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The cost of Europe’s largest lottery, the EuroMillions, is going up, but your chances of winning aren’t. According to the lottery’s organiser, Camelot, the cost of a single EuroMillions ticket will increase from €2 to €2.50 while the odds of winning a prize will remain static at 1 in 13.
Of course, raising the prize without raising the appeal isn’t a wise business move. So, by way of a trade-off, Camelot has tweaked its structure to ensure that more people win more prizes more often.
Under the new rules, players paying €2.50 for a ticket will pick five main numbers (from 1 to 50) and, now, two lucky stars from a batch running from 1 to 12. Raising the number of lucky stars from 11 to 12 will, according to Camelot, increase the number of jackpots worth £14 million+ (€16.6 million) and, moreover, generate twice as many jackpots worth £50 million (€59 million).
Although a player’s chance of winning will decrease (shifting from one in 117 million to one in 140 million), Camelot is confident that the EuroMillions will remain as popular as ever.
Technology Saves the Day
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Fortunately, as is often the case in the modern day, technology is on hand to save the canny player a few Euros.
Just as comparison sites have reduced consumer energy bills and car insurance, online lottery sites are helping to give players more value for less. In light of the recent announcement by Camelot, Lottoland has decided to hit the pause button and freeze its prices.
Thanks to a unique model that allows players to bet on the EuroMillions without investing directly in it, Lottoland can afford to keep its ticket prices to €2-a-line. Instead of players paying Camelot to play for a €50 million+ jackpot, Lottoland players pick their numbers and then invest their cash with the site directly.
The result of the EuroMillions is the result that determines Lottoland’s winners, which basically means players get exactly the same experience but through a third-party. Indeed, because all of its prizes are underwritten by an insurance policy, Lottoland can pay players exactly the same prizes as the official EuroMillions draw.
This dynamic has revolutionised the lottery market in recent years and it means Lottoland can offer its own promotions whenever they want.
Online Lotteries Rewriting the Rules
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Indeed, as well as allowing Irish players to play EuroMillions for €2.00 throughout September, Lottoland is also able to give away free tickets for the draw. For those who create their first account before the £100 million (€119 million) draw, Lottoland will give them a free ticket.
A decade ago this wouldn’t have been possible. In fact, a decade ago the EuroMillions’ price increase would have elicited cries of outrage from the lotto faithful. Today, however, thanks to the power of the Internet, players can now save themselves a few Euros. In the same way the Groupon, GoCompare and eBay have made shopping less expensive, sites like Lottoland are now making lotteries more accessible and, importantly, cheaper.
Although Camelot’s decision will still irk some in the gaming community, technology has quite literally saved us once again.