The luck of the Irish is still a thing!
In the days of yore, holding an “Irish Sweepstakes” ticket in the kitchen drawer hoping for a big win was the only path towards catching some of that Irish luck. Those days are long gone.
But there is still opportunity – fantastic opportunity in fact – to feel the flutter of trying for a massive Irish jackpot.
The process now is quite a bit easier. The present game is much easier to play and the large jackpots are fully secure. Nowadays, we can play online with the push of a button.
Why do we love the Irish Lotto?
In a nutshell – The jackpots are substantial and the odds of winning are attractive. Find out here all you need to know about the Irish lotto!
Format
The Irish Lotto is a ‘Pick-6’ game where players choose six numbers from a pool of 1 to 47.
To win the jackpot, players must match 6 out of 6 numbers.
Players can choose to select their own numbers or can have numbers selected for them by choosing QuickPick.
Draws take place twice per week
Televised draws take place every Wednesday and Saturday night. Six winning numbers and one bonus number are drawn.
Record Jackpot
The jackpot cap of €19,060,800 instituted on Oct. 2, 2021 was finally won after 32 consecutive draws by a single winner on Jan. 15, 2022. The minimum guaranteed jackpot is €2,000,000. The average jackpot paid out is nearly €6,000,000. Annually, the Irish Lotto pays out a prize pool in excess of €117,000,000.
Check your winning numbers
The winning numbers drawn are posted at LottoExpress.com under the “Results” tab for easy access to anyone who wants to manually check if they are a winner.
Advance Play
Players have the option to play on multiple consecutive draws, ensuring they never miss a chance to win. How devastating it would be if your regular numbers came up as winners in a draw but you had forgotten to play?
Prize Categories
In addition to the jackpot prize category, there are 7 additional Prize Tiers available. Do note that these prize amounts are estimates and can vary based on factors such as the number of winners and tickets sold.
Jackpot: Match 6 winning numbers
2nd Prize: Match 5 winning numbers AND the bonus number – approx. €100,000.
3rd Prize: Match 5 winning numbers – approx. €1500
4th Prize: Match 4 winning numbers AND the bonus number – approx. €150
5th Prize: Match 4 winning numbers – approx. €50
6th Prize: Match 3 winning numbers AND the bonus number – approx. €25
7th Prize: Match 3 winning numbers – approx. €9
8th Prize: Match 2 winning numbers AND the bonus for a prize of €3
Payout Method
All prizes including the Jackpot are always paid out in full by lump sum with zero taxes withheld at the source
Fantastic Prize Winning Odds
The overall odds of winning any prize are 1 in 29
The odds of winning the life changing jackpot are 1 in 10,737,573. In comparison to most other major lotteries, these odds are incredibly attractive and are one of the main reasons why the Irish Lottery is so popular.
Irish Lotto History
The Irish Lotto is one of the oldest and most prominent lotteries in the world. Its first draw took place in April 1988 and had a format of picking 6 balls from a field of 36. At the time, the minimum jackpot was £250,000.
The format of the lottery has changed numerous times over the years. In August 1992, the National Lottery changed the format to a 6/39 game and added a bonus number to the drawings. In September 1994 the format was again changed to 6/42 game in an effort to generate bigger rollover jackpots and compete with the British National Lottery which began operations in November 1994.
The draw format remained the same for 12 years, although there were pricing changes that took place during that period. In November 2006 the game was changed to a 6/45 game. In September 2015, the Irish Lotto transitioned to its current format of 6/47.
Start Your Lucky Irish Journey Today!
Buy 5 Lines of the Irish Lotto at LottoExpress.com and save 45%. Don’t miss out!
