Advance Play Returns to Normal in Ireland

Lottery operators across the nine participating EuroMillions countries started to reduce the amount of time in which players could enter the game back in March, as the coronavirus pandemic began to impact virtually all aspects of everyday life.

With nations in varying states of lockdown, it was unclear whether draws would be able to continue as scheduled every Tuesday and Friday. As a result, the decision was taken to restrict advance entries from 11th April, making it possible to enter only a single draw at a time in Ireland, with similar limits elsewhere.

The Irish National Lottery has now announced that the full range of options are now available again for anyone who wishes to play in advance. It is therefore possible to enter one, two, four, six or eight draws at a time.

The advantage of playing multiple draws in advance is that you don’t have to worry about submitting entries twice a week. You are automatically entered into all the draws for your specified time period so you won’t miss out even if you can’t get to a retailer or you forget to purchase a ticket online.

Draws Remain on Schedule

The UK National Lottery is expected to follow suit soon, as plans to ease restrictions are being drawn up across Europe. Draws have carried on as normal so far throughout the outbreak, so there is likely to be an increased amount of confidence among all the EuroMillions partners that the schedule will remain unaffected.

EuroMillions draws take place at approximately 8pm in Paris on Tuesdays and Fridays. The lockdown in France is set to be lifted on 11th May, with schools and many businesses reopening after the spread of the virus was brought under control.

Lottery operators are still advising players to only buy tickets from retailers as part of their essential shop, while the safest way to take part continues to be online.

When you enter online, you do not have to come into contact with anyone else. All you need is a smartphone, tablet or computer. There is no paper ticket to keep safe as your numbers are secure in a digital database, and you will be notified if you win.

The EuroMillions jackpot currently stands at £49 million (€56 million) going into the next draw on Friday night. View the latest results to see if you are a winner.