Ireland’s Lotto is more commonly known as the National Lottery. This lottery draw first appeared following the passing of the National Lottery Act in 1986. Beginning in 1987, this lotto started out as a scratch card based game, before the proper and modern lotto came into use in 1988.
This Irish lottery has remained virtually unchanged in its time as a major lottery, although it has since joined forces with the Euro Millions and Daily Million games. The Irish lottery game has a starting jackpot which is worth €2 million, and the jackpot will be continually rolled over until there is a winner.
Two smaller spin-off lottery games have been developed, first in the late 90s and another in 2000, although these haven’t proven as popular. In the last few years, fewer people have been playing the Irish lotto, with more in favour of the Euro Millions. The organisers have explained this as the reason why the jackpots have dropped in value of late.
The record win in this lottery is €18.9 million, which was a syndicated win in 2008, by a concrete plant in Bennekerry. After the recent financial crisis, the government sold the license of the National Lottery to Premier Lotteries Ireland, for a lease of 20 years.
How to play the Irish Lotto
This particular Irish lottery game actually gives you really good odds of winning. It is played with a total of just 45 balls, from which players can pick a total of 6. There are seven prizes which can be won, and all of them are tax-free, which will delight most players. A bonus ball is drawn for this lottery game, which is played every Wednesday and Saturday.
Prizes
Of the seven prizes which are available to win in Ireland’s National Lottery game, the best paying prize is €5, which is awarded to players who have 3 matching balls on their ticket. If you were to match up a bonus ball with that, you’d pocket winnings of €22, instead.
Prize winnings of €27 and €136 are available for players who match either 4 balls, or 4 balls and a bonus, respectively. Should you go on to match 5 balls, then the prize grows astronomically to around about €600.
The top two prizes are reserved for players who have 5 balls plus a bonus, or all 6 balls. Generally, the top prize is often around about the €5 million mark, though it is guaranteed to be worth at least €1 million.
Lotto Atlas recommends playing the Lotto on The Lotter
Lotto Atlas would recommend all non-Irish players to play this Irish lottery game via The Lotter website. This website has become the number one name for playing worldwide lotteries online, and for a small charge they can get your Irish Lotto tickets to you in a jiffy.
Tickets are e-mailed to players, and anything you win playing this lottery will be yours to keep. Winnings can be transferred out of your Lotter account, to your bank account with ease.
And finally…
Ireland’s Lotto may have dropped in terms of popularity of late, though 1.5 million people still regularly play it. Your chances of success are relatively good, given other national lottery odds and the cash rewards are more than fair, given the current price of €1.50 per line. The Lotter represents an excellent place for you to play your favourite Irish lottery game online, and we heartily recommend that you give it a go.