Irish lotto

About the Irish Lotto

The Irish government passed the National Lottery Act in 1986 to help raise funds for good causes. Eligible causes to benefit from the lottery with Irish Lotto are the natural environment, sport and recreation, national heritage, and the arts.


The three families of drawing games, namely Lotto, EuroMillions and Daily Million, are now operated by the Irish lottery. A network of over 3700 retail agents and online platforms makes buying lottery tickets and claiming prizes easy for Irish Lotto lottery winners.

Irish Lotto FAQ

A syndicate of 16 colleagues at a quarry and concrete plant in Bennekerry, Carlow won the largest ever lotto jackpot of  €18.9 million on 28 June 2008.  

The Irish Lotto lottery results are broadcast live on RTÉ One at approximately 7:55 pm. The RTÉ Player and the Irish Lottery’s YouTube channel are options to consider should you miss the live televised draw.  The winning Irish Lotto lottery numbers are also updated straight after every draw on the irish lotto lottery results page.

You can win the Irish Lotto by matching at least two of the winning numbers plus the bonus ball that appears in the draw. The value of your winnings increases as you match more numbers. You win the jackpot if you predict all six main numbers correctly.

  1. Choose any six numbers between 1 and 47. The Quick Pick option will give you a random set of six numbers, or you can pick your own numbers. 
  2. Up to eight bets are allowed. Repeat the process by moving to the next panel.
  3. Choose how many draws you want to enter. You have the option to bet on the next draw only or to enter all draws for either a one month or three months. 
  4. If you’re happy with your bets, you pay to complete your purchase.

The draw for the mega millions Irish lottery takes place every Wednesday and Saturday at 6  am (Tuesday and Friday night at 11 pm ET in the US).

A lottery voucher is a bearer document or receipt which is produced for the remaining dollar credits available or as a prize for a promotion. Vouchers don’t expire but have to be redeemed at any lottery retailer within 180 days. Failing which, it must be redeemed by filing a claim at the lottery headquarters.

How you cash in your lottery ticket depends on how you bought your ticket and how much you’ve won. You can claim your prize money from the retailer where you purchased it. Distributors usually pay winnings up to a set amount, with larger winnings paid by the organizers.

 

You can find your stored entries in your account if you have bought tickets online and receive a notification if you’ve won. Depending on the different thresholds, your prizes are paid into your online account or by cheque.  


Tickets bought from retailers must be claimed by coming forward within the 90-day claim period to have your ticket scanned into the Irish Lotto lottery ticket scanner. Refer to the list at the top of the page for a list of the available locations.

Got more questions about the Irish Lottery?