Bigger Lotto jackpot wins will come at a cost following the introduction of a number of changes to the game by the National Lottery that take effect today.
Jackpots will now be at least €2 million, and the National Lottery estimates that it will exceed €5 million approximately 20 times each year as a result of rollovers.
Lotto players will now pay an extra €1 per game, however, and will have to chose their six numbers from 45 and not 42 as had previously been the case. This will reduce the already lengthy odds of winning from one in five million to one in eight million.
The Match 5 game is to double its prize to €25,000, and a Match 3 win has been introduced.
The Lotto Plus game has also changed, with the top prize now €350,000, an increase of €50,000 from last year.