It may come as a bit of surprise, but the Irish Lottery actually dates back further than the UK lottery. On top of that, it once became the subject of a movie and was even “hacked” at one point in time. When every aspect of the game is factored into the equation, one thing is for sure, which is that the Irish Lottery remains of the most popular lotto draw games in the world.
The Irish Lottery as a “brand” was launched in 1987, with the first Irish Lottery draw debuting shortly after in April of 1988. Looking at Irish Lottery results over the years, it’s clear that some Irish Lotto numbers are more common than others. These numbers are 5, 8, 17, 19, 29, 31, and 39. There are also, of course, some less common numbers. In the Irish Lotto these are 37, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, and 45, though this is partly due to changes made to the game over time. When Irish Lotto was first launched it was a 6/36. Over time more numbers were added as a means to give the game an additional edge.
The Irish lottery has remained popular across all of Europe because of how charming and engaging it has proven to be. If you have your hear set on playing the lottery game of the Emerald Isle, here is a little more information on how you can get involved.
The Basics of Irish Lotto
The Irish Lottery is drawn every Wednesday and Saturday, with tickets costing just €2. You have to purchase at least two lines of tickets and you also need to be at least 18 years old in order to play. If you win a prize you need to claim it within 90 days of winning or the prize is kept by the Irish National Lottery and distributed to good causes. The good news is that any amount you win is awarded tax-free.
The History of The Irish Lottery
When it first launched the Irish Lotto was a 6/36 game with numbers drawn every Saturday night, but as mentioned previously, things changed a little in 1990 when the mid-week Wednesday lotto draw was introduced. The reason for the change was because the game was “hacked” by a Polish-Irish accounted, Stefan Klincewicz, during 1992. Stefan was great with numbers and was able to use his knowledge to crack the code of the Irish Lotto. He did the math and worked out how many tickets he would need to buy in order to win the jackpot. He decided to wait until such a time that the jackpot would be worth enough to give him a sizeable profit on his investment in lotto tickets. It was a plan he sat on for years as his syndicate would bulk buy tickets, win big, and then share the profits. This was one of the reasons that the lotto changed to being a 6/39 game. Other changes, including the addition of more numbers, were introduced over time. The last time additional numbers were added to the game was back in September 2015, as the number of balls in-play increased from 45 to 47.
The Biggest Irish Lotto Winners
The biggest Irish Lotto jackpot ever was €18.9 million, which was won back in 2008 when a syndicate pooled together their tickets to scoop the monumental figure. When you account for inflation that is a prize that would be worth arounf £14.62 million today. After the rules were changed in 2015 it was estimated that we could soon see that record broken in the very near future.
How to Play Irish Lotto
If you want to play Irish Lotto then you need to buy a ticket, that part of the task is fairly obvious. Next, you choose six different numbers between 1 and 47. If you manage to match up all six numbers then you win the jackpot. The jackpot is worth at least €2 million and goes up by rolling over when no winning ticket is purchased. Matching five numbers and the bonus ball will land a player an on average €100,000 prize, with payouts trickling down from there.If you aren’t sure what numbers to pick, or don’t want to pick any numbers manually, then just press the “Quick Pick” option. When you play the Irish Lotto under “Quick Pick” means the terminal randomly selects six numbers for you.
In the event that more than one person matches all six numbers and wins the jackpot then the jackpot is split among the winning players. If the jackpot isn’t won at all then it rolls over and is added to next week’s jackpot. There is no cap on the lottery jackpot so the longer it goes unclaimed the more excited people become as the prize continues to climb. There are two extra draws that players can opt into by paying a small fee. These are the ‘Lotto Plus 1’ and ‘Lotto Plus 2’ draws. They are done alongside the main draws and there are additional jackpots, as well as smaller prizes, on offer to players.
How to Improve Your Irish Lotto Chances
As so many people play Irish Lotto, everyone is looking for ways to improve their odds and subsequently secure the correct Irish Lottery results. You could try searching the Internet for tips on how to win the Irish lotto and methods to guarantee a win. Unfortunately any result you find is likely to be something you can’t actually do, which, lets be honest, is no help at all.
Because Irish Lotto numbers are drawn at random there isn’t really a way to predict the numbers 100% of the time. However, there are still some things in place that allow you to make good choices and improve your odds of securing a cash prize as a result.
- When you play Irish Lotto you should fill your ticket with a wide array of numbers. By using various lines and various different combinations of numbers you improve your odds of winning.
- If you think that going it alone in hopes of securing Irish Lotto glory would be too expensive then you should consider pooling your money with friends, family, and possibly even your work colleagues. This brings down the individual cost to you and improves your chances of winning, but it should be noted that playing under syndicate means will reduce your overall payout.
- When you play Irish Lotto you should think about more than just the jackpot. There are plenty of smaller prizes to be won that can leave you sitting pretty.
- If all you are interested in is getting that jackpot then you should wait until the jackpot reaches a higher than average amount. Remember that the higher the jackpot is the higher the smaller prizes are. Even if you don’t win the big jackpot you can still secure one of the smaller prizes and make a tidy profit in the process.
- It’s a cliché they use in their advertising, but it is true you have to be in it to win it. If you stop playing then you’ll never win. It’s been proven that if you play regularly you stand to win at least twice a year. Simply put, the more you play the more chances you have to win the Irish Lottery.
The Most Charming Lottery in Europe!
Like a lot of things in Ireland the Irish Lotto is green, lavish, and represents one of the most charming lotteries in the world. The Irish Lotto gives off a clear message that anything is possible, so there’s really no time like the present to grab a ticket and get in on the Emerald Isle action!