A resident of Cork has recently discovered themselves to be the fortunate winner of a transformative sum exceeding €1 million in the special Ireland Only Raffle, which is held just a handful of times each year. The National Lottery has announced that this individual has earned a remarkable €1,005,000 as part of a promotional draw that guarantees an extra €1 million to one out of ten Irish winners besides the regular €5,000 prize.
Following confirmation from the Lotto officials, the winning ticket was bought in Cork, and the exact location of the store where this life-changing purchase was made will be disclosed on Sunday, May 19. Until this information is made public, the National Lottery has urged all participants from Cork, fondly referred to as Rebel County, to meticulously check their tickets. The lucky ticket holder is encouraged to immediately sign the back of their ticket to secure their claim and contact the prize claims team at 1800 666 222 or via email at [email protected]. The winner will then be assisted in arranging the collection of their substantial €1,005,000 prize at the Lotto headquarters.
Sarah Orr, the National Lottery spokesperson, expressed her excitement: “Friday night’s draw saw over 45,000 players in Ireland win various prizes across both the EuroMillions and EuroMillions Plus draws. A Cork player has emerged as the biggest winner of the night, bagging €1,005,000 in the special Ireland Only Raffle. We urge all players in the Cork area to carefully inspect their tickets today, especially the Raffle codes, as one of them holds a life-altering prize. The winner’s initial steps should be to sign the back of their ticket and ensure its safety. Following that, they should promptly contact our prize claims team to arrange a visit to Lotto HQ for prize collection.”
She also indicated that the Cork winner has started their weekend on a phenomenal note: “The Cork player certainly got their weekend off to an incredible start! For those who are still dreaming of a big win this weekend, tonight’s Lotto jackpot is set to grow towards an estimated €2.5 million. Tickets are available for purchase nationwide in-store, through our app, and at www.lottery.
.ie until 7.45pm this evening, when sales close.”
Each EuroMillions draw in Ireland includes a unique feature: for every line purchased, a player receives a nine-character IOR code consisting of four letters and five numbers. Out of these codes generated in any specific draw, ten Irish players win €5,000 each. On special pre-announced draw dates, like the one on Friday, each of the ten IOR winners from the regular draw is entered into an additional special draw, from which one is awarded an extra €1 million.
This past Friday, a single winner emerged with the code: I-QQN-12284 on their ticket. All EuroMillions players from that week are thus encouraged to check their tickets, as one of them holds the €1,005,000 ticket.
Although there was no winner for the main EuroMillions jackpot, a remarkable 45,000 players in Ireland won prizes through the EuroMillions and Plus games, highlighted by the lucky Ireland Only Raffle winner. The other nine winners who received €5,000 each had the following raffle ticket codes: [Details of the codes would be inserted here when known].
Furthermore, another Irish EuroMillions participant from County Laois celebrated a major win this week, collecting the top prize of €500,000. The winning ticket was purchased at the Daybreak store on Main Street in Borris-in-Ossary.
An online player from Kilkenny also had reason to celebrate after collecting their EuroMillions Plus top prize of €500,000 at Lotto HQ. This win was from the draw held on April 26, and the Kilkenny winner shared that they realized their win immediately after the draw but chose to keep it quiet until they could safely claim their prize.
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