A MUST-WIN €19 million lottery draw will take place this Saturday after more than seven months without a jackpot winner.
Approval for the draw was sought in recent weeks and granted by the Regulator of the National Lottery this week.
The jackpot has not been won since 9 June and has been capped at €19 million since October.
Any additional money that has since been raised by the lottery has been distributed among lower-tier prizes.
If the jackpot is not won on Saturday evening, the prize money will again flow down to winners in lower tiers, likely leading to several winners splitting the prize.
National Lottery spokesperson Fran Whearty this week urge the public on RTÉ's Morning Ireland to play responsibly because they are "as likely to win with one ticket, as with multiple".
He also said that in the future must-win draws will be held to prevent long rollovers from happening, with jackpots guaranteed to be won no more than five draws after the cap has been reached.
Representatives of both Premier Lotteries and the regulator of the National Lottery appeared before the Oireachtas Finance Committee to receive approval for the "must-win" draw last month.
Fine Gael TD for Kildare North Bernard Durkan had previously called for
Member of the Oireachtas Committee and Fine Gael TD for Kildare North, Bernard Durkan previously 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.
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