Every week in Ireland, thousands, if not millions, of punters, take to the shops or their phones and computers to pick those lucky or unlucky numbers with the hope that those numbers will win them the jackpot and make them millionaires.
With a lotto game six out of seven nights currently available on the Emerald Isle, the chance of winning a lump sum has never been higher, with recent Irish Lotto jackpots reaching between €5M and € 7M.
However, compared to lottos around the world, these jackpots barely scratch the surface with our American neighbours and those closer to us in central Europe.
With one lucky player in America winning nearly $1B (€930M) back in 2022, let’s look at some of the biggest lotto jackpots and wins around the world in the last 10 years compiled by Lottoland.ie.
The Top 12 Largest Jackpots in the world
America is the land of opportunity and home to all 12 of the highest lotto jackpots on the planet in the last 10 years. Yes, you did read that correctly. The United States of America has produced the 12 largest lotto jackpots in the last decade, with one winner just missing out on $1B (€930M) after buying a ticket for the November 7 $2.040B (€1.9B) jackpot.
In August 2023, the second-highest lotto jackpot reached a whopping $1.602B (€1.49B). The lucky winner purchased their US Mega Millions ticket only to find out that they had won a sizable $794.2M of the estimated jackpot—not too bad, if we do say so ourselves.
January 2016 and October 2018 took the third and fourth spot, with both jackpots accumulating to well over $1.5B – However, the winning tickets didn’t entitle any of the players to walk away with $328M(€305M) with those jaw-dropping amounts; instead, three people shared the eye-watering amount, and in 2016, and one sole winner obtained a life-changing $877.8 (€8.16M)
2023 and 2022 saw two jackpots of over $1.3B (€1.2B), with both ticket holders walking away with over $700M (€6.51M) – They did not go back to work after that one!
Yet another jackpot passed the $1B (€930M) mark in 2022, as did 2021, with prizes of $1.08B and $1.05, respectively. The two winners walked away with $780M (€7.25M) and $558M (€519M).
The final four in the all-American list don’t quite hit the $1B () mark, but they sure do make for life-changing amounts of cash! March 2019, August 2017, February 2023, and January 2021 all saw the jackpot surpass $700M, with all winners taking home well over $400M (€372M) and one even snatching up an eye-watering $546M (€508M).
Europe’s biggest lottery win
With America’s monumental lottery jackpots snapping up all 12 places in the list of the world’s biggest jackpots, it’s safe to say that we Europeans won’t be making that list any time soon.
However, SuperEnalotto in Italy holds the number 1 spot for Europe’s biggest lottery win at a whopping €371 million with the winning combination of 1, 38, 47, 52, 56, and 66 plus the Jolly number 72 and Superstar 23.
It was won by a single ticket holder, but it wasn’t just any ordinary purchase: the winning entry came from an incredible bet that was shared nationwide in 90 individual shares, according to Lottoland.ie.
EuroMillions is also on the rise, with the most recent record jackpot hitting €230 million! Which was won on 19th July 2022 by a lucky winner from the United Kingdom. The new EuroMillions jackpot now has a potential jackpot cap of a whopping €240 million.
Setting the top spot aside, four extremely lucky individuals have scooped jackpots of over €200M since 2019 – The fortunate players hailed from France, Switzerland, and just across the Irish Sea in the United Kingdom.
In the last decade, five Euromillions players have gone home with jackpots north of €150M – Two lucky winners in the UK scooped a total of €190M and €195M in 2022 and 2012, while players in Spain and Portugal also discovered their numbers had gotten them the same amount, with both also winning €190M – Not the worst thing to be twinning with somebody on!
In 2013, an Irish punter finally entered the European top 10, sharing an enormous €187M with a fellow player in Belgium.
How about Ireland’s Lotto winners?
It might not be close to what our American counterparts are winning, but the Irish haven’t done too badly in recent years when it comes to the Euromillions on our shores. Ireland’s biggest Euromillions win came most recently of all the notable prizes on the list, with a family syndicate in Co Dublin splitting over €175M after picking the right numbers in their local shop.
Despite being less, one of the most memorable lotto wins came in 2005 when Dolores McNamara from Co Limerick won over €115M after popping into her local shop, G.O Stores in Garryowen – Her win even made it onto RTÉ series, Reeling in the Years! It was recently revealed that the corner shop in the quaint Limerick village struck gold again, selling a winning €8.9M ticket to another extremely lucky punter.
The rest of the Irish list is made up of Dublin players who, between 2013 and 2017, scooped €93M, €88M and €86M, respectively. The winners from Beaumont, Lusk, and Ballybrack, all on the North Side of Dublin, walked away with these life-changing amounts after playing the Euromillions on Tuesday and Friday nights by either purchasing tickets in-store or choosing their lucky numbers from the online Lotto App.
According to Lottoland.ie, these records are set to keep falling, so it is up to you, the player, to take over and set a new record for the highest lotto win here in Ireland or further afield in central Europe – Keep playing those numbers, and who knows, you could land yourself on the Irish Lotto Hall of Fame!