Number theory: Punters to try their luck as Lotto jackpot heads for €13m

IT could be you, goes the advert. And this week, plenty will take that leap of faith, hoping against hope that it really could be us.

With tonight’s Lotto jackpot heading for €13 million and Friday’s EuroMillions jackpot expected to be an estimated €120m, there is every reason to get excited.

The massive EuroMillions jackpot has rolled over six times already, and with the mouthwatering figure capturing imaginations all over Europe, additional punters could push the sum to €125m.

If one person is lucky to take home the full amount it would wipe out the €115m won by Limerick woman Dolores McNamara — the biggest individual Euro lotto payout in history.

Compared with that, a mere €13m might seem small, but it will still get you a property at home and abroad, a new set of wheels and enough change to allow you to lie on your laurels for many days to come.

Big wins last year include a Cork couple who joined the millionaires’ club in June, when they took home more than €6m.

In February 2010, another Cork player made history when he became the first online jackpot winner. The married man won more than €5.5m.

Elsewhere last year, an anonymous punter who became the 400th millionaire in Ireland’s National Lottery history, taking home €16.3m, offered belief to all the hopefuls tonight.

“I don’t play Lotto every week. However, I’m more likely to play when the jackpot is a big amount,” the winner said

So there you go, you don’t have to be a regular player, you just have to be in it to win it — it really could be you.