More and more people are now investing in the lottery. This is not because they are feeling luckier than they did in the past, but because of the industry’s transparency, the entry of several companies, and technological advancements. Despite its ban in 1844-1859 by ten states in the U.S., more so Christian states, the lottery has now been legalized by most governments. In fact, some governments now run their lotteries to raise funds for noble causes.
The Irish National Lottery came into being following the passing of the National Lottery Act in 1986. The funds raised by the lottery are used to support health, sporting, the promotion of the Irish language and eco-conservation. Below are tidbits on the history of the Irish National Lottery to help you understand what it entails and its evolution.
Administration
When it started in 1986, 80% of the Irish National Lottery was under the An Post, the state’s postal service provider and 20% was under the Public Expenditure and Reform Minister. In 2013, the lottery was sold to the Premier Lotteries Ireland to raise public finances and profit from the rise of internet gambling.
The Premier Lotteries Ireland is a consortium comprising the An Post along with its pension fund and Camelot Group’s Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan. Some of the proceeds of the lottery’s sale are earmarked for several local infrastructure projects, including building a national children’s hospital.
Games in the Irish National Lottery
In March 1987, the Irish National Lottery started its operation with a scratchcard launch. It has since then grown to expand its games portfolio to attract different players and maximize profits. The following are the current top games in the Irish National Lottery.
Lotto
This was the flagship game in the National Lottery and started in March 1988. In the original 6/36 format, gamers were expected to match the six numbers of a draw to win the jackpot or match four to five numbers to win a smaller prize. With the odds of winning a jackpot being one in 1,947,792, the jackpot was rolled over repeatedly, leaving the Lotto at risk of a brute force attack that happened in 1992.
The attack heralded a change of the format to 6/39 in 1992 to increase the odds of winning the jackpot. The format would later be changed to 6/42 in 1994, 6/45 in 2006 and the current 6/47 in 2015. Other than the increased odds of winning the Lotto in the current format, the prize money has also increased to a minimum jackpot of around two million pounds. Lotto Plus and Lotto 5-4-3-2-1 are spinoffs of the Lotto.
EuroMillions
Camelot Group, the same company that bought part of the Irish National Lottery and operates the U.K. National Lottery, operates EuroMillions. This means that you can now bet on the Irish National Lottery from the U.K. and other countries in Europe. EuroMillions became a part of the Irish National Lottery in 2004, and its sales have steadily increased to reach 131.5 million pounds in 2012. Even with seemingly tough winning odds of about 116.5 million to one for the top prize, several people have won or shared Euromillion jackpots in Ireland.
Daily Million
This game was introduced into the Irish National Lottery in 2012 to replace All or Nothing and Monday Million, daily and weekly draw games, respectively. The daily million is a fixed, non-rolling 6/39 one million-pound jackpot that happens every day. There is a spinoff of the Daily Million known as the Daily Million Plus, where you can put in an extra 0.50 pounds per line to win half a million pounds. The National Lottery headquarters host the draws for both Daily Million games that are, for undisclosed reasons, not open to the public or online audiences.
With the above history and the expected growth of the Irish National Lottery, this is clearly worth your investment. Do not be discouraged by the numerous stories of people who won the lottery and lost all their millions within months or those battling gambling addiction. You can invest your lottery winnings wisely with the right advice and never struggle financially in life.
Moreover, gaming sites now have several strategies in place to prevent gambling addiction in players. For similar updates from the world of gambling and lottery and more, stay tuned to ReadScoops.com.
