Irish Lotto Jackpot Heads Into Record Territory
More than 13 years after the Dan Morrissey Syndicate from Co Carlow claimed Ireland’s biggest-ever Irish Lotto win, the jackpot is back up to €17 million and could be about to break the longstanding national record.
It has taken more than three and a half months for the jackpot to climb to its current value, after it was won three times in the space of a fortnight in late May and early June.
A number of players have come close to landing the top prize in recent draws, with one ticket holder matching five numbers plus the Bonus Ball on Saturday 18th September. The ticket was sold at Carson’s Daybreak store in Beaufort village in Co Kerry, and store owner Melvin Carson was delighted to hear that one of his customers had done so well.
He said: “My phone rang late on Saturday night and when I saw it was from the National Lottery, my heart nearly stopped because I knew I must have sold a big winner. What a story that would have been, to have a €16 million winner in such a small Kerry village.
“It’s not the jackpot prize but it’s still a brilliant prize for one of my customers to win. We are a very small, close-knit community down here in Beaufort and I can guarantee that whoever it is, it will be such a well deserving prize.”
Biggest Irish Wins
The jackpot now stands as the second-largest of all time, behind the €18.9 million that was paid out to the Dan Morrissey Syndicate back in June 2008. There were 16 members of that group, including 15 men and one woman. Despite becoming overnight millionaires, some of them still turned up for work the next day.
The next-biggest win came back in 2010, when a single ticket from Dungarvon in Co Waterford matched all the numbers. The jackpot was worth €16.7 million and was claimed anonymously, although the store owner did confirm it was an individual who had won rather than a syndicate.
The largest win in the last 10 years has been €13.7 million, which went to a family from Co Mayo in January 2016. They did not reveal their identities but did say they wanted to go on a skiing holiday and to visit France during the Euro 2016 football tournament.
If the current jackpot does go higher than €18.9 million, it will then be fixed at that value until someone wins. Any additional funds will then go to the highest prize category in which there are winners, so there could be some larger payouts for players matching five main numbers and the Bonus Ball.
You need to take part in the draw to have a chance of winning, then you can check the Irish Lotto Results straight away to find out if you are a winner.
Written by Lewis Rutledge, 20th September 2021
