Here’s Why You Should Check Your Irish Lotto Ticket After Every Draw
Last Updated: Tuesday 27th September 2022, 12:08 pm
Every Irish Lotto player dreams of winning a huge sum of money, so why do so many prizes go unclaimed? With Christmas now firmly on the horizon, National Lottery officials are stepping up their search for unsuspecting winners as they attempt to make dreams come true ahead of the festive season.
There is almost €400,000 worth of Irish Lotto prize money sat in the vaults at National Lottery headquarters in Dublin. Each prize has been won, but it could be that the owner has failed to check their ticket, or worse, lost their playslip. The quest to unite players with their unclaimed prizes can be rewarding, especially if the winner collects their oversized cheque before the deadline, however, it is a constant battle that often sees casualties fall along the way.
Unclaimed Irish Lotto Prizes
According to Irish Lotto statistics, ticket holders across the country have missed out on a total of nine prizes of more than €1 million since the game began back in 1988. Players in Dublin are the worst offenders, with five seven-figure jackpots going unclaimed in the nation’s capital, including one reward of more than €2.7 million.
However, the prize for the biggest unclaimed jackpot went to one ticket holder from Co Mayo, who let a €3 million sum slip through their fingers in 2014. Another prize of €2.7 million went unclaimed back in 2002 after a ticket holder, who purchased their entry from the Crystal Street shop in Coolock, failed to contact Lotto bosses. Similar pain has also been felt in both Kilkenny and Cork, where last year’s €1 million Christmas Millionaire Raffle jackpot also expired without a claim.
“We Are Constantly Reminding People to Check Their Tickets”
National Lottery officials are keen to find every Irish Lotto winner and work tirelessly in their efforts to jog players’ memories. In an interview with the Irish Mirror, spokesperson Fran Whearty said: “We are constantly reminding people to check their tickets to be really sure they’re not a winner. The last time we had a big prize not claimed we had a month-long media campaign emailing people every day to please check their tickets.
“Sometimes people hear the jackpot isn’t won and don’t bother checking their ticket when they could have won at least something. My one piece of advice would be to always check your ticket even if you’re almost certain you haven’t won.”
Avoid Irish Lotto Heartache
To avoid suffering the heartache of missing out on a colossal wad of cash, make sure you check your numbers after every draw. This can be done by taking a look at the latest results online or by entering your numbers into the Irish Lotto’s results checker.
