Lucky lottery player scoops record-breaking £153m jackpot

A ticket bought in Ireland has won the £153 million (175 million euro) EuroMillions jackpot, the biggest in the country’s history.

The winning numbers were 1, 8, 18, 19 and 39. The Lucky Stars were 7 and 9.

The Irish National Lottery tweeted:  “Players of Ireland – Check your tickets! Someone just matched all numbers & stars on tonight’s draw winning a massive €175,475,380 and set a new record for the biggest win in National Lottery history.”

Five other tickets won £275,601 (317,493 euro).

This is the 14th Irish EuroMillions winning ticket since the game began in Ireland in 2004.

This record breaking win tops the £99 million (115 million euro) won by Dolores McNamara, from Limerick, in July 2005.

The second biggest win was in 2008 when a player from Tipperary won £13 million (15 million euro) in 2008.

National Lottery chief executive Dermot Griffin said the shop where the ticket was bought would not be revealed for a few days as procedures had to followed.

He said: “This is an incredible win for an Irish EuroMillions player! And a record win for the National Lottery we are thrilled.

“We are advising our players to check their tickets and if they are the winner sign the back of the ticket, keep it safe, and contact National Lottery HQ and we will guide you through the claims process.

“Whilst this is a massive win it can come as a shock to a player and we advise them to stay calm, get good independent legal and financial advice and contact us as soon as they can.

“This has been an incredibly lucky period for players on the island of Ireland. In January a Northern Ireland couple won an amazing €127 million [£110 million] in the EuroMillions jackpot. The luck of the Irish is definitely in the air.”

The EuroMillions jackpot had rolled over for several weeks and nearly reached the maximum payout of £165 million (190 million euro). This maximum jackpot has only been won three times over the history of the game.

EuroMillions is played in nine countries. In the UK, 28p for every £1 is donated to National Lottery good causes – since it began, more than £37 billion has been raised.