The National Lottery gave way to a must-win draw on Saturday to finally end the seven-month transfer period.
The current Lotto Grand Prix has been on the market since Wednesday 9 June 2021 and has held a maximum of €19.06 million since Saturday 2 October.
Due to the unprecedented nature of winning the current Lotto jackpot, the National Lottery has requested regulatory approval to offer a ‘to be won’ raffle.
And she confirmed last night that the « you will win » lottery will take place next Saturday.
So, how exactly is all this going to work out this weekend? lets take alook…
First, why was the grand prize cap set at €19.06 million?
The jackpot is set at €19.06 million on Saturday 2 October.
Under Lotto rules, the jackpot is crowned once the previous record – which was €18.96 million in 2008 – is exceeded.
The cap ensures that prize money that normally goes towards increasing the jackpot is used instead to increase the next higher prize won.
Due to the cap, the extra money that is usually added to the jackpot will flow to the next prize category where there is a winner.
This has happened in both draws since the cap went into effect in October.
How will the prizes be distributed in the raffle to be won on Saturday?
If the Lotto jackpot takes place on Saturday, where one or two players match all six numbers in the drawing, they will become the biggest Irish jackpot winner ever.
They will receive the grand prize of €19.06 million.
But what if there is no outright winner? What happens next?
If the lotto jackpot is not « to be won » outright, the full jackpot value will flow to the winner, or winners, in the next winning prize category.
For example, if there are no players matching six numbers in the draw, but there are match 5 + bonus prize category winners, they will win the jackpot of €19.06 million, plus the extra money that would normally go to the jackpot.
Fran Werty of the National Lottery told RTÉ’s Ireland Morning That Saturday’s drawing « will see at least one person win €19.06 million, and certainly the influx of prizes that will come from sales of the Saturday match ».
Werty explained: « If someone matches six numbers … they will win €19.06 million, but since the jackpot is limited, the prize flow will drop back into the lower prize categories where there are winners. »
So the prize fund will exceed 19.06 million euros. We estimate that it will be between 21 to 22 million euros,” he said.
“If it is not won, it will be relegated to the next winning prize category.”
No news is bad news
magazine support
for you contributions You’ll help us keep delivering the stories that matter to you
Support us now
Why is ‘must win’ drawn on saturday?
As mentioned above, the current lotto jackpot extension is unprecedented in the history of the game and has resulted in no lotto jackpot winners in the game since June 5, 2021.
The National Lottery has been criticized in recent months for the length of time the jackpot has not been won.
As a result, national lottery operators in December sought regulatory approval to withdraw a « must win » to end the current extension.
A National Lottery spokesperson said yesterday: “Over the past months, we have worked with our technical suppliers and an independent review team to bring the ‘win’ lottery into the game.
“Following regulatory approval, we are pleased to be in a position to confirm that there will be a guaranteed Lotto jackpot on Saturday 15 January.
« This promises to be the biggest and most exciting night for Lotto players in Ireland in the history of our game. »
Do these game changes mean we won’t see a lotto jackpot roll long into the future?
According to the new Lotto game rules, the Lotto jackpot will remain restricted to a maximum of five drawings and if there is no jackpot winner in the fifth drawing at the limit, the entire jackpot fund will flow to the next winning prize category.
In the future, if Lotto exceeds the current jackpot cap of €19.06 million on any given draw, this amount will become the new Lotto jackpot cap.
Any surplus that is usually added to the grand prize will flow to the next prize category where there is a winner.