Donegal among Ireland’s unluckiest lotto counties in terms of unclaimed wins
A study found that since 2015, Donegal players have lost out on €4.6 million in expired prizes - an average of €27.66 per person
Donegal has been named one of Ireland’s unluckiest counties when it comes to Lotto wins left unclaimed, according to new research.
A study by Casino.org Ireland found that since 2015, Donegal players have lost out on €4.6 million in expired prizes. When broken down by population, that’s an average of €27.66 per person – placing Donegal fifth in the national rankings of unclaimed Lotto winnings.
The analysis, which compared expired winnings across every county against population figures, revealed that Louth tops the table, with €10.3m in unclaimed prizes – the equivalent of €74 per resident. Kerry followed in second place (€55 per resident), with Galway in third (€39).
Donegal sits just behind Limerick (€27.68 per person) in the table, and ahead of much larger counties like Cork (€22.71) and Dublin (€21.19). Nationally, more than €100m worth of Lotto prizes have gone unclaimed in the past eight years.
The figures highlight the importance of checking tickets carefully and claiming prizes within the 90-day deadline set by the National Lottery.