'Tear down those balls': TD calls for urgent audit of 'unwinnable' Lotto

The jackpot, which hasn't been won since June 6, has been capped at €19 million since September.

A Fine Gael TD has called for an investigation into the National Lottery as no player has won the jackpot in almost six months.

Bernard Durkan said he is not suggesting that there has been any wrongdoing but an audit is necessary to reassure the public after the top Lotto prize rolled over on 46 separate occasions.

It is the longest run in the history of the game.

The jackpot, which hasn't been won since June 6, has been capped at €19m since September.

“It’s been almost six months since it was won. This didn’t happen in Ronan Collins’ day," said Mr Durkan.

He said that he had never agreed with the decision to increase the number of balls in the draw to 47.

I’m old enough to remember 1986 when there were 36 balls and that’s how it should have stayed.

The National Lottery began in Ireland in 1988 with six winning numbers needed from 36 balls to win the jackpot.

"I call on the chief executive of Premier Lotteries Ireland, Andrew Algeo, to drop a couple of balls as a mark of good faith and make the draw more winnable. 

"In 1988, there was 36 balls, 39 in 1992, 42 in 1994, 45 in 2006 before reaching a hefty 47 in 2015," Mr Durkan said.

"Mr Algeo, tear down those balls."

As well as calling for a full audit and a reduction in the number of balls in the draw, Mr Durkan said the independent observer from KPMG Stokes Kennedy Crowley who would stand beside the machine and watch as the draw took place should be reinstated.

The TD, who is on both the Oireachtas Finance and Public Expenditure committees, said he would be writing to Public Expenditure Minister Michael McGrath to express his concerns and to get his views on the matter.

The next Lotto draw will take place tomorrow night but Mr Durkan isn't hopeful that the record jackpot will be won.

"Currently ahead of tomorrow night’s lotto draw, the prospect of winning is so remote that punters must be thinking Shergar would have a better chance at winning Squid Game."

A Lotto spokesperson said that the 23-week rollover is unprecedented and that since 2015, 80% of Lotto jackpots have been won within seven weeks and the odds of winning the Lotto jackpot have not been altered during this time.

"The current jackpot of €19 million and rollover of 23 weeks is unprecedented and has generated a huge amount of excitement across the country. Since the jackpot reached the €19 million jackpot cap, 179 players throughout the country who won the Match 5 or Match 5 + Bonus prize have shared in approximately €12.69 million in additional prize money due to the jackpot prize roll down.

"All of this excitement is generating strong returns for Good Causes, which is what the National Lottery is all about. The current jackpot rollover sequence alone has now raised in excess of €50 million for the Good Causes beneficiaries."