A single ticket-holder in Ireland has won a staggering £208million in the EuroMillions draw – the largest jackpot ever claimed in the history of the game.
The eye-watering prize was won on Tuesday night, with lottery officials confirming the winning ticket matched all five main numbers and both Lucky Stars.
It marks the first time the EuroMillions jackpot has reached its cap of €250million (£208million) and been won outright.
The winning numbers were: 13, 22, 23, 44, 49, and the Lucky Stars were 03 and 05.
The life-changing ticket was purchased in the Republic of Ireland, though the winner has not yet come forward. Under Irish National Lottery rules, jackpot winners can choose to remain anonymous.
The win follows several consecutive rollovers, which caused excitement to build across Europe.
Tuesday night’s draw was the fifth since the jackpot hit its maximum limit – triggering a ‘must-be-won’ event.
If no player had matched all seven numbers, the full prize would have rolled down to the next winning tier – but the Irish ticket-holder struck gold just in time.
In the UK, one lucky player has also become a millionaire after winning the Millionaire Maker draw. The winning code was XPCD66044.
Each EuroMillions ticket bought in the UK automatically includes entry into the Millionaire Maker raffle, which guarantees at least one UK-based winner of £1million in every draw.
Meanwhile, Tuesday’s National Lottery Thunderball numbers were: 02, 06, 12, 17, 39 and the Thunderball was 07.
No one claimed the £500,000 top prize, but two players matched five numbers to win £5,000 each.
In total, 106,671 people won prizes in the Thunderball draw, sharing a combined prize pot of £586,787.
EuroMillions tickets purchased in the UK must be claimed within 180 days of the draw date.
That means tickets bought for the June 17 draw are valid until Sunday, December 14, 2025.
Lottery organisers are urging players to check their tickets carefully, as thousands of smaller prizes remain unclaimed.
The latest jackpot win caps off a remarkable month for EuroMillions players in the UK.
This historic Irish win surpasses the previous EuroMillions record of £195million, which was won by a UK ticket-holder in July 2022.
The National Lottery is expected to release further details about the Irish winner in the coming days.
An anonymous UK ticket holder won the existing record jackpot of £195million on July 19 2022, while just two months earlier, Joe and Jess Thwaite, from Gloucester, won £184,262,899 with a Lucky Dip ticket for the draw on May 10 2022.
The UK’s third biggest win came after an anonymous ticket-holder scooped the £177million jackpot in the draw on November 26 last year, while the biggest this year was £83million in January.
The latest prospects come after a son found his mother’s winning EuroMillions lottery ticket tucked away with a heartbreaking message just days after her death in April.
Liam Carter, 34, originally from Hampshire but now living in Aberdeen, was sorting through his mother Anne’s possessions after she died aged 67 when he found the ticket.
Mr Carter discovered a folded envelope inside her kitchen drawer, where Anne usually kept her tickets.
She had written on the outside of the envelope: ‘Sat draw – don’t forget!’
Mr Carter said: ‘I nearly ignored it, but something told me to check. I scanned it using the National Lottery app, and it said it was a winning ticket — but I’d have to call the lottery line.’
He phoned the line and was told his mother, who played the lottery every week, had matched five of the numbers from the draw and had only missed the missing stars – meaning she had won a payout of £18,403.
A spokesperson from Playcasino.com said: ‘Liam’s story shows that the lottery isn’t just about money – it’s about meaning. In this case, a forgotten ticket became something powerful and emotional.
‘It’s a reminder that even the smallest moments can carry the biggest impact.’
That was even more than the prize landed by Joe and Jess Thwaite, from Gloucester, when they scooped a then-peak £184,262,899 with a Lucky Dip ticket for the National Lottery draw on May 10 that same year.
Mr Thwaite, a communications sales engineer, told how his wife who ran a hairdressing salon was asleep when he noticed the winning numbers on the National Lottery app – and he opted not to wake her while browsing for potential new homes.
And last December it was revealed a British participant had become the country’s third biggest National Lottery winner of all time after hitting a jackpot worth £177million.
The single ticket-holder, who chose to stay anonymous, came forward to claim the EuroMillions jackpot after the draw on Tuesday November 26.
Among the big winners who did agree to go public with their good fortune were Colin and Chris Weir, from Ayrshire, who were handed £161million in 2011.
Colin died aged 71 eight years later after getting through just half of his jackpot, with most of it having been shared between family, friends, and charities.
The EuroMillions draw is a biweekly lottery in which members of the public in the UK and eight other European countries participate – with draws held on Tuesday and Friday evenings.
The UK’s main National Lottery draws, first held in 1994, take place on Wednesday and Saturdays each week.