How to Play Irish Lotto
Irish Lotto draws take place on Wednesday and Saturday evenings and require players to select six numbers from 1 to 47. The jackpot is won if anyone matches all six main numbers drawn, and rolls over to the next draw if nobody wins. The top prize starts at €2 million and can climb as high as €19.06 million.
A Bonus Ball is also drawn from the remaining 41 numbers, creating a total of eight prize tiers. A rundown of the Irish Lotto prize structure, odds of winning and prizes can be found below:
| Number Matched | Prize | Odds |
| 6 main numbers | Jackpot | 1 in 10,737,573 |
| 5 main numbers + Bonus Ball | Average of €100,000 (dependent on size of prize pool and number of winners) | 1 in 1,789,596 |
| 5 main numbers | Prize dependent on size of prize pool and number of winners | 1 in 44,740 |
| 4 main numbers + Bonus Ball | Prize dependent on size of prize pool and number of winners | 1 in 17,896 |
| 4 main numbers | Prize dependent on size of prize pool and number of winners | 1 in 918 |
| 3 main numbers + Bonus Ball | Prize dependent on size of prize pool and number of winners | 1 in 688 |
| 3 main numbers | Average of €9 (dependent on size of prize pool and number of winners) | 1 in 54 |
| 2 main numbers + Bonus Ball | €3 Daily Million with Plus (2 lines) | 1 in 72 |
| Overall odds of winning any Irish Lotto prize are 1 in 29 | ||
View the latest Irish Lotto results.
Irish Lotto tickets are available from authorised retailers in Ireland, where you can play a minimum of two lines for €4, costing €2 each. Alternatively, numbers can be picked online from anywhere in the world.
Regardless of the method you choose to enjoy the game, you can either select the numbers yourself or opt for a random Quick Pick. However, if you play through a retailer it is recommended that you sign the back of any tickets you buy and keep them safe, as entries need to be presented before you can be paid.
All Irish Lotto prizes must be claimed within 90 days of the relevant draw, or they will be retained to promote the National Lottery and increase funds raised for good causes. Irish players must be at least 18 to take part in draws.
The jackpot has been known to grow as high as €19.06 million. It reached this value in late 2021 and was capped until a ‘Will Be Won’ draw took place on 15th January 2022. A player from Castlebar then matched all the numbers to win the record-breaking amount. Following this draw, the rules changed so that the jackpot could only stay at its cap for a maximum of five draws before it had to be won. The top prize is allocated to players in the highest category below the jackpot if nobody matches all the numbers in a ‘Will Be Won’ draw.
The previous record for the biggest win was €18.96 million, which went to a syndicate of 16 quarry workers from Bennekerry in Co Carlow on 28th June 2008.
Lotto Plus
On top of the main Lotto game, players can also opt to take part in the Lotto PLus 1, Lotto Plus 2 and Lotto Plus Raffle draws for an additional €1 per line. This takes the total minimum fee for playing Lotto with Plus to €6. Lotto Plus draws take place alongside the Lotto draw each Wednesday and Saturday and offer players additional jackpots to play for as well as a range of smaller prizes.
Did you know that Irish Lotto players haven’t always picked six numbers from 47? You can read a bit more about the history of the main Lotto game here.
