Fifth of Lotto jackpot put on hold pending court case

One fifth of a winning Lotto syndicate has been refused his share pending the outcome of a High Court action after a fifth person claimed to be a beneficiary of a four person syndicate.

Four card-players meet every Monday night to play cards in Frank O'Reilly's pub in Ballyvary, Mayo. They have been playing Lotto as a syndicate for the past 15 months. Their winning ticket was a £6 Quick Pick. But now a fifth person is staking a claim on the jackpot.

They have collected IR£1,262,142.40p out of a jackpot of £1,577,678. The remaining IR£315,535.60p will be put on deposit by the National Lottery and will be paid with any interest that accrues once the ownership issue has been resolved.