How to play irish lottery

Irish people have two chances a week to make it big. The Irish national lottery offers this chance twice every week once every Wednesday evening and Saturday evening. The odds of winning the prizes are some of the best available in the world and it is no surprise that many hundreds of Irish and people of other nationalities have made it big by winning the jackpot which is a staggering £2 million guaranteed and in case there have been a few rollovers the jackpot size swells to unimaginable proportions. The marvelous odds of winning have made the Irish lottery one of the most popular lotteries in Europe.

The jackpot has reached as high as €40 million in recent times and is one game not many Europeans want to miss out on.

Playing the Irish lottery is pretty simple and like any other lottery played anywhere in the world the player has to choose a set of six numbers plus a bonus number. The best part is that the numbers you choose from are in the range of 1 – 45 thus improving the odds of winning the jackpot as you have to choose from fewer numbers unlike other lotteries where you have to choose from 1 – 49 . You could be placed anywhere in the world and yet play the Irish lotto.

Another important and interesting fact of Irish lottery is that it pays in excess of 50% of its funds in prizes. The balance is used for administrative purposes and to fund community activities like arts, culture, health, recreation, sports, and national heritage and for the development and promotion of the Irish language. The jackpot awarded is a minimum €2 million; however it is frequently in excess of €5 million. The draw takes place every Wednesday and Saturday night and is telecast live on the television. The results are also available on the internet and several official and non-official sites display the results on their websites instantly.

The jackpot is won by the player who correctly matches all the six numbers (from 1 – 45) to the six numbers drawn; a seventh number is also drawn which is called the ‘bonus’ number. There are other prizes to be won for matching five numbers, five numbers plus the bonus number, four numbers plus the bonus number, and three numbers plus the bonus number. People have the option of picking the lucky numbers themselves or can use the ‘quick pick’ option, where the lotto computer picks the six numbers randomly. The prize amount is tax free and paid out in one lump sum unlike other lotteries where a deferred payment is made.

The minimum jackpot size is €2 million and can increase in case of rollovers. The second prize is 5+ bonus numbers and the guaranteed prize is €25,000. the third prize is 5/6 numbers and the payout is 8.17% of the total pool, the fourth prize is 4+/6 and the payout is 2.54% of the total prize pool, fifth prize is 4/6 and the payout is 14.29% of the prize pool, the sixth prize is 3+/6 and the payout is 8.62% of the prize pool. A fixed prize of €5 is paid for matching three numbers correctly.

Irish lottery can be played anywhere in Ireland at the retail counters. There are more than 3800 retailers who have lottery terminals installed in their premises and players pay €3.65 for a single game.

The best part of Irish lottery is that the winnings are paid in 48 hours of declaring the results and are totally tax free. To know more about the Irish lottery visit absinthekit.com for interesting facts and strategies on how to play the Irish lottery successfully.