Lotto bosses and regulator must answer questions into six-month unlucky streak – Durkan

An Oireachtas Committee will next week hear from the National Lottery and the Office of the Regulator as the €19m jackpot has not been won in more than six months.

Fine Gael Deputy Bernard Durkan today said he has a series of questions to ask those who will appear at the Leinster House committee next Wednesday, December 15^th.

Since Saturday, June 5^th, the National Lottery draw has failed to match six winning numbers with lotto tickets. More than 50 draws have taken place in the intervening six months with the most recent unsuccessful draw last night.

“The time has come for some pertinent questions. A lot can happen in six months. Dublin footballers’ unbeaten run came to an end, a Summer heatwave came and went, Afghanistan fell to the Taliban, Omicron replaced Delta, Barbados became a Republic and Wally the Walrus visited our shores and left – without winning the lotto jackpot like the rest of us,” Deputy Durkan said.

“I see in recent weeks the lotto has begun taking out a series of advertisements across media and social media to show how the money is spread about. They’d be better off spending this outlay examining their own systems,” the Kildare North TD added.

Representatives from both the National Lottery and the Office of the Regulator of the National Lottery will be before the Finance Committee next Wednesday.

Deputy Durkan said he requires answers to questions, including:

• Is the National Lottery technology used in other systems and how old is it?
• How often is the technology examined and upgraded?
• To what extent is the National Lottery protected from attack/hacking by outside forces?
• Was research carried out or was it anticipated there would be a long carry over period with no jackpot winners when the extra balls were added to the draw?
• If so, was that factored into the decision?
• Balls have been added, how feasible is it for them to be removed in order to increase people’s chances of winning?
• Would the Regulator approve this decision?

“Hopefully the answers will be more enlightening than the unsuccessful six months and 53 draws since June 9^th with no jackpot winners,” Deputy Durkan concluded.