“This is a dream come true”
A spokesperson for the syndicate, said to be a spouse of one of the members, said: “This is unbelievable - it will take us some time to get our heads around this win and to organise ourselves”.
“What is so exciting”, he added, “is that we will be able to share this money with children, grandchildren and extended family members. This is a dream come true”.
The Irish National Lottery revealed that the winning ticket was bought in Ireland shortly after the draw on Tuesday 19th February, and speculation quickly grew as to where the winning ticket was bought.
It only took a day, however, for the winners to come forward, and news about who they were broke shortly afterwards. They have already visited the National Lottery headquarters in Dublin to validate the winning ticket, kickstarting the payout process.
One of the syndicate members spoke about the moment she found out about the win. “I heard on the RTÉ news that there was a win in Ireland”, she said, “and I caught the last three numbers.”
She said she then put the winning ticket in an Argos catalogue for safekeeping. “I didn’t sleep a wink all night”, she said.
Ticket sold at local shop in Naul
The location of the shop where the lucky ticket was sold was revealed at around the same time the winners were making their claim with the National Lottery.
Les Reilly, the owner of the Reilly’s Daybreak in Naul, County Dublin, talked about the moment he found out his store had sold the winning ticket. “I actually got a sick stomach and my legs started to shake”, he said. “I don't know how the people felt who won it but I was in total shock, just total shock”.
Reilly went on to describe the atmosphere in Naul, a village with a population of less than 600 people. “I've never seen a buzz or anything like this”, he said. “The whole village - a small village in a rural county - it's just buzzing, it's just amazing.”
Could playing in a syndicate pay off for you?
No information about the winning syndicate has been revealed, except that they are a family from Naul. Irish lottery winners can remain anonymous, so no further details about them may ever be disclosed if that’s what they choose.
What is clear is that playing in a syndicate has paid off for them. Ireland has seen a few jackpot-winning syndicates over the years; most are formed between family members, friends, and co-workers.
The biggest benefit of playing in a syndicate is that you have a stake in multiple lottery tickets without having to spend more than you would when playing on your own. Playing the lottery with other people is also exciting, especially when your numbers come up.
All you need to do to form your own syndicate is to find some like-minded individuals, decide how much you want to spend on lottery tickets, and get a written agreement in place to cover all the conditions of participating.
This last point is important even if you form a syndicate with people you trust, including family and friends. Disputes over money can be ugly, and the last thing you want is to fall out with people you care about over something that should be a positive, fun experience for all.
Make sure your agreement at least states who the syndicate members are, how much each member pays in, and who is responsible for buying tickets and claiming prizes. When the tickets are bought, make sure each member gets a copy of them, so everyone knows what winning numbers to look out for.
Head to the Syndicate page to find out all you need to know about playing the lottery with others, and download the draft syndicate agreement to get started.