Ireland’s First Lotto Jackpot of the Year Claimed as Winners Visit Lottery HQ!

The first Lotto Jackpot prize of the year has officially been claimed, as a Mayo syndicate arrived at the National Lottery’s Winners Room, filling it with buzz and excitement. The group purchased their winning Quick Pick ticket, worth an incredible €11,101,286, for the 25th February draw at Kelly’s Mace in Newport, Co. Mayo.

Revealing the discovery of their win, the head of the syndicate said “I heard on the local radio that there had been a win in Mayo, so of course I had to check the ticket straight away. I had to call in for help - I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. We sat down, phone in one hand, Lotto ticket in the other, going through the numbers, ticking them off one by one. It was very surreal.”

It wasn’t long before a series of good news phone calls were made, “Straight away, we were on the phone to tell the rest of the syndicate. One of them actually joked, ‘Are you calling to tell me we won the Lotto?’ Little did they know we really were!”

The syndicate from the west is already dreaming big with hopes to purchase homes, start home renovation projects and plan some well-deserved holidays. “It’s back to the 9 to 5 tomorrow, but we’ll have to get together and celebrate the win properly soon!”

A Donegal man was also feeling the excitement this week as he stepped into the Winners Room to pick up a cheque worth €500,000. He scooped the top prize in the EuroMillions Plus draw on 10th March after purchasing his ticket at Harkins Gala on the Donegal Road in Ballybofey, Co. Donegal.

“Somehow, I’ve managed to remain completely calm and collected ever since finding out about the win. My wife was the first person to find out, and I think my reaction took her by surprise. I am definitely feeling the excitement more sitting here, there’s no denying that this is real now!”

While he hasn’t marked the win with a celebration just yet, plans are already forming. “A holiday of a lifetime is the one thing that we keep going back to, so I think that’ll be the first thing we do. Making memories is key! After that, there’s a list of home renovations that we plan to do.”

Also visiting Lottery HQ was a Cavan woman who became the first-ever top prize winner of €5,000 per month for 12 months on the €5 1 Year Richer Scratch Card. The winning ticket was purchased at Easons on 64-66 Main Street in Townparks, Cavan.

“As soon as I scratched the ticket, I was on the phone straight away. I rang one family member, and she was in the middle of peeling the spuds. She didn’t believe me at all and made me send her a photo immediately! We were both on the phone going through the Scratch Card making sure it was a winner.”

The priority for the Cavan woman was keeping the Scratch Card safely hidden. "I immediately put it behind a wedding photo, don’t ask me why! I just knew no one would look there. To be honest, I was more afraid of putting it somewhere and completely forgetting where I’d put it - can you imagine? The first thing I plan to do is book a family holiday.”

Meanwhile, tonight’s Lotto Jackpot rolls to an estimated €4.5 Million. Players dreaming of becoming Ireland’s newest and largest Millionaire are reminded that tickets for tonight's Lotto draw can be purchased in-store, through the National Lottery app or at http://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, more than €6.5 billion has been raised for Good Causes since the National Lottery was established 37 years ago. In 2024 alone, €239.3 million was raised for local Good Causes in communities across Ireland.

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