New Irish Lottery Game Changes
Exciting changes are coming to Irish Lottery games this September, including Irish Lotto, Lotto Plus, and Lotto 5-4-3-2-1. These changes come into effect as of Thursday 3rd September 2026, you can learn about the new game formats here.
Advance Play Schedule Change
Leading up to the launch, Advance Play will see a reduction in schedule. After the draw break on August 8th, players will only be able to enter 1, 2, or 4 draws. Once the draw break occurs August 22nd, players can only enter 1 or 2 draws. From August 29th, after the draw break, players will only be allowed to enter 1 draw. Finally, on September 3rd, Advance Play will reopen at 6:00 AM for all new 45-ball games.
Any players that have active schedules containing numbers 46 or 47 will have the schedules cancelled before the changes take place. For any players with schedules not containing 46 and 47 will be asked to confirm whether they want their schedules to remain active. Any that do not confirm will automatically have their schedules cancelled.
Lotto Pick & Play (Formerly Lotto 5-4-3-2-1)
While this game largely remains unchanged, Lotto 5-4-3-2-1 is being renamed to Lotto Pick & Play. Alongside the ball pool reduction from 47 to 45, the fixed prizes across both the 6-number and 7-number games are being updated — see the prize table below for the new amounts.
Ball Pool Changes
The biggest change coming will be the reduction in the ball pool across the games, going from 47 balls to 45 balls. With 46 and 47 being permanently removed from the game, the winning odds will change alongside it. These changes apply to the Lotto, Lotto Plus 1, Lotto Plus 2, and Lotto Pick & Play games.
Other Changes
Across all lottery games stated, the price to play will remain the same. Lotto will still be €2 to play per line, with it being a minimum of two lines per draw for €4. The Lotto Plus €1 to enter and the Lotto Pick & Play wager between €1 and €5 to play will also go unchanged.
As for draw schedules, a new Monday draw will be added so that draws now take place on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. Each draw will be livestreamed at 7:55 PM on lottery.ie, and broadcast before RTÉ Nine O'Clock News on RTÉ One.
The Lotto jackpot cap will remain €2 million each roll cycle, and the jackpot cap will be reduced from ~€19.06 million to €16 million. Must be Won rolldowns will still be triggered at the fifth draw when at the €16 million cap.
Lotto Odds (New)
| Prize Tier | New Odds (1 In) |
| Match 6 | 8,145,060 |
| Match 5 + Bonus | 1,357,510 |
| Match 5 | 35,724 |
| Match 4 + Bonus | 14,290 |
| Match 4 | 772 |
| Match 3 + Bonus | 579 |
| Match 3 | 48 |
| Match 2 + Bonus | 64 |
| Overall odds of winning any Lotto prize: improve from 1 in 28.7 to 1 in 25.4 Overall odds when playing with Lotto Plus: improve from 1 in 9.6 to 1 in 8.5 |
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Lotto Prizes (New Expected Average)
| Prize Tier | New Expected Avg. Prize |
| Match 6 | Jackpot |
| Match 5 + Bonus | €75,000 |
| Match 5 | €1,200 |
| Match 4 + Bonus | €120 |
| Match 4 | €40 |
| Match 3 + Bonus | €20 |
| Match 3 | €4 (fixed) |
| Match 2 + Bonus | €4 (fixed) |
Lotto Plus 1 and Lotto Plus 2 New Fixed Prizes
| Prize Tier | New Fixed Prize |
| Match 6 | €1,000,000 |
| Match 5 + Bonus | €1,000 |
| Match 5 | €100 |
| Match 4 + Bonus | €25 |
| Match 4 | €10 |
| Match 3 + Bonus | €6 |
| Match 3 | €2 |
| Match 2 + Bonus | €3 |
Lotto Pick & Play Odds (Formerly Lotto 5-4-3-2-1)
| Game Type | New Odds (1 In) |
| 6 Number Game – 5 Balls | 203,627 |
| 6 Number Game – 4 Balls | 9,933 |
| 6 Number Game – 3 Balls | 710 |
| 6 Number Game – 2 Balls | 66 |
| 6 Number Game – 1 Ball | 8 |
| 7 Number Game – 5 Balls | 58,179 |
| 7 Number Game – 4 Balls | 4,257 |
| 7 Number Game – 3 Balls | 405 |
| 7 Number Game – 2 Balls | 47 |
| 7 Number Game – 1 Ball | 6 |
New Fixed Prizes
| Game Type | New Fixed Prize |
| 6 Number Game – 5 Balls | €100,000 |
| 6 Number Game – 4 Balls | €5,000 |
| 6 Number Game – 3 Balls | €500 |
| 6 Number Game – 2 Balls | €40 |
| 6 Number Game – 1 Ball | €6 |
| 7 Number Game – 5 Balls | €25,000 |
| 7 Number Game – 4 Balls | €2,500 |
| 7 Number Game – 3 Balls | €250 |
| 7 Number Game – 2 Balls | €30 |
| 7 Number Game – 1 Ball | €5 |
