THIRTEEN MAY be unlucky for some but it might just result in Ireland’s 400th Lotto millionaire as the jackpot rolls over for the 13th time tonight.
There are no lack of punters hoping they might get their hands on the expected €12 million jackpot, despite the low odds on winning the top prize.
Each line has just a one in a 8,145,060 chance of scooping the big prize.
Nevertheless, the National Lottery forecasts that there will be more than 85,000 Lotto plays per hour this evening as the countdown continues towards the midweek draw.
If the winning numbers do come out a single winner would become the 400th person to be made a millionaire since the Lotto began back in 1988 and the 20th jackpot winner this year.
Last Saturday three people came very close to the jackpot by matching five numbers plus the bonus number but their six-number match won them just €25,000 each.
Ireland’s cash-strapped banks would eagerly take the jackpot on deposit and offer a handsome return of at least 3 per cent per annum.
The winner could live comfortably on more than €30,000 per month without touching their original jackpot.
While most people would not turn their noses up at €12 million it is not the largest pot that has ever come about, nor is it this year’s largest.
In April 2010, a couple from Dungarvan in Co Waterford scooped the second largest win in Irish Lotto history walking away with €16,717,717.
The largest Irish Lotto win came in June 2008 when the Dan Morrissey Syndicate from Carlow scooped €18.9 million.
However, Limerick woman Dolores McNamara remains the State’s biggest lottery winner, after scooping € 115 million in the Euromillions in 2005.
Since the National Lottery was launched 22 years ago, more than €4 billion in prize money has been given out while €3.4 billion has been raised by the Lotto to fund beneficiary projects around the country.