This weekend has seen US Powerball finally end its rollovers and produced its first winner in a number of weeks. One lucky winner claimed the $421 million jackpot prize which was one of the largest in the game's history. The winning ticket was sold in Tennessee and matched all of the lottery numbers, including the Powerball.
According to officials, the jackpot rose from an estimated $403 million to $420.9 million on the day of the draw thanks to a spree of late purchases just before the scheduled draw. The winner can expect to be paid over installments of thirty years, however, there is the option of taking the lesser immediate lump sum package at a reduced prize of $254.7 million.
Irish Lotto
The Irish Lotto, however, is clinging to its rollover, in turn, raising the grand prize up to €11 million for the next draw. Ireland's favourite lottery draw did not leave us without a winner as a newly wedded couple, from Co. Kildare, took home €500,000. According to the couple, they did not plan a honeymoon anytime soon due to their work responsibilities. However, their windfall has afforded them a rather unexpected turn of fortune.
"This past month has been a dream come true with the wedding and everything but to top it all off with a half a million euro win is beyond any dream we could have," said the husband who wishes to remain anonymous.
"We are currently living in rented accommodation at the moment and we were resigned to the fact that we probably would never have been in a position to buy our own home. We know exactly where we want to live so we will start home hunting in the next couple of days."
"After buying the ticket on Friday evening, I had a long weekend in work so I was really looking forward to my day off on Monday," the husband continued. "In the morning, I picked up the ticket and checked it on my phone. I was absolutely stunned when I saw the winning numbers and it only sank in after I confirmed the win with the National Lottery. I made my way up to where my wife works and when we saw each other, we just cried tears of joy as we hugged."
The current grand prize for the Irish Lotto is now up to €11 million. The US Powerball's grand prize is currently standing at €38,000,000. For information on the rest of the world's most popular lottery games, including the Irish Lotto, see the table below.
Lottery Round-up
Lottery Game | Lucky Numbers | Prize | Next Draw | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US Powerball |
| €38,000,000 | Wednesday, Saturday @ 10:59pm ET | ||||||||
Mega Millions |
| €24,000,000 | Tuesday ,Friday @ 23:00 ET | ||||||||
SuperEna Lotto |
| €54,000,000 | Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday @ 20:00 | ||||||||
Euromillions |
| €17,000,000 | Tuesday, Friday @ 20:45 | ||||||||
Eurojackpot |
| €38,000,000 | Friday @ 21:00 CET | ||||||||
Irish Lotto |
| €11,000,000 | Wednesday 2 November 2016 | ||||||||
For more information on the draws, check out our results page |