“I thought I’d won €3, not €3.7 million!” Dublin syndicate’s surprise at winning Lotto Jackpot!

A Lotto-winning syndicate of two from Co. Dublin had plenty to smile about as they arrived at National Lottery HQ to collect their €3,731,996 jackpot prize from the 23rd May draw, revealing that their incredible win was totally misread after one member initially thought the prize was just €3.

“It was a very normal Saturday night. We were chilling on the sofa, and I saw the email come through, but I totally dismissed it because I thought I’d won €3. I opened the app and looked a little closer, and I just thought, ‘That can’t be right’. I called my partner over to check, he got the numbers up on his phone, I grabbed my glasses and we started cross-checking the results. I just kept thinking, ‘This can’t be real!’ Then the nervous laughing started, and once the excitement kicked in, we were jumping up and down!”

The pair said the excitement made for a very different night’s sleep, with one syndicate member managing to sleep soundly while the other admitted that rest did not come as easily. The duo has kept life as normal as possible over the past few weeks and have held off on sharing the news with their loved ones. “We haven’t told anyone yet, so we’re really looking forward to surprising the family. My dad is a softie too, so I know he’ll be in tears when he hears the news. We’re planning on looking after family and loved ones, and we’ll definitely have to start booking more holidays now. I’d love to treat myself to a five-star holiday to Italy because I’ve never been, and I’m dying to visit!”

The syndicate lead laughed as she added, “I’m certain I’ll have to get my eyes rechecked now after all of that!”

Another winner to visit the Winners Room recently claiming their incredible seven-figure prize was a Louth syndicate who scooped the Lotto Plus Raffle prize of €1,000,500 in the 30th May draw. Their winning ticket was purchased from Malone’s Londis, Ardee, Co. Louth.

“I saw the National Lottery Winnies van outside the shop and remembered I had a ticket from the previous draw, so I scanned it on the app. I was totally shocked, pure disbelief. I’ve been playing for years, but I never thought this would actually happen. We’ve been keeping the news to ourselves, and we have a large extended family, so we’re really looking forward to helping them out. We haven’t been on holiday in years, so there’s no better way to celebrate than booking one!”

Also celebrating in the Winners Room was a Dublin player who matched five numbers plus the bonus in the 17th June Lotto draw, to scoop €34,793. Their winning ticket was purchased online.

“The irony of this win! My family recently joked that I would never win, and now look, I’m here in the Winners Room collecting an incredible cheque. I’ve always dreamed of visiting Africa, so I’m looking forward to finally ticking it off my bucket list!”

Meanwhile, tonight’s Lotto jackpot is set to roll towards an estimated €4.8 million. Players hoping to become the next big Lotto winner are reminded that tickets can be purchased nationwide in-store, through the National Lottery app or online at www.lottery.ie ahead of the 7.45pm cut-off time for sales this evening. Nearly 30 cent in every €1 spent on National Lottery games goes back to Good Causes in the areas of sport, youth, health, welfare, education, arts, heritage and the Irish Language. In total, €7 billion has been raised for Good Causes since the National Lottery was established 39 years ago. In 2024 alone, €239.3 million was raised for local Good Causes in communities across Ireland.                                               

Play National Lottery games responsibly, play for fun.