Irish Lotto - The Complete Betting Guide

Table of contents:

• IRISH LOTTO NUMBERS
• IRISH LOTTO - A BRIEF HISTORY
• IRISH LOTTO - THE MOVIE
• IRISH LOTTERY IN THE UK
• IRISH LOTTO ODDS
• IRISH LOTTO WINNER
• LOTTOLAND IRISH LOTTO WINNER
• IRISH LOTTO - HOW TO WIN

The Irish lottery was founded in 1987 and the Irish Lotto launched in March the following year. The first draw was held in April, which will make it exactly 28 years old on April 16th.

Irish Lotto Numbers

The most common Irish Lotto numbers throughout those years are: 5, 8, 17, 19, 29, 31 and 39.

Conversely the least popular numbers are: 37, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44 and 45, though this largely reflects the changes made to the game over the years. It first launched as a 6/36, and more numbers were added over the years – and with good reason…

Please note that Lottoland is not a lottery operator and you are not buying a ticket with an applicable lottery. You must be 18 years of age or older to register and bet. 

Irish Lotto - A Brief History

The Man Who "Hacked" The Irish Lottery

The Irish Lotto started out as a 6/36 game drawn each Saturday night. The midweek Wednesday draw was added in 1990.

In 1992 the lottery fell victim of a "hack" attack, of sorts when Dubliner, Stefan Klincewicz, a Polish-Irish accountant with an obvious knack for numbers, figured out a way to crack the system.

Klincewicz had worked out exactly how many tickets he would need to buy, in order to hit the jackpot and was waiting for the jackpot to reach grow large enough size whereby he could buy all the necessary tickets and still turn a profit after hitting the jackpot – turns out he'd been sitting on this plan for years.  

His syndicate started bulk buying tickets in huge amounts and won – each getting a tidy piece of the action.

As for the Irish Lotto, it was decided that the amount of playable numbers would be increased, to a 6/39 game and, later, the game saw numerous number increases and game changes. The most recent of these occurred in September 2015, when the numbers were increased from 45 to 47.

The highest jackpot to date is €18.9 million. It was won by a syndicate in 2008. In today's money that amounts to £14.62 million. Following the 2015 rule change, however, it's estimated that that record be superseded in the very near future.

Irish Lotto - The Movie

1998 saw the release of the movie Waking Ned staring the late David Kelly. It told the story of fictional Irish Lotto winner Ned Devine, who dies of a heart attack after when he realises he's won. The village as a whole decide they should claim the prize anyway, "in his honour" and go to hilarious extremes trying to maintain the fraudulent notion that Ned is still alive. If you're a fan of madcap Irish humour, Father Ted style, then we recommend you check out this little comedy gem.

Irish Lottery In The UK

The Irish Lotto has been a firm favourite with UK lottery fans for decades now, albeit with serious limitations. Thanks to Lottoland, however, you can enjoy the exact same game experience – and payouts – that the Irish do, by betting on the Irish Lottery online.

Irish Lotto Odds

The chances of winning the main jackpot for the Irish Lotto is just 1 in 10.7 million! Below shows the odds of winning and estiamated returns for all prize tiers. 

Irish Lotto
Prize Tier	Odds of Winning	Estimated Returns
6 Numbers	1 in 10,737,573	£1.9 million
5 Numbers + Bonus	1 in 1,789,596	£89,000
5 Numbers	1 in 44,740	£1,300
4 Numbers + Bonus	1 in 17,896	£130
4 Numbers	1 in 918	£44
3 Numbers + Bonus	1 in 688	£44
3 Numbers	1 in 54	£8
2 Numbers + Bonus	1 in 72	£2

At Lottoland, we also offer you the Irish Lotto Plus 1 and the Irish Lotto Plus 2 which follows the same format as the original Irish Lotto. For just £1 more than the traditional lotto you can bet on these two more jackpots. They take place immediately after the main draw. You win the jackpot by matching all six numbers. 

Below shows the odds and estimated returns for these two additional lottos for all prize categories. 

Irish Lotto Winner

On January 15th, 2022, the Irish Lotto hit its biggest jackpot ever. The syndicate, who purchased their quick pick ticket at Laura's XL store in Castlebar, won an astonishing €19.06 million. This is the largest Lotto jackpot prize ever won in the history of the well loved lottery. 

The winning numbers for Saturday 15th January 2022 were: 02, 09, 16, 30, 37, 40 and the bonus ball was 23. This lucky winner has made Irish Lotto history and is sure to be celebrated for years to come. 

Lottoland Irish Lotto Winner

Do you ever feel like your life could use a little bit of excitement? Like you're stuck in a rut and you need something to change? Well, Lottoland winners know that feeling all too well! Our biggest UK Irish Lotto winner to date is 50-year-old Mr Logan from the North East, who scooped over €5.5 million by betting on our always-popular lotto, the Irish Lotto.

When we spoke with Mr Logan, he said that he felt like he was 'living in a dream', but that he plans to spend some of his windfall on an upgrade to his car as well as sharing some of the money with his family.

We're sure that Mr Logan's story will inspire other players to keep believing in the power of chance, and we wish him all the best for the future. Who knows, maybe one day he'll come back and tell us that he's won even more! The winning numbers were 10,13, 23, 24, 25, 44 and the bonus ball was 12. Are you our next big winner? It's easy to bet on and you never know - today could be your lucky day!

Irish Lotto - How To Win

One of the keys to the Irish Lotto's popularity is, besides a favourable odds-to jackpot ratio, it's also a very simple game. Simply pick six numbers from a range of one to 47, or hit Quick+1 for a quick pick, and then click the Submit button. Match six numbers to win the jackpot, or match numbers and/or bonus ball combinations to win from one of eight different prize tiers. 

Draws are held each Wednesday and Saturday night and, to increase your winning chances, we recommend you check the Irish Lotto+ box. This costs an extra 50p and gives you two extra chances to win in the ancillary Lotto Plus One and Lotto Plus Two draws.

This means, for just £2.50, you get three chances to win big betting on the lucky Irish Lotto.

Lottoland's Irish Lotto Sidebets are a great way to get better odds than betting on the lottery alone. With Lotto Sidebets, you can bet on things like whether the next draw will be odd or even, and you'll get better odds than if you were betting on the lottery alone. Plus, there are many other options available with Lotto Sidebets, so you can bet on whatever you want. Check out Lotto Sidebets now to learn more and start winning today!

Last updated: 12th October 2022