Co Mayo Player Wins Record €19 Million Irish Lotto Jackpot
Last Updated: Monday 17th January 2022, 09:47 am
A player from Co Mayo has become the biggest-ever winner in Irish Lotto history after matching all six main numbers in the draw on Saturday 15th January. They scooped a jackpot worth €19.06 million, while hundreds of thousands of other players also picked up prizes in the special ‘Will Be Won’ draw.
Will Be Won Draw
The winning numbers were 2, 9, 16, 30, 37 and 40, with a Bonus Ball of 23. The jackpot was guaranteed to be paid out on Saturday, after lottery bosses were granted approval to change the rules and introduce Will Be Won draws.
After rolling over for more than seven months, the prospect of the jackpot finally being won sparked a rush on ticket sales. One ticket holder was rewarded with the largest pay day of all time in Irish Lotto, trumping the €18.96 million that went to a syndicate of quarry workers way back in 2008.
It has been revealed that the winning ticket was purchased in Castlebar. The lucky player now has 90 days to come forward and claim their prize.
There were 149 winners in the Match 5 + Bonus tier - a far higher number than usual - who each received €36,687. If nobody had matched all the numbers, the jackpot would have rolled down to these players and they would have banked another €127,924 each.
On a remarkable night, there were also 250 winners in the Match 5 category, and more than 357,000 across the eight prize tiers. Check out the Irish Lotto Results for a full breakdown, as well as all the Plus results.
If you entered the historic draw, use the Irish Lotto Checker to find out how you got on.
New Jackpot Cap
The jackpot was last won on 5th June and it reached its cap in late September. The top prize has been unable to rise for more than three months, with the funds that would normally have gone on top instead being diverted to players in lower tiers.
There have been some great payouts for participants who have missed out on the jackpot, but the lack of a winner eventually prompted the rule change.
The jackpot will now reset to €2 million for Saturday night’s draw. The next time it hits its cap, it will only be able to stay there for a maximum of five draws before it must be won. The cap is now set at €19.06 million following Saturday’s big win.
Keep checking back on Irish.National-Lottery.com for more news of the record winner, and continue to enjoy draws every Wednesday and Saturday night.
