Lotto Ireland – Online Lottery Review

Irish National Lottery Review

The Irish Lotto, with its lucky four-leaf clovers and other charm symbols, presents the ability to win great money by participating. The Irish national lottery with a few exciting features that give it a fun twist. As such, the Irish Lotto is definitely worth giving a try.

So, if you are wondering, “can I play the Irish lottery online?” or “what are the odds of winning?” we have you covered. You can find all the information in the following text, including how to play it online and what prize divisions you are playing for. After all, it’s essential to have a good idea about the rules, the prizes, how to play the Irish Lotto before purchasing your first bet.

With that said, let’s start with our Irish Lotto review.

Irish Lotto: History of the Irish National Lottery Act

The Lotto Ireland, also known as An Crannchur Náisiúnta in Irish, is the Republic of Ireland’s National Lottery. It was established when the government of the Republic of Ireland passed the National Lottery Act in 1986 to help raise funds for good causes. Apart from rewarding the winners, they planned on helping good causes like sport and recreation, health and welfare, national heritage and the arts, the Irish language, and the natural environment.

So the Lotto Ireland gaming operations began on 23 March 1987. At first, people could play with scratch cards, but the drawing lottery game began exactly a year later. Today the Irish National Lottery operates the Lotto Ireland, EuroMillions, Mega Millions, and Daily Million.

Ownership Change of the Irish Lotto

The Lotto Ireland was a government-operated game until the financial crisis in Ireland in 2013. The hardship with the large budget deficit left no other choice for the government but to privatize the game entirely. So, they sold the Irish National Lottery license for 20 years to Premier Lotteries Ireland.

Since 27 February 2014, the new operator took full ownership, and they are responsible for all operations. The government is still receiving €405 million from the sale, money they used to finance the construction of a new National Children’s Hospital.

Changes in the Irish Lotto Game Format

Throughout the years, the game format of the Lotto Ireland was frequently changed and updated. So, the initial chances of winning were just above 1,000,000, which would be the best to play today. However, over the years, they kept changing. Firstly, this was a 6 out of 36 lottery. In 1992 this increased to 6 out of 39, which lengthened the odds of winning the jackpot. Since 2015, this is a 6 out of 42 lottery, and the chances of winning the Lotto Ireland jackpot are 1 in 10,737,573. In the beginning, there was also only one draw per week, with the second added in the middle of the week due to the popularity of the lottery.

How to Play the Irish Lottery?

The Irish Lottery is a straightforward game with the rules set as with most lotteries worldwide. Namely, the person has to pick six numbers for their purchase by ranging from 1 to 47. By matching all six numbers correctly, the player will win the big jackpot.

Price per Bet

The price of one line per bet is €2, but the players must play with two lottery lines at a minimum. For this, the real price per one Irish Lottery draw is €4. If players want to increase their odds of winning by playing with an additional line, they have to pay €2 more. Based on the price, this isn’t such an affordable lottery when compared to other international lotteries.

Lotto Ireland Draw Time

Lotto Ireland draws take place every Wednesday and Saturday, and each draw is broadcasted live. The draws are monitored so that there is transparency and that each number picked is legit.

Irish Lotto Jackpot Size

The Lotto Ireland has a guaranteed starting jackpot prizes of €2 million. Of course, jackpot winners can win even more because the lottery jackpots are known to roll numerous times before they are won. Still, the minimum guaranteed amount is pretty good too.

Biggest Jackpots in History

While there have been many single-player jackpot winners throughout the years, there were two notable wins from syndicate players that broke some records at the time. Namely, in 1992, tried out all possible combinations with the 6 out of 36 format. Because the group was big, they could test out all numerical combinations and won about 1.16 million Irish pounds at the time.

In 2008, again, the jackpot was won by a syndicate, but this time the amount was much higher. Namely, they won the jackpot of €18.96 million, which is still the largest prize in Irish Lotto’s history.

The Odds of Winning the Lotto Ireland

The odds of winning the Irish Lotto are 1 in 10,737,573, while the odds for winning any prize tier are 1 in 34.

With that said, here are the odds for winning all the other prize divisions and the number of needed digits to be matched.

– For the first tier prize, the player needs to match all six numbers to win the jackpot, and the odds are 1 in 10,737,573.

– Below the jackpot prize is the second-tier that is also very solid, and the odds of winning it are 1 in 1,789,596, which is pretty decent. The estimated prize is €100,000, and to win it, a player must match five of the primary numbers plus the Bonus Ball.

– For the third tier prize, a player needs to match five primary numbers. The odds of doing so are 1 in 44,740. The amount awarded will depend on the prize fund, but they will get 3.22% of it.

– For the fourth tier prize, a player needs to match four primary numbers plus the Bonus Ball. The odds of doing so are 1 in 17,896. The amount awarded will depend on the prize fund, but they will get 0.81% of it.

– The fifth tier prize is won by matching four primary numbers, and the odds are 1 in 918. The amount awarded will depend on the prize fund, but they will get 5.24% of it.

– For the sixth tier prize, a player needs to match three primary numbers plus the Bonus Ball. The odds of doing so are 1 in 688. The amount awarded will depend on the prize fund, but they will get 3.49% of it.

– The seventh tier prize is won by matching three primary numbers, and the odds are 1 in 54. The prize for this is €9.

– For the eighth and last prize division, the odds are 1 in 72, and the winner will get a €3 scratch card. To win this, a player needs to match two primary numbers plus the Bonus Ball.

Lotto Plus Feature

For a small additional payment, the players can participate in a bonus game called Lotto Plus. The Lotto Plus gives players two additional drawings on top of the main one in the Lotto Ireland. The Lotto Plus 1 is €500,000, while for Lotto Plus 2 is €250,000.

The chances of winning at the Lotto Plus 1 and 2 are 1 in 10,737,573.

Can You Play Lotto Ireland Online?

If you are an international player, you can still partake in all of the fun the Irish Lotto offers. To buy your bets, you will have to find an online lottery agent and create an account. They will buy the bets on your behalf and save them into your website’s account. There you can check for the results and everything else related to your game for the Irish Lotto.

The online lottery agents will provide their customers with a confirmation email as well, so they can rest assured that their bet is safe.

Claiming the Lotto Ireland Prize

Winners of any prizes have 90 days from the draw’s date to present their winning bet and claim the prize. If a player had won up to €100, they could claim it from any authorized retail venue in Ireland. However, prizes of up to €15,000 are to be claimed from an Irish Post Company Office. For anything above that, like the second-tier prize or the jackpot, players will have to claim the National Lottery headquarters.

Paying Taxes

If you win the Lotto Ireland, you don’t have to pay any taxes in the country. However, international players have to check with their country’s regulations and laws.

Lotto Ireland – Would We Recommend It?

The Irish Lotto is a fun, and legit game to play and offers some great prizes at decent odds. We would definitely recommend trying your luck with it.