The Irish National Lottery should be investigated after six months of rollovers and no top jackpot winners, according to Bernard Durkan.
As reported by the Irish Times, the Fine Gael Teachta Dala complained that nobody had won the top jackpot of the biweekly lottery since June 6, rolling over 46 times.
As per Irish law, the total lottery jackpot cannot exceed €19m, however, the lottery has not been won in so long that the jackpot has been stuck at the upper limit since September.
“It’s been almost six months since it was won. This didn’t happen in Ronan Collins’ day. The jackpot has been stuck at €19m since September,” he told the Irish Times, adding that a “full investigation and audit into the draw” should take place.
Durkan complained that the lottery used to operate with 36 balls in 1988 whilst it now operates on a 47 ball game since rising in 2015.
As a result, he called upon the Premier Lottery CEO to reduce the number of balls in the next draw as a show of good faith to the lottery’s players.
“I have never agreed with Premier Lotteries Ireland’s decision to increase the number of balls to 47. I’m old enough to remember 1986 when there were 36 balls and that’s how it should have stayed,” he added.
“Mr. Algeo, tear down those balls, drop a couple of balls as a mark of good faith and make the draw more winnable.”
Durkan is a Teachta Dala for North Kildare and also serves on Ireland’s Oireachtas Finance and Public Expenditure committees. He declared that a full audit and investigation be launched into the National Lottery to find out why nobody has won a top jackpot prize in so long.