GAA club’s lotto luck favours fans

GAA fans in West Limerick are on a winning streak — much to the consternation of a local club.

Newcastle West GAA club’s weekly lotto draw has incurred huge losses in the past five weeks, paying out a whopping €26,700 in prize money.

In the same period, club lottery sales brought in €8,000, leaving the club with a deficit of €18,700.

Although it’s a nightmare run for the club, some GAA supporters have been laughing all the way to the bank.

When the weekly lotto is won, it starts off again with a minimum pot of €5,000 sponsored by the club.

At times, however, the lotto has not been won for more than a year, making it a sure winner for the club — at least until last month, when Lady Luck changed sides.

The fund had swollen to €14,500 by the April 2 draw, when it was won.

The following week, a new jackpot of €5,000 was put on offer, with the club ensuring a minimum stake of €200 weekly to hike up the fund.

Usually, with jackpot wins few and far between, a handy surplus accrued to the club. But the April 2 jackpot only lasted until April 23, when it was won at €5,400.

During the period of that jackpot, the club sold about 500 cards a week, bringing in total revenue of about €3,000 — leading to another big loss.

The club then had to put up another €5,000 minimum jackpot and, once again, it only lasted two weeks. The jackpot was won at €5,400.

However, the club’s vice- chairman, Sean Roche, is stoical about the club’s winning and losing streaks.

“Revenue from the weekly lotto is very important for the day-to-day running of the club,” he said.

“Our next big project will be the construction of an all-weather pitch.”