Irish Lotto Bonus Ball – How It Works, Prizes & Statistics
Learn exactly what the Irish Lotto Bonus Ball does, which prize tiers use it, why it does not affect the jackpot, and which Bonus Ball numbers have appeared most often in the current 6/45 game.
Loading the latest Irish Lotto Bonus Ball…How the Irish Lotto Bonus Ball Works
Irish Lotto draws six main numbers from 1–45. A seventh number is then drawn from the remaining balls as the Bonus Ball. It creates extra prize categories for tickets that match two, three, four or five main numbers, but it is not needed for Match 6.
Six Main Numbers + One Bonus Ball
Example numbers shown for illustration only. Your ticket contains six selected numbers, so you cannot match six main numbers and the Bonus Ball on the same line.
Latest Confirmed Bonus Balls
Irish Lotto Prizes That Use the Bonus Ball
In the main Irish Lotto game, the Bonus Ball can turn a lower match into one of four separate winning categories. Match 6 remains the jackpot category and does not use the Bonus Ball.
The jackpot is different: matching all six main numbers wins or shares the jackpot. The Bonus Ball is not required and cannot be an additional seventh match on a six-number ticket.
Irish Lotto Bonus Ball Prize Checker
Choose how many main numbers your line matched and whether it also matched the Bonus Ball. This does not check a specific draw; it explains the current prize category and published odds for that match.
No prize
—Choose your match above to see how the Bonus Ball affects the prize category.
Irish Lotto Bonus Ball Frequency
The grid below counts only the Bonus Ball from each current 6/45 Irish Lotto draw. Main-number appearances are deliberately excluded so the two different roles are not mixed together.
Waiting for current 6/45 draw history.
Most Common, Least Common and Most Overdue Bonus Balls
Most Common Bonus Balls
Least Common Bonus Balls
Most Overdue Bonus Balls
An overdue Bonus Ball is not “due”. The gap simply records how many draws have passed since that number was last selected as the Bonus Ball. It does not increase the chance of it being drawn next.
How the Bonus Ball Works in Lotto Plus 1 and Plus 2
Lotto Plus 1 and Lotto Plus 2 each have their own separate six main numbers and Bonus Ball. If Lotto Plus is on your ticket, the same six selected numbers are checked against all three draws.
Lotto
Six main numbers plus one Bonus Ball. Bonus-Ball tiers include Match 5 + Bonus, 4 + Bonus, 3 + Bonus and 2 + Bonus.
Lotto Plus 1
Separate 6/45 draw with its own Bonus Ball. Match 5 + Bonus pays €1,000 under the current fixed Plus prize structure.
Lotto Plus 2
Another separate 6/45 draw with its own Bonus Ball and the same current Plus prize structure as Plus 1.
Irish Lotto Bonus Ball vs EuroMillions Lucky Stars
The Irish Lotto Bonus Ball is not a second number pool that you choose from when buying a ticket. That is different from EuroMillions Lucky Stars.
Irish Lotto Bonus Ball
You choose six numbers from 1–45. The Bonus Ball is drawn afterwards from the remaining balls and only changes certain lower prize categories.
EuroMillions Lucky Stars
Players actively choose Lucky Stars from a separate pool as part of the ticket entry, and those Stars form part of the jackpot-winning combination.
Bonus Ball Statistics Under the Current 6/45 Game
Irish Lotto changed from 6/47 to 6/45 on 5 September 2026. The statistics on this page use only the current 6/45 era so that all numbers from 1–45 have been available for the same set of draws.
Current Pool
The current main and Bonus Ball pool is 1–45. Numbers 46 and 47 belong to the previous game format.
One Bonus Ball Per Draw
That means the expected average Bonus Ball frequency grows much more slowly than main-number frequency, particularly early in the new format.
Small-Sample Context
With relatively few 6/45 draws completed so far, one extra Bonus Ball appearance can materially change the rankings.
Irish Lotto Bonus Ball FAQs
What does the Bonus Ball do in Irish Lotto?
It creates additional prize categories when your line matches two, three, four or five of the six main winning numbers and also matches the Bonus Ball.
Do you need the Bonus Ball to win the Irish Lotto jackpot?
No. The jackpot is won by matching all six main numbers. The Bonