Lotto winner collects €16m cheque

The winner of Saturday's lotto jackpot picked up his €16.3 million cheque from the National Lottery offices in Dublin today.

The man, who is from Dublin and wishes to remain anonymous, said he was “delighted to have won” and that he will 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, but the winning numbers were those he chose himself. His €16,390,239 winnings are tax free.

Speaking at National Lottery headquarters, the winner said: “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.”

This jackpot now ranks as the third highest lotto jackpot since the game began in 1988. The largest jackpot remains the €18,963,441 won by sixteen members of the Dan Morrissey syndicate from Carlow in June 2008.

The winner of the €250,000 Lotto Plus 2 top prize also picked up his winnings at lottery headquarters today.

Wishing to remain anonymous, the man who purchased his ticket in Ballinasloe, Co Galway, 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.”