Wednesday night's National Lottery capped at €19 million

Aspiring winners urged to buy tickets early as big demand expected

Ahead of Wednesday’s (6th October) Lotto draw, the National Lottery is urging players dreaming of becoming the biggest Lotto winner of all time to purchase their tickets early.

As the draw time gets closer, demand for Lotto tickets is expected to be incredibly high throughout the country as this Wednesday will mark the second draw in which the jackpot remains capped at €19,060,800. As the jackpot is capped, this means that no additional money will be added to the jackpot prize until it is won. The funds that would normally go to the jackpot will now be distributed to the next lower prize tier at which there are winners.

Ahead of the record breaking Lotto draw, the National Lottery is asking players to purchase their tickets early either in-store, through the National Lottery app or at www.lottery.ie ahead of the cut-off time for sales at 7.45pm on Wednesday evening.

A National Lottery spokesperson said: “What a week it’s been for Lotto! The excitement levels are getting higher and higher as this Wednesday will mark the second draw in which the jackpot has been capped at a record €19,060,800. For the first time in the history of the game, the Lotto jackpot is capped, which means that any excess in additional prize money usually added to the jackpot prize is distributed to lower prize tiers where there is a winner. Last Saturday, two players in Dublin benefited from the jackpot prize roll-down to the Match 5 + Bonus prize tier. The two players shared an astonishing prize fund of €1,652,784, each winning €826,392.”

The spokesperson added: “The excitement among our players throughout the country is absolutely palpable as we wait for the next winner of Ireland’s highest ever Lotto jackpot prize. Just before last Saturday’s draw, we saw a huge volume of players visiting our website and the National Lottery App causing our system to become briefly overwhelmed from the high level of demand for tickets. Our technical team have continued to work hard to resolve the issue and to ensure it does not reoccur. Ahead of Wednesday’s draw, we are encouraging all of our players who are hoping to become the biggest Lotto winner of all time to purchase their tickets early and in advance of the 7.45pm cut-off time for sales on Wednesday evening."