How Quickly Must You Claim Irish Lottery Prizes?
Every lottery player dreams of the moment they find out about a big win, but would you come forward immediately to claim your money or wait patiently and seek advice before making contact with officials? Irish National Lottery headquarters has been visited by a couple of winners this week who took different approaches.
A Quick Claim
Irish National Lottery winners have 90 days to come forward and claim their prizes, but the EuroMillions winners from Friday 29th December quickly got in touch and came in to receive their money on Monday, little more than a week after the draw and shortly after Dublin’s office reopened for business after the festive break.
The winning ticket, bought at The Village Shop in Malahide Shopping Centre in Co. Dublin, was worth a fantastic €38.9 million and belonged to a family syndicate. They have decided to remain anonymous, but did reveal that they were looking forward to a summer holiday, buying a new house and possibly setting up a new business.
“It is amazing to think that we and our family members are now secure for the rest of our lives. But we won’t go crazy, we have no plans to move to the moon,” said a spokesperson for the group.
A Longer Wait
Some players prefer to give themselves a bit more time before coming forward. A farmer from Sligo visited National Lottery HQ on Thursday to pick up a cheque for €500,000, more than six weeks after scooping the top prize in Daily Million Plus on Monday 27th November.
He had bought his Quick Pick ticket at McTiernan’s Daybreak Filling Station in Ballygalwey on the day of the draw and checked the winning numbers the next day, but he decided to wait until the ‘kerfuffle’ of Christmas had died down before coming forward.
“I wanted to take my time collecting this as I have family and I wanted to get the best advice on how this windfall can benefit all of us,” said the farmer, who has so far only told a couple of people in his family.
Still Waiting?
It is vital that players do not wait too long, otherwise they risk missing out on their prize. The player who won an Irish Lotto jackpot of £5.4 million on 23rd December with a ticket bought at Dublin Airport has yet to pick up their money, but they have now made contact and arrangements are being made for their collection. Go to the Unclaimed Prizes page to see a list of the prizes which are still outstanding.
You can also look forward to some exciting games this week to try and grab more great prizes. The EuroMillions jackpot is back up to €50 million, while Irish Lotto is worth €4.5 million. You can choose numbers online or visit any authorised retailer to take part. Good luck!
12th January 2018
