How to Play Irish Lotto – 6 Steps for Beginners

Are you looking for a fun and exciting way to win big money? Then Irish Lotto may be the game for you!

The Irish Lotto is one of the most popular lottery games played in Ireland and beyond. It’s simple to play, with a wide variety of prizes that are up for grabs each week.

Playing the Irish Lotto can seem daunting for beginners who don’t know where to start. However, with a bit of knowledge of how the game works and some helpful tips and strategies, learning how to play it can be quite easy. This article will provide you with a 6-step guide on how to correctly play Irish Lotto for beginners so that you can have an enjoyable experience.

What You Should Know Before Playing the Irish Lotto?

Playing the Irish Lotto can be an exciting way to potentially win huge jackpots and change your life for the better. Before taking part, however, you need to understand how the game works in order to maximize your chances of success. Read on to find out everything you need to know about the Irish Lotto so you can make informed decisions when playing this thrilling game of chance!

Age to Play the Irish Lotto

All lotteries have certain rules you must follow before you can play the game. One rule that every lottery has is the age you must be to buy tickets and enter draws. The Irish Lotto is no exception. If you want to play this exciting game you must be at least 18 years or older.

The reason lotteries have an age restriction is to protect minors from gambling. It’s also a way to protect children from the burden of becoming millionaires too young. The UK lottery had to change its age restriction because there were younger winners such as Callie Rogers that used her prize money to fuel her addictions.

So it’s important for lotteries to have an age restriction so that only people who are mature enough to handle large sums of money can win.

Odds of Winning the Irish Lotto

Before you play a lottery game, it’s important to check what the odds of winning are. This is so you can understand what your chances are when playing the game.

The odds of winning the Irish Lotto are 1 in 10,737,573. This means that you have a 0.00000935% chance of winning the jackpot. The odds of winning any prize in the Irish Lotto is 1 in 29,  which is so much better than the jackpot. However, it still requires quite a bit of luck to win any prize on the lotto. The more lines you purchase, the higher your chances of winning will be.

Additionally, there are many lottery strategies that can help you win the game such as choosing numbers manually or using a pick 5 lottery strategy.

Price of Tickets

Another important factor to consider before playing the Irish Lotto is how much tickets are. When you know the prices of tickets you can budget accordingly. You can even play the lottery for every draw if you know how to budget for your tickets.

With that being said, the cost of Irish lotto tickets depends on the game you’re playing. For example, if you are playing the main draw Lotto, it costs €2 per line and a minimum bet of €4. If you want to play Irish Lotto Plus 1 and Plus 2 it will cost you an extra €1.

When Draws Take Place

Irish Lotto Draws take place twice a week on Wednesday and Saturday nights. The draws are held at 8 pm local time, with ticket sales closing at 7:45 so make sure to purchase your tickets before the cutoff time if you want to be eligible for the draw. In addition to the main Irish Lotto draws, there is also a special two-part ‘plus’ draw which runs on both days and consists of twelve numbers and six bonus numbers.

Where You Can Play the Irish Lotto

The Irish Lotto can be played through the best online lottery sites or in retail stores across Ireland. Many Irish newsagents offer lotto tickets and some convenience stores also have tickets available. The official Irish Lotto website is also another great place to purchase lotto tickets and participate in the draw each week. With millions of euros up for grabs each week, it’s definitely worth giving the Irish Lotto a go.

* Recommended sites to buy your first Irish Lotto tickets:

theLotter

4.5 rating

Read Review

Play

Lotto Agent

4.8 rating

Read Review

Play

WinTrillions

4.3 rating

Read Review

Play

6 Steps on How to Play the Irish Lotto

1. Choose Where You Want to Play the Irish Lotto

Before you begin to play the Irish lotto, consider where you’d like to play the game. Most people prefer to play online to skip the long queues at the stores. Additionally, playing through online lottery sites provides you with more payment options.

However, if you’re an Irish local and you need to go buy groceries or snacks at the shops, you can simply enter the draw by buying a ticket from a teller.

2. Pick 6 Numbers

Once you’ve chosen which method you want to use when playing the Irish Lotto, the next step is to choose your numbers. The rule of this particular lottery is to choose 6 numbers between 1 and 47. If you match all 6 numbers, you’ll win the jackpot prize!

However, it should be noted that you must choose your numbers carefully. Most people use the quick pick option because it’s faster. But if you choose your numbers manually using number combinations or even lucky horoscope numbers, you may have a better chance of winning.

3. Choose Which Draws to Enter

As mentioned before, the Irish Lotto is held every Wednesday and Saturday. You must decide which day you’d like to play the lottery. We recommend buying tickets for the Irish Lotto on a Saturday so you can have more fun playing the game. You’re able to relax and choose your numbers at your own pace instead of rushing after work to buy tickets.

