Lucky Stars, you win £7.40 on average.
EuroMillions HotPicks
The only time that the EuroMillions Lucky Stars can be discounted is when playing EuroMillions HotPicks. This new game uses just the main numbers from the draw, offering players the chance to choose how many balls they wish to predict, with prizes ranging from £10 for picking and matching one, to £1 million for correctly guessing all five.
How to Choose Your Lucky Stars
As many people use significant dates, such as birthdays, for their main numbers, you could use the Lucky Stars for the corresponding months as they run from 1 to 12. If you know someone who has a birthday on the 30th April, you might pick main number 30 and Lucky Star 4 to represent them.
Alternatively, you could use them as part of a EuroMillions system. If you play six lines, you could choose to use each Lucky Star once, ensuring that you match both somewhere on your ticket, and meaning that you boost any prizes you win from the main numbers on the same line.
Players who like to follow the form of the numbers drawn can use the EuroMillions Statistics to find out how Lucky Stars have performed in previous draws, or you could leave it to fate by using the EuroMillions Random Number Generator.
It is worth noting that, because the main numbers and Lucky Stars are drawn from separate pools, the same number can come up in both sets. If there is a number that is particularly meaningful for you from the range 1 to 12, you could play it in both your main numbers and Lucky Stars to really personalise your selections.
Current EuroMillions Jackpot
EuroMillions draws take place every Tuesday and Friday, with jackpots upwards of £14 million; choose your main numbers and Lucky Stars online now, match all seven and become a multi-millionaire!
