Irish EuroMillions Players Win Over €1 Billion in First 1,000 Draws
Last Updated: Tuesday 27th September 2022, 13:16 pm
No Irish players managed to win Friday’s €36 million EuroMillions jackpot, but over 50,000 ticket holders across the country picked up prizes on a special night as the game marked its 1,000th draw. There have now been 43.9 million winning tickets sold in Ireland since EuroMillions was launched, changing the lives of many participants over the past 13 years.
The first EuroMillions draw took place on 13th February 2004, but initially the game was only open to players in the UK, France and Spain. Ireland joined ahead of the 35th draw on 8th October 2004, along with five other countries, and the nation has gone on to enjoy a huge amount of success, with just over €1 billion being given away in prize money.
Irish Jackpot Winners
Ireland has had ten jackpot winners, including some massive prizes. Dolores McNamara, a mother of six and part-time cleaner from Limerick, broke the record for the largest EuroMillions prize ever won when she landed €115.4 million on 29th July 2005, and she remains Ireland’s biggest winner.
The most recent Irish jackpot success came in January of this year, when a syndicate from Dublin pocketed €88.5 million. They quickly came forward and announced they would be spending their money on a quiet party, as well as some tropical holidays.
More EuroMillions Facts
There have been 365 EuroMillions jackpot winners in total in the first 1,000 draws, with €34.6 billion paid out in prize money across Europe. More big winners are guaranteed to be created in future, with one lucky player set to bag €1 million in a special edition of the Ireland Only Raffle on Friday 5th May.
