Popularly known as the Irish Lotto, the Irish Lottery came into existence in 1987 when the Irish government established it to raise funds for financing good causes across Ireland.
Initially, the Irish Lotto had a simpler format than the current one, which involved selecting six numbers out of 36. However, the total numbers from which to choose was increased to 39 in 1992 and to 42 in 1994. As of 2015, players had to start choosing six numbers from a range of 1 to 47, which is lower than those of the UK National Lottery.
Due to technological advancements, the Irish Lottery is available online at Lottoland, giving punters an easier way to predict the outcome of the Irish Lotto from outside of Ireland. Keep reading to understand why many punters and experts alike believe that the Irish Lottery has easier odds of winning than other lotteries.
What are the Odds of Winning the Irish Lottery?
To start with, each draw in the Irish Lotto offers up to 8 prizes for players to win, including the jackpot of around €2 million. To win any of these eight prizes, the number you pick must match the winning numbers.
See the table below for prize categories, the odds of winning each prize, and the expected prize value;
| Numbers to Match | Odds | Prize Value |
| 6 numbers | 1 in 10,737,573 | Jackpot(whose minimum value is €2 million) |
| 5 numbers + the Bonus Ball | 1 in 1,789,596 | 5.37% of the total prize value |
| 5 numbers | 1 in 44,740 | 3.22% of the total prize value |
| 4 numbers + Bonus Ball | 1 in 17,896 | 0.81% of the total prize value |
| Match 4 | 1 in 918 | 5.24% the total prize value |
| Match 3+ Bonus Ball | 1 in 688 | 3.29% of the total prize value |
| Match 3 | 1 in 54 | 15.93% of the total prize value |
| Match 2 + Bonus Ball | 1 in 72 | €3 Daily million Quick Pick(with Daily Million Plus) |
The Biggest Wins in the Irish Lottery
Since it started its operations in 1988, the Irish Lottery has offered tons of impressive jackpots to lucky players. Here are some of the biggest wins in the Irish Lotto to date;
- €19 Million
This prize was won on 15 January 2022 by a lucky player from Castlebar, Co Mayo. It was reported that a family syndicate claimed this money, and their main intention after winning the jackpot was to help the less fortunate in their locality.
- €18.9 Million
On 28th June 2008, a group of 16 quarry workers were fortunate enough to bag €18.9 Million, a record that stood for more than 13 years before it was broken in 2022. Interestingly, they were able to win the record-breaking prize within a period of less than two months as they started playing at the beginning of May 2008.
- €16.7 Million
After a rollover of more than a month, an anonymous individual became the lucky winner of €16.7 million in April 2010. The winning ticket came from Eason’s store in Dungarvan, Co Waterford.
- €16.3 Million
In October 2010, another anonymous winner scooped a whopping €16.3 million, marking the National Lottery’s 400th millionaire. The anonymous lucky winner noted that he usually played when the jackpot was “big enough.” He won the jackpot on a €30 Quick Pick ticket that he had purchased from the Donnybrook Fair supermarket in Dublin 4.
- 16.1 Million
A family from Co Cork became the biggest Irish lottery winners in Ireland after hitting a €16.1 million jackpot on a €4 Quick Pick they had bought at Twomey’s Centra shop in Farranree. They arrived at the National Lottery Headquarters in Dublin a few days later to collect their winnings.
Final Thought
A significant number of lotto players in the UK prefer the Irish Lotto to the UK National Lottery. The odds of winning the Irish Lottery are mathematically higher than winning the UK National Lottery. In the Irish Lotto, players have 47 numbers from which to randomly pick 6 winning numbers, while the UK National Lottery has 59 numbers from which to choose the 6 lucky numbers. As such, the odds of hitting the UK National Lottery’s jackpot are 1 in 45 million, and the odds of hitting the Irish Lotto jackpot are 1 in 10 million.