Lotto jackpot's unprecedented five-month rollover - Donegal people advised to play early to avoid the rush

It has been five months since the Lotto jackpot was last won, making it the most extended rollover ever.

The current Lotto jackpot has been on an unprecedented roll since Wednesday, June 9.

And for the entire month of October, the jackpot has been capped at the highest amount ever seen in the history of the game, a whopping €19,060,800.

So if the Lotto jackpot is capped, what happens to the money that would normally be added on?

A spokesperson for the National Lottery said: "The additional funds that would have usually gone to the jackpot will instead flow down to the next prize tier at which there is a winner.

"Across the last eight draws, 102 Lotto players have benefited from the boosted prize funds at the Match 5 + Bonus and Match 5 prize tiers.

"Wednesday night’s draw marked the eighth time that the jackpot remained capped and as there was no winner of the Match 5 + Bonus tier in the October 27 draw, the additional funds proved beneficial to the Match 5 prize tier and resulted in 35 players all over Ireland winning €22,872 each.

"In last Saturday’s draw, two players from Dublin and Mayo shared the Match 5 + Bonus prize fund of €1,191,042."

The rollover has also been good news National Lottery Good Causes beneficiaries.

"During this almost five-month period, over €48 million will have been raised for Good Causes in the current Lotto jackpot roll-over series," the spokesperson said.

"Over the last 34 years, this fund has been allocated to support worthwhile causes and local community projects all over Ireland."

The Lotto jackpot was previously capped at €18.96 million and this represented the highest jackpot that had ever been seen in the game which was won by the Dan Morrissey syndicate in Carlow in June 2008.

On Wednesday, September 29 the jackpot exceeded this amount to reach €19,060,800. The jackpot cap was set on October 2, meaning no additional funds would be added until such time as the jackpot was won.

The spokesperson said: "It is common practice for lottery jackpots to be capped. €19.06 million is above the base level jackpot for the EuroMillions game and in this case it’s guaranteed to be won by somebody in Ireland."

With huge interest in the massive jackpot, players are advised to buy their tickets early - either in store or online - to avoid a last minute rush.

See also: Donegal player came agonisingly close to scooping the €19.06 million Lotto jackpot