BOSSES AT the National Lottery are to come before an Oireachtas Committee to answer questions relating to how the Lotto has not been won in Ireland for more than six months.
The record-breaking jackpot of €19,060,800 has been capped since 29 September and has been rolling since it was last won on 5 June 2021 - the longest rollover in the history of Ireland.
Now, representatives of the National Lottery and the Office of the Regulator are due before the Finance Committee on Wednesday 15 November.
Member of the Oireachtas Committee and Fine Gael TD for Kildare North, Bernard Durkan said some “pertinent questions” now need to be asked to the National Lottery and the regulator.
"A lot can happen in six months,” Mr Durkan said.
"Dublin footballers' unbeaten run came to an end, a Summer heatwave came and went, Afghanistan fell to the Taliban, Omicron replaced Delta, Barbados became a Republic and Wally the Walrus visited our shores and left – without winning the lotto jackpot like the rest of us.
"I see in recent weeks the lotto has begun taking out a series of advertisements across media and social media to show how the money is spread about. They’d be better off spending this outlay examining their own systems,” he said.
Mr Durkan said he hopes to get answers to how old the National Lottery technology is, how often it is upgraded and the feasibility of removing balls from the draw to increase the chances of the jackpot being won.
Mr Durkan previously received backing from the Taoiseach to look into the matter.
Last Saturday's Lotto draw saw 171,000 players across Ireland won prizes, including two player from Dublin and Donegal sharing a prize worth €915,150.
As the jackpot is now capped, any funds that would be added to the top prize are now being distributed amongst lower-tier prizes.
