What Happens When National Lottery Draws Are Delayed?
Last Updated: Tuesday 15th September 2020, 15:32 pm
Irish National Lottery draws are scheduled to take place at regular times throughout the week and any changes will usually be communicated in advance, so delayed lottery draws are very rare. If a draw does not go ahead on time it can lead to many questions from players about what they should do. Find out what happens if draws get delayed.
Why Draws Can Be Delayed
Each National Lottery game - Lotto, EuroMillions, Daily Million and Telly Bingo - keeps to a fixed timetable to help everything run smoothly. You know as a player exactly when the cut-off time for purchasing tickets is and when the winning numbers will be selected. Prize breakdowns are announced shortly afterwards when they are available.
Lottery operators always endeavour to stick to this schedule where at all possible. For example, EuroMillions draws have continued to be held every Tuesday and Friday throughout this year despite the uncertainty that coronavirus has caused across virtually all aspects of life in all nine participating countries.
The main reason why a draw might be pushed back is technical issues. The Irish National Lottery uses reliable, state-of-the-art technology and equipment to make sure that winning numbers are drawn on time, but problems can arise very occasionally. On the weekend of 12/13 September 2020, for example, the Daily Million draws were delayed and the winning numbers were not announced until Monday.
When a technical issue forces a draw to be delayed, the work to resolve it will be carried out as swiftly as possible. It is vital to make sure all the procedures are back working as normal, though, before the regular schedule can resume.
What To Do If A Draw Is Delayed
If a draw has to be pushed back, you won’t be able to find the latest results straight away. The delay will be as short as possible while lottery officials sort out the technical issues, so make sure to keep hold of your tickets.
Your ticket will remain valid for when the draw does take place and the National Lottery will provide regular updates about when you can expect the results to be available. The draws will be run at the earliest available opportunity so the rest of the schedule remains unaffected.
When there was a delay with Daily Million, the draws were later held in sequence, starting with the one that had the earliest scheduled date. The rules thereafter will remain exactly the same as usual, so you are able to win prizes and claim them if you match enough numbers.
It is therefore important to remember that you will never miss out on your chance to win, even if a draw is delayed. If a draw is unable to go ahead at all and is permanently cancelled, retain your ticket until the National Lottery issues further instructions.
The results of any delayed draws will be revealed as soon as they are available so that you can find out if you are a winner.
