The €257,723 Lotto winner - who purchased their ticket in Carson’s Daybreak store in Beaufort - has made contact with National Lottery HQ.

The lucky ticket holder - who came within just one number of the €16,419,005 jackpot on offer in Saturday night’s draw - matched five numbers and the bonus and arrangements are now being made for them to claim their prize.

Meanwhile Lotto fever continues to grip the country as tomorrow night’s Lotto jackpot heads towards an estimated €17 million. Since the Lotto game launched in 1988, only one jackpot in excess of €17 million has ever been won which means that a single winner of Wednesday’s Lotto jackpot could become Ireland’s second largest jackpot winner in the history of the game.

So far this year, there have been five Lotto jackpot wins by players in Limerick, Kilkenny, Westmeath, Cork and Galway. A potential jackpot winner tomorrow night would take the title of Ireland’s newest multi-millionaire as well as sixth Lotto jackpot winner of 2021.

ROLLOVER

The current Lotto jackpot has been rolling for over three months since Wednesday June 9, and due to the high level of public interest, the National Lottery has urged players to avoid queues where possible and to purchase their tickets in store, online at www.lottery.ie or through the National Lottery App ahead of the cut off time of 7.45pm tomorrow evening (Wednesday).

“Tomorrow’s draw could prove truly life-changing for one lucky Lotto player," a National Lottery spokesperson said.

"A single winner could find themselves at number two on the list of all time highest Lotto jackpot winners in Ireland which we know is a highly coveted title. As the jackpot rolls, ticket sales are continuing to grow and we are appealing to players to follow public health guidelines and to purchase tickets early either in store, in App or at www.lottery.ie ahead of the deadline for sales at 7.45pm tomorrow evening.

Will tomorrow night’s draw mark the end of the extraordinary jackpot roll which has lasted for the majority of the summer? Only time will tell!”