The winning ticket, purchased at the XL Stop and Shop in Sligo, matched all six numbers in the draw on 5th March to claim the sizable jackpot. After a number of weeks, the lucky player came forward to collect their prize, but lottery officials refused to pay out and would not disclose the reason for the delay. In a statement, the Irish National Lottery explained that an “update” would be provided once the claimant had collected the prize.
It was originally believed that the delay had come as the result of a dispute within a syndicate, but those rumours were soon denied by solicitors working on behalf of the claimant. It was revealed that the payout was delayed due to a “concern”, but the issue has since been addressed. The National Lottery will now pay out “the principal sum, together with appropriate interest”, an outcome that will no doubt bring further joy to the winner.
The jackpot is one of four top prizes to be claimed this year by Irish Lotto players and came as the result of a run of 11 straight rollovers that stretched back to the 27th of January. The prize is also the second-largest to be paid out in 2016 and the third-highest amount to be won in the last 12 months.
The jackpot win has also spelled success for Matt Lyons, the owner of the Stop and Shop where the ticket was purchased. Lyons, the former mayor of the town, has seen his establishment receive €15,000 from the National Lottery for selling the lucky entry, but he is none the wiser as to the identity of the winner, telling the Irish Independent that “I don’t have a clue who the person is, and the Lottery won’t tell us.”
Don’t forget that this Saturday’s Irish Lotto jackpot is estimated to be worth an incredible €5.5 million, a total that any lottery fan would be delighted to win. Ticket can be purchased online or from any authorised retailer throughout the country. Good luck!
