Lottery fever has spread across Europe as the Euromillions jackpot is expected to be a record €180 million for tonight's draw.
The jackpot has rolled over 11 times since it was last won on November 11th — something it is only forecast to do once every 25 years.
If there is a single winner from tonight's draw, the winner would receive the money in a tax-free lump sum prize.
The win would place the lucky person number 366 on the Sunday TimesRich List, equal to former Beatles drummer Ringo Starr. The winner would be richer than David Bowie, Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne and Robbie Williams.
The biggest Euromillions jackpot prize to date was over €115 million, won last summer by Dolores McNamara from Limerick.
A National Lottery spokesman said 2,500 tickets were going through the system in Ireland each minute. "There's a huge interest right through the country. The big jackpot has got a lot more people into the draw,'' he said.
According to the National Lottery, the biggest previous lottery prize was in the United States last October when the multi-state Powerball game had a jackpot of €277 million - but the prize was paid in a pre-tax lump sum of €134 million.
The National Lottery advised players to play early, to sign the back of their Euromillions tickets and to keep them in a safe place.
"It would also be a good idea for syndicates to give each member a copy of the numbers played and to make sure each member is fully aware of the share they are entitled to in the event of a win," Lottery Director Dermot Griffin said.
Apart from Ireland the game is played in eight other countries - Austria, Belgium, Portugal, France, Luxembourg, Spain and Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
