History of Irish Lotto

History of Irish Lotto

Irish Lotto began in 1988 shortly after the Irish government passed the National Lottery Act which supports several segments of society including sports, health, welfare, arts and national history.
The first drawing of the Irish Lotto took place on 16 April 1988 and since its ineception, the Lotto has received more than €36 billion to support Irish society. All proceeds are stored in the national lottery fund and is distributed at the discretion of the Minister of Finance.

Two thirds of the adult population of Ireland has played the Irish Lotto lottery since it started.  The style of the game has changed throughout its 24 years of operation.
Irish Lottery began by selecting 6 out of 36 numbers, and then in 1990 it changed to 6/39 and also added the bonus number.

In 1994 the Lotto’s matrix changed again when officials increased the range from 1 to 42 and the value of the jackpot was increased in 2006 because Irish Sweepstakes was compared to the lottery British (UK Lotto).
The Irish Lottery again underwent another change still used today, where the range is from 1-45 and the jackpot begins with €2 million and the second prize was doubled to €25,000.
In November 1996, the highest jackpot was €9,505,290 which held the record high for 10 years. In 2008 the jackpot hit €18,963,441 which broke the old record high, and was won by a syndicate group of 16 workers from a factory of concrete. Another  jackpot that was near that range was an amount of €16,717,717 in April 2010.

How to play Irish Lotto?

To play in the Irish Lotto the player chooses six numbers from 1 to 45 plus one  bonus number. The bonus number does not contribute to the winning first prize jackpot, but is used for three of six secondary prizes. The numbers can be selected manually or players can use the quick pick method.

Prize	Matching numbers	Chances of winning
1st prize	6	1:8,145,000
2 prize	5+1	1:1,357,510
3 prize	5	1:34,808
4 prize	4+1	1:28,579
5 prize	4	1:733
6 prize	3+1	1:1,755
7 prize	3	1:45

In which country is the Irish Lotto lottery held? 

Ireland

 How to win at Irish Lotto ?

To win the Irish Lotto jackpot a player must have all six numbers between 1 and 45.  The Lottery has six categories of prizes which require having 3 to 5 numbers with a bonus number.
Due to the small range of numbers, the Irish Lottery has the highest chances of winning when compared to most lotteries.The Irish Lotto lottery is one of the most accessible in Europe. The amount of the jackpot starts at €2 million and will increase as long as no one wins the jackpot. 
The highest winnings were  €18,963,441, €16,717,717 (April 2010) , and  €16,390,239.  The Irish lottery pays in one cash payment.

Irish Lotto Jackpot details:

Date of drawing	Type of Jackpot	Cash value	Payable taxes
Wednesday at 20 PMSaturday at 20 PM	Cash	-	-

The Lotto Ireland Statistics

The Irish Lottery contributes 32 cents for every euro earned.  It was the only lottery in 2010 that contributed as much as €243.7 million to nonprofit associations and charitable organizations such as sports – such as hockey, the Irish Social Environment, and the Tourism Council Project which promotes art and children’s health.