National Lottery Ireland is the entity behind the popular Irish Lotto. Launched way back in 1988, the Irish Lotto has changed its rules a couple of times through the years, and it has also produced two spin-off games. Yes, that’s how popular it is!
The very first Lotto drawing took place in April of 88, and the very first format was a 6/36 game. The guaranteed jackpot was only 250,000 pounds and boy, has this sum changed for the better!
Over time, the price of tickets has increased to accommodate the more massive jackpots, but one thing has remained the same – the popularity of the Lotto. If you’ve never given it a try before or you’d like all of the details about the game, the following overview will acquaint you with the essentials.
How to Play Irish Lotto
Choosing a set of Irish Lotto numbers is all it takes to participate in the game.
Today, the Lotto is a six out of 47 game. Players have to submit a minimum of two lines per drawing for four euro. Any additional combination they decide to enter will cost them two more euros.
A player can choose their own set of numbers or go for the Quick Pick option. In that case, the software at the purchase venue will generate a random six-digit combination.
Those who play Irish Lotto will also automatically be entered into a game called Lotto Plus Raffle. It means there’s no need to spend money on activating the add-on, and it qualifies you for an additional prize of 500 euro. The winning numbers for the raffle drawing will be announced after the selection of the main Irish Lotto numbers.
Irish Lotto draws take place two times per week – on Wednesday and Saturday. These are televised and broadcast live at 8 p.m. Terminals close, and ticket sales for the respective drawing are discontinued at 7:45 p.m. Any ticket that has been acquired after that time will be valid for the next weekly drawing.
Now that you know what time Irish Lotto is drawn and you’ve familiarized yourself with the rules let’s see what the ticket-buying options are.
Currently, there are two possibilities.
You can buy a ticket the old-fashioned way through an agent, or you can participate in Irish Lotto online. Tickets are sold via the game’s official website.
Anyone can register to play online. This option comes with the added convenience of not having to check the Irish Lotto numbers and getting any winning amount automatically credited to your account.
Irish Lotto is available for playing to anyone over the age of 18. Even if you’re not a resident of Ireland, you can give the lottery a try, and you can win one of its various exciting prizes.
Prizes and How to Win Irish Lotto
Once the Irish Lotto main draw takes place, you’ll find out if you’ve won anything.
If you match all of the numbers for the respective drawing, you will win the game’s jackpot. It starts at two million euros, and if the amount isn’t won, the sum will roll over towards the next drawing.
The largest-ever jackpot in the history of the game fell on June 28, 2008 (yes, that far ago!). At the time, the top prize sum had reached 18.9 million euros. The prize went to a syndicate of workers from Bennekerry, Carlow. The group consisted of 16 people who chose a Quick Pick ticket. Each member of the syndicate became a millionaire, but some decided to keep their job at the concrete plant where they all got to know each other.
The most significant amount won by a single player was 16.7 million euros, and that sum fell in 2010.
Apart from the jackpot, there are seven additional prize tiers. The second prize is 100,000 euros, and the lowest prize is a three-euro Daily Million Quick Pick ticket.
According to the lottery’s official website, the overall chance of winning an Irish Lotto prize is one in 29. The odds of claiming the jackpot are one in 10,737,573.
Players who win anything from the Irish Lotto will be given 90 days from the drawing date to make a prize claim. Anyone who has bought a ticket online wouldn’t need to do anything – the respective amount will be credited to their account.
Otherwise, prizes in the one to 99-euro range can be cashed out at any vendor. A check will be sent by mail for prizes in the 100 to the 500-euro range. For more substantial sums, there are more thorough procedures that are described in detail via the Irish Lotto website.
In Ireland, lottery prizes are considered tax-free income. It means that the sum being advertised for the respective drawing is the exact one you’re going to get in the event of winning.
Checking the Irish Lotto Results for Tonight
A reliable Irish Lotto checker will always come in handy, given the short prize claim period.
As a player, you have several opportunities to get the latest Irish Lotto results.
Watching Irish Lotto live on TV is a good pick. This way, you will know if you have won anything immediately. That information will also be made available via the Irish Lotto official website. You can also attend one of the vendors to get results information and also to cash out any amount you could have won.
We’re also committed to giving you all of the relevant information about Irish Lotto for tonight. We upload the Irish Lotto results for tonight as soon as these become available. The website also features an extensive database of result archives you can always count on to determine what the hot and the cold numbers are.