National Lottery reveals counties with BIGGEST High Tier prizes claimed on Scratch Cards and Instant Win Games
The National Lottery has revealed the list of counties with the biggest scratch card and online instant win games (IWG’s) high tier wins in Ireland. Since 2020, there have been a total of 302 winners who have won high tier prizes worth over €20 million in scratch cards and IWG’s.
As Ireland’s most populous county, Dublin topped the chart with 78 players claiming high tier prizes worth over €4 million in winnings.
Players in Tipperary came out in second place with an incredible €2,270,000 in high tier prizes shared among 21 winners. Kildare came third with €1,475,000 won by 13 individual players while Louth and Cork rounded off the top five with total high tier prize wins of €1,455,000 and €1,220,000 respectively. The full county by county stats can be viewed below.
To celebrate the Christmas period, the National Lottery has an exciting range of festive scratch cards to choose from and with a top prize of €100,000, it would make the perfect gift to spread the festive cheer.
They are:
- Countdown to Christmas, with a top prize of €100,000. Price €10
- Merry Money, with a top prize of €20,000. Price €5
- Hampers & Cash, with a top prize of €30,000 and hundreds of €500 hamper vouchers available to win.
The National Lottery has also reminded players about the ‘Gift Responsibly’ campaign which was launched to raise awareness about the risks of underage or excessive lottery play during the busy Christmas gifting period. The ‘Gift Responsibly’ Campaign provides a timely reminder to parents and other adults that lottery tickets and scratch cards are not appropriate gifts for children under the age of 18.
A National Lottery spokesperson said: “We ask all our players and the wider public to support our ‘Gift Responsibly’ campaign and remember when you are purchasing any National Lottery product as a gift, whether at Christmas or any time of the year, it is always important to gift responsibly. We encourage our players to ensure to keep lottery play for those who are aged 18 years and older.”
Biggest scratch card and IWG wins in Ireland per county since 2020
| County | No. of top prize scratch card & IWG wins | Total in high tier prizes |
| Total | 302 | €20,005,000 |
| Dublin | 78 | €4,115,000 |
| Tipperary | 21 | €2,270,000 |
| Kildare | 13 | €1,475,000 |
| Louth | 15 | €1,455,000 |
| Cork | 27 | €1,220,000 |
| Offaly | 10 | €1,145,000 |
| Donegal | 12 | €1,000,000 |
| Galway | 12 | €935,000 |
| Meath | 14 | €855,000 |
| Carlow | 10 | €840,000 |
| Wexford | 10 | €595,000 |
| Leitrim | 3 | €580,000 |
| Kerry | 8 | €500,000 |
| Limerick | 9 | €470,000 |
| Laois | 6 | €370,000 |
| Westmeath | 6 | €340,000 |
| Mayo | 6 | €285,000 |
| Waterford | 7 | €280,000 |
| Wicklow | 6 | €270,000 |
| Kilkenny | 5 | €175,000 |
| Sligo | 5 | €175,000 |
| Monaghan | 6 | €170,000 |
| Longford | 3 | €165,000 |
| Cavan | 3 | €140,000 |
| Clare | 5 | €115,000 |
* Statistics compiled from National Lottery prize claims data from scratch card and IWG games in 2020 – 2022. High tier prizes are defined as prizes in excess of €15,000 (€10,000 for online wins). All prize claims data correct as of 6th December 2022.Nearly 30 cent in every €1 spent on all National Lottery games goes back to Good Causes in the areas of sport, youth, health, welfare, education, arts, heritage, and the Irish Language. In total more than €6 Billion has been raised for Good Causes since the National Lottery was established 35 years ago. In 2021 alone, €304 million was raised for local Good Causes in communities across Ireland.
Play National Lottery games responsibly, play for fun.