DUBLIN, March 29, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Irish lottery players could miss out on €14 million of prizes if they fail to contact officials in time. 

The Irish National Lottery is waiting to hear from players who are due a combined total of more than €14 million in prizes, including the winner of the Christmas Millionaire Raffle, whose €1 million award will expire this Friday if they do not come forward.

The Millionaire Raffle took place on Saturday 31st December, with a ticket bought at the Topaz service station in Tivoli, Cork bearing the winning code 179740 to win the seven-figure sum. However, its owner is yet to present the lucky slip and the prize will expire at 5:30pm on Friday 31st March, 90 days after the draw, unless they make contact before.

Other outstanding prizes include a €500,000 EuroMillions Plus jackpot on a ticket bought in Carlow and the massive €12.8 million Irish Lotto jackpot from 1st March, which is still waiting to be picked up by a Dublin player. Full details of the current unclaimed Irish Lottery prizes can be found at https://irish.national-lottery.com/unclaimed-lottery-prizes.

Irish National Lottery prizes must be collected by the close of business on the 90th day after the winning draw. Any sums that expire are returned to the lottery and used to promote its games, with the aim of increasing the funding given to good causes through ticket sales.

"This shows the importance of checking your numbers soon after the draw takes place," says a spokesman from http://www.irish.national-lottery.com, "imagine waking up on the 91st day after the draw and realising you've missed out on the chance to become a millionaire. Anyone who bought a ticket in Cork before the Millionaire Raffle draw should check all their old handbags or trousers and hunt down the side of their car seats. If you bought a ticket for a friend as a Christmas present, call them now and tell them to track it down as a priority."

Annually, prizes worth the equivalent of two percent of the Irish Lottery's turnover go unclaimed. This equates to around €12 million according to 2014 data, the most recent figures that are currently available to the public.

Notes to editors: 

• http://www.irish.national-lottery.com is a results and information service for lotteries played in Ireland, including Irish Lotto, EuroMillions and Daily Million.

SOURCE irish.national-lottery.com