New Lotto Game Delivers First Lotto Jackpot Winner

Wednesday night's Lotto draw gave a player in Co. Cork plenty to celebrate after they won the staggering €5,664,896 Lotto jackpot.

Wednesday night’s draw saw the first Lotto Jackpot winner since the game changes were introduced in early September. The Lotto refresh saw the number of balls reduced from 47 to 45, with numbers 46 and 47 officially retiring from the game.

As a result, the odds of winning the Lotto Jackpot improved from 1 in 10.7 million to 1 in 8.1 million. Players also benefit from improved odds of winning across every prize tier in Lotto, Lotto Plus 1 and Lotto Plus 2. From smaller prizes through to the Jackpot, players now enjoy better odds of winning in every Lotto draw.

The Cork player winner becomes the 25th Millionaire created by the National Lottery in 2026!

The winning numbers for Wednesday’s Lotto draw (7th October) were: 3, 17, 26, 29, 37, 42 and the Bonus was 38.

The National Lottery has confirmed that the winning retail location will be announced tomorrow, 9th October.

Darragh O’Dwyer, National Lottery spokesperson said:

“This is a landmark moment for our new Lotto game. A player in Co. Cork has become the first Lotto Jackpot winner under our new Lotto format, taking home an incredible €5,664,896! We are encouraging all Lotto players in Cork to carefully check their tickets today as one player now holds the title of first Lotto jackpot winner of the new game. If it is you, get in touch with our prize claims team as soon as possible, and in the meantime, keep that ticket somewhere safe. We can’t wait to welcome our newest millionaire to National Lottery HQ”

The winning ticketholder is advised to sign the back of their ticket and contact the National Lottery Prize Claims team on 1800 666 222 or email claims@lottery.ie. Arrangements will then be made for them to collect their prize at Lottery Headquarters

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, over €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.