Lucky local Lotto winner scoops €99,906

Christmas came early for one lucky punter in the Athlone area who scooped almost €100,000 over the weekend in the National Lottery Lotto jackpot.

The winning ticket was sold at the Grove Service Station in Baylough and the lucky punter will collect a cheque for a cool €99,606 just in time for Christmas. The winning Lotto numbers were 13, 16, 18, 25, 31 and 41 and the bonus number was 1.

The lucky Westmeath winner came agonisingly close to sharing the winning Lotto jackpot worth over €6.8 million on Saturday night last, but fell just one number short when they matched five numbers and the bonus ball.

The latest Lotto millionaire, who scooped €6,834,410 on Saturday night's draw, lives in Kilkenny, and is the 9th Jackpot winner this year.

A spokesperson from the National Lottery has urged all those who may have purchased Lotto tickets in Kilkenny or at the Grove Service Station in Baylough to make contact with Lottery HQ as soon as possible so they can pick up their winning cheques in time for Christmas.

Nearly 30 cent in every €1 spent on all National Lottery games goes back to good causes in the areas of sport, youth, health, welfare, education, arts, heritage and the Irish language. In total more than €5.5 billion has been raised for good causes since the National Lottery was established 32 years ago. Last year alone, more than €228m was raised, the equivalent of €625,000 a day in support for local good causes in communities across Ireland.