Will Be Won Draws
A 'Will Be Won' draw is a special event when the Irish Lotto jackpot is guaranteed to be paid out. As the name of the draw suggests, the money will definitely be won on the night, even if no tickets match all the numbers. Find out all about how Will Be Won draws work and when they take place.
The first 'Will Be Won' draw was held on Saturday 15th January 2022, when the record €19 million jackpot was finally awarded.
When Do 'Will Be Won Draws' Happen?
Will Be Won draws take place after the jackpot has reached its cap. The jackpot can then stay at its maximum amount for five draws at the most without a winner. The fifth and final draw at the jackpot cap is a Will Be Won draw.
It is very rare for Irish Lotto to reach its jackpot cap, as it takes a lot of rollovers to build up to the upper limit of the game.
The jackpot is capped as soon as the top prize exceeds the previous maximum. For example, if the existing jackpot cap is €19.06 million and the top prize rolls past it to reach €19.50 million, the jackpot would instantly be capped at €19.50 million. It could then stay at this amount for a maximum of five draws before it would need to be won.
How Will Be Won Draws Work?
In a Will Be Won draw, you still win the jackpot as normal if you match all six main Lotto numbers. However, different rules need to be applied if nobody matches all the numbers, as the top prize must be given away.
When there are no winners in the Match 6 tier, the jackpot money rolls down and is shared between players in the Match 5 + Bonus category. If there are still no winners at this level, the jackpot is split between players in the next category down, which would be for matching five main numbers.
This ‘flowdown’ rule makes it possible to win a far larger prize than normal - perhaps even a multimillion-Euro sum - without even having to match all the numbers. The jackpot money keeps flowing down until it reaches a category where there is at least one winner, and it is divided equally between them.
History of Will Be Won Draws
Will Be Won draws were introduced in January 2022, following an unprecedented run of draws without a jackpot winner. Previously, the rules of Irish Lotto had allowed for the jackpot to stay at its cap for as many draws as it took until someone won by matching six numbers.
However, when the jackpot stayed at its €19.06 million cap from late September 2021 until the end of the year, officials began to explore ways to bring the long wait for a winner to an end. Regulators granted approval for Will Be Won draws, with the first-ever one scheduled for Saturday 15th January 2022.
It was also announced that from this point in time there would be a limit of five draws at the jackpot cap before a Will Be Won draw.
