Jackpot of €123m helps to beat the recession blues

ROLL up, roll up to your nearest newsagent and join in the Euromillions extravaganza that could see one lucky person scoop a record €123 million.

Match all seven numbers in tonight’s draw and you will join the super-rich and surpass the wealth of Dolores McNamara – the Limerick woman who scooped the biggest prize in European lottery history, netting €115m in 2005. Ms McNamara’s €2 quick-pick ticket matched the game’s five winning numbers and two lucky stars, winning her a nine-week rollover jackpot of €115,436,126 and making her Ireland’s 72nd-richest person.

With the recession biting hard, there will undoubtedly be a surge of interest for the possibility of becoming another record-breaking winner.

While chances for another Irish person to get so lucky may be akin to lightning striking twice, it is worth remembering that to date Irish players have been quite fortuitous in the Euromillions game.

Our brethren have won the prize for matching five plus one lucky star on at least eight occasions, and a €15m jackpot was scooped in Co Tipperary last summer.

So, with the luck of the Irish on your side – and a touch of thunderous weather – it could be you.