Friday night's massive EuroMillions jackpot will be allowed to roll over just one more time before it must be won, Lotto chiefs say.
The top prize is capped at €190million and this is the fourth time it has been up for grabs.
Under National Lottery rules it will go to whoever gets the closest to picking the five main numbers and two lucky stars next Tuesday night if no-one scoops it this time round.
But in double good news for punters, money is being added to lower prizes, so players will have a better chance of becoming a millionaire.
A spokesperson for the National Lottery said: “Friday’s €190million draw will be the fourth time at the maximum jackpot cap and, like previous maximum jackpot draws, if there is no jackpot then the lower prize tiers winner will benefit from a flow down of funds.
“The EuroMillions community estimates that approximately €17million in additional prize money will be distributed to the next tier with a prize winner.
“For our players that means there is the opportunity to win €190m at the jackpot but also the possibility to win a share of that €17million, so it is very likely that more millionaires will be created this Friday whether the jackpot is won or not.”
So far this year in Ireland an enormous €237million has been won by EuroMillions players, including the Naul family syndicate who scooped our biggest ever EuroMillions jackpot with €175million in February this year.
The spokesperson added: “The EuroMillions jackpot has been rolling since Tuesday, July 23 and excitement is well and truly building nationwide ahead of tonight’s truly life-changing €190million jackpot.
“With jackpots of this size, we always see a late surge in ticket sales as players buy their tickets in the final hours before the draw.
"Interest is so strong in Friday’s draw that we are advising players to play, online or in-store early to avoid queues and possible disappointment at missing out.”
