The odds are stacked against you winning this weekend's record Lotto jackpot of some €16 million, but, as the old cliche, goes: "If you're not in, you can't win".
As so many pundits are quick to point out, the odds of actually winning the huge jackpot and retiring happily to a small sunny island in the Caribbean are 8,145,060 to one. Still, many Lotto players will gladly take those long odds when they join the queues for tickets for tomorrow's game.
National Lottery spokeswoman
Staff at the National Lottery head office in Dublin have the chequebook at the ready and pens poised to pay out on the massive jackpot, the highest-ever in the history of the game. That same chequebook has been gathering dust since Wednesday June 20 th, the night the main Lotto jackpot prize started its record rollover.
A spokeswoman said there was an added level of anticipation among staff due to the large jackpot. However, staff of the National Lottery are not themselves allowed to collect a lotto prize.
Spontaneous Lotto syndicates have been springing up around the country since Wednesday, the spokeswoman added.
But she warned that people should ensure, if they take part in a syndicate, that they put rules in place to ensure everyone knows who is in it and who is responsible for collecting money and buying tickets.
Tomorrow's will be the 12th draw in the longest ever roll sequence in the 20-year history of the Lotto draw.
The jackpot reached its highest level yet last Wednesday at €13,310,830, but no player matched the six numbers needed to win.
Some 153 players were one number away from the magic six on Wednesday night, having matched five of the six numbers drawn.
Sales levels were also the highest yet on Wednesday, with over two million Lotto tickets bought all over Ireland between Saturday July 21st and last Wednesday. Over 1.4 million, or 70 per cent, of those tickets were purchased on the day of the draw.
In total, sales of over €9.8 million were recorded for the last draw.
The highest ever Lotto jackpot won to date remains the jackpot of November 21st 1996, for the amount of €9,505,290.
Some 315 people have become Lotto millionaires since the game began, according to the National Lottery. About 20 people have become Lotto millionaires this year alone.
The National Lottery has warned members of the public not to be taken in by an e-mail and postal scam advising them that they have won "a substantial amount of money".