What is EuroMillions? How is it different to the national lottery and what are the benefits of playing? These are all questions you might ask and rightly so - it's important to be fully informed of how the game works before you decide to play, so keep reading for answers to these questions and more essential information about the game itself.

Most people have heard of or may have played the national lottery and as the name suggests, national lotteries are limited to the residents of the country in which it is played. This means if you want to play the British national lottery then you must be a UK resident.

The EuroMillions lottery differs from national lotteries for one simple reason; the stakes of all participating European countries are pooled together thus making the cash prizes much larger to begin with. Residents of all participating countries are allowed to play EuroMillions so there are no limits to one specific country, as with the national lottery. Due to several countries participating in EuroMillions, this makes it one of the biggest lotteries on the planet and with some of the largest prizes to be won. Just in case you don't know which countries participate in EuroMillions they are, in alphabetical order, as follows: Austria, Belgium, France, Ireland, Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

The EuroMillions lottery has been around for a fairly long time now, with the first draw taking place in February 2004 and it has been going from strength to strength ever since. The largest win since EuroMillions begun was over €183,000,000 and was divided between three winners. The largest amount ever won by a single individual is €115.6 million so if these astronomical sums don't attract you nothing will!

As the old adage says, you have to be in it to win it, and with several ways to play EuroMillions, making sure you're in with a chance really couldn't be easier. You can play in the traditional way of buying a ticket at the newsagents and supermarkets or any other certified outlet. You can now also play EuroMillions using your mobile phone. However, you need to register to play this way but once you're up and running you can simply send a text message to be in with a chance of winning.

The internet is another means of enabling play. Similar to text messaging, you need to first of all register to play online and from there it's a simple click of a button to submit your lucky number combination. With text and online play you can easily increase your chances of success and all without leaving the comfort of your own home.

A final tip on increasing the probability of EuroMillions success is by organising a syndicate and playing the game as part of a group. An astounding one in four Lotto jackpots are won by syndicates, so it makes sense to play with others and maximise your chances.

Isla Campbell writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.