Eurojackpot lottery was first proposed in 2006, following the considerable jackpot offers at the time, particularly from Euromillions lottery. An agreement to launch this multinational lottery was reached in 2011 in Helsinki.
Following the agreement, seven countries, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Slovenia, Italy, and the Netherlands, participated in the first Eurojackpot draw on March 23, 2012. Shortly after, a player from Germany won €19.5 million, which ignited interest in the lottery outside the participating countries.
Other countries were quick to join, including Spain, Norway, Sweden, Croatia, Lithuania, Latvia, Iceland, Czech Republic, and Hungary. Eurojackpot’s acceptance in most European countries saw it secure a wide audience.
On May 3, 2013, a Norwegian player, Yngvar Borgerson, won the jackpot. This marked the first of several historic wins spread across a few months. It also brought about new developments that saw the format change on October 10, 2014.
However, this new format did not deter players from taking a go at the big win. Jackpot lotteries wins of €31.5, €84.8, €90, and €90 million were recorded in October 2015, July 2016, October 2016, and January 2017. The €90 million amount was won by five different players from Germany (3 players), Denmark, and the Netherlands.
Over the years, other European countries joined, and as of December 2020, the number of countries stands at 18.