Although the prizes are the same across Europe, the Portuguese are one of the few who do not receive the full amount, as they have to give a significant slice to the State.

According to Contacto, the Portuguese pay one of the most penalizing rates among the nine countries participating in the Euromillions. This difference was evident in last Friday's draw, in which seven players won the second prize, valued at €2,737,810.69. Two of the winners are residents of Portugal.

According to the same source, the remaining five winning bettors will receive the entire prize. The two Portuguese winners will take home just €2,190,248.55, due to the application of the 20% stamp duty, which takes more than half a million euros from each of the winners.

Tax on prizes in Portugal

In Portugal, all prizes from social games over five thousand euros are subject to a fixed rate of 20% stamp duty, as Contacto indicates. This tax is automatically applied by the State and affects not only Euromillions, but also other games with high prizes.

Also, according to the same publication, this rate is one of the lowest in percentage terms among the countries that charge tax on prizes, but the amount from which it is applied, just five thousand euros, makes Portugal one of the countries that most penalizes winners.

This reality contrasts with that of other European countries, where the tax does not even exist. In Luxembourg, France, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Austria, Euromillions winners always receive the full amount of their prizes, as Contato points out.