LAST UPDATE | 18 Jun

THE NATIONAL LOTTERY has narrowed down the part of the country where the winning EuroMillions ticket was sold — though it’s still keeping the exact location a secret.

The recording breaking jackpot of €250 million — far surpassing the previous record of €175 million in 2019 — was won last night by an Irish ticket holder.

The Lotto has now confirmed that the winning ticket was purchased in a store “in the Munster region”.

The winning numbers are 13, 22, 23, 44, 49, with Lucky Stars 3 and 5, and the ticket was sold in a retail shop and not online.

Lotto spokesperson Darragh O’Dwyer told The Journal earlier that ”there’s only a select few that do know the exact location [where the ticket was sold], and we will be releasing that to the public over the coming days”.

The true identity of the winner or winners may never be known: “There’s no obligation for any winner to go public.

“In the National Lottery, we take that absolutely seriously, that whatever a winner decides to do, whether they decide to go public or remain private, we’ll absolutely respect that decision.”

O’Dwyer added that the claims team were ‘well-versed’ in handling big wins like this, but that due to the fine print of its government licence, the Lottery can’t provide further advice to the winner in areas such as financial planning, legal counsel, or mental health support.

As their first action, the holder of the winning ticket is advised to sign their ticket, then contact the National Lottery’s claims team by phone or email to confirm their big win.

Premier Lotteries Ireland (PLI), the operator of Ireland’s National Lottery, is owned by French gambling company Française des Jeux (FDJ). It was purchased from its three main shareholders — Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan from Canada, An Post and An Post Pension Fund — in 2023.

PLI made a loss of more than €7 million in 2023 due to restructuring costs. From sales worth close to €830 million, €478.8 million was distributed in prizes, and just shy of €230 million to good causes.