On the other hand, you can also play the Irish lotto on Wednesdays if you want to enter all draws for the week. Simply ensure you buy tickets before the draw closes.

4. Choose the PLUS Option

Lotto Plus draws give you an extra chance to win small prizes. In the Irish Lotto, you could win up to €500 if you choose the PLUS option. Other times players have won up to €1 million on the Lotto Plus Draws by matching all 6 numbers in the draw. You can also win smaller prizes by matching two numbers, and the bonus number. On your Irish Lotto ticket, tick the Irish Lotto PLUS 1 and PLUS 2 boxes to enter.

5. Decide How Many Draws You Want

Before you pay for your Irish Lotto ticket you must first decide how many draws you want to enter. You have the option of choosing 1, 2, 4, and 8 draws. This means you’ll be entered into up to 8 draws using the same lottery numbers on your ticket.

If you’re playing through an online lottery site such as Jackpot.com you could buy bets up to a year in advance. You’ll then get entered into every single draw for a full year!

6. Pay For Your Entries

Once you’ve completed your ticket you can then pay for your lines. If you’re buying a ticket in-store you may need to pay with cash. The Irish Lotto used to allow players to purchase tickets on their website using a credit card but this was discontinued in 2021. You can only use personal or pre-paid debit cards to pay for your purchase on the Irish Lotto website. 

On the other hand, if you’re playing the Irish Lotto through sites such as WinTrillions you’ll have many deposit options to choose from like Visa, Mastercard, and even Astropay.

Tips on How to Win the Irish Lotto

If you are looking to increase your chances of winning the Irish Lotto, then this section will provide you with invaluable advice. We will be covering tips for selecting numbers, the use of number combinations, and other strategies that could help improve your chances of becoming an Irish Lotto millionaire.

Buy More Tickets

Buying more lottery tickets can increase your chances of winning the jackpot or any other prize in the lottery. With a larger number of tickets, you have a higher chance of matching the correct numbers and winning the prize. There are also certain ticket strategies that can be used to increase your chances of success.

On the other hand, buying more lottery tickets can be expensive. In this case, you could create a lotto syndicate. A lotto syndicate is a group of individuals that come together to purchase lottery tickets in bulk and share the winnings if any. By pooling their money, members of the syndicate can buy more tickets, giving them a better chance at winning significant prizes. With larger prize amounts being split amongst fewer people, each member’s chances of getting a larger cut is increased.

Use Number Combinations

Lottery number combinations are a useful tool in playing the lottery because they can help you narrow down your selection of numbers and give you the chance to pick out a more predictable or random pattern.

A lottery combination generator is especially helpful for those who prefer algorithms over guesswork and intuition. Choosing random combinations also reduces the odds of sharing prizes with other players that may have similar picks as yours. Ultimately, using combination generators to play the lottery can give players an edge over the rest.

If you don’t want to use a lottery number generator, you can create your own combinations by creating a lottery algorithm in Excel.

Create a Strategy

To win the Irish Lotto jackpot you don’t have to use the same strategies. You can simply create your own strategies that work well for you. Some of the best methods is using hot and cold numbers to create combinations. If you’re the spiritual type, you can use the law of attraction to win a prize.

Other people use number sequences and patterns to put their digits together for a ticket. Experts such as Richard Lustig suggest that players should use the same numbers for every draw they enter. No matter what strategy you use, make sure it’s one that works for you.

Look at Past Draws

Looking at past lottery draws is important because it allows you to analyze the odds of winning and make more informed decisions when playing in the future. By looking at past draws, you can identify patterns and trends that can help you narrow down the possible combinations of numbers.

This helps improve your chances of winning by increasing the likelihood that your chosen combination is correct. It also allows you to spot sequences that appear frequently, so those numbers become potentials for picking later on.

Pick Your Numbers Carefully

You should pick your lotto numbers carefully because the more you pay attention to the details and understand the odds, the better chance you have of winning. This includes researching which numbers have better chances of being picked, when to buy tickets, where to purchase tickets from, and who else is playing the same numbers.

Also, keep track of previous lottery winning numbers so that you can avoid playing the same ones as someone else. Making sure that you choose your lotto numbers carefully will help ensure you’re taking advantage of every opportunity that comes your way.

The Biggest Jackpot Ever Won On Irish Lotto

The biggest jackpot ever won on the Irish Lotto was quite recent. A player took home a whopping €19 million in January 2022. This was a little over €1 million more than the winner who got €18.9 million in 2008. So if you win the jackpot you can rest assured you’ll be well taken care of for the rest of your life if you know exactly how to handle your finances. 

Final Thoughts

As you can see, playing the Irish Lotto is exceptionally easy. But if you’re a beginner and you want to know how to choose numbers, and where to play the game, then follow the easy steps in this guide. By purchasing your Irish Lotto ticket, you’ll be one step closer to potentially becoming a winner!

FAQs