Lotto jackpot winner collects €16.3m

THE WINNER of Saturday’s Lotto jackpot yesterday picked up his €16.3 million cheque from the National Lottery offices in Dublin.

The man, who is from Dublin and wishes to remain anonymous, said he was “delighted to have won” and he would share the win with his family.

The winner, who becomes the 400th millionaire in Ireland’s National Lottery history, purchased his ticket on the day before the draw at the Donnybrook Fair supermarket in Dublin 4.

His ticket was €30 in value and included “quickpick” selections. However, the winning numbers were those he chose himself.

“I don’t play Lotto every week; however, I’m more likely to play when the jackpot is a big amount, such as last weekend,” he said

This jackpot ranks as the third highest jackpot since the game began in 1988. The largest jackpot is €18,963,441 won by 16 members of the Dan Morrissey Syndicate from Carlow in June 2008.

A man who won the €250,000 Lotto Plus 2 top prize also picked up his winnings at lottery headquarters yesterday. Wishing to remain anonymous, the man who purchased his ticket in Ballinasloe said: “I feel like I’ve won twice. I checked the numbers and saw there were two winners so I thought I’d won a half share – €125,000. I couldn’t believe it when I discovered I’d won quarter of a million euro. It’s fantastic.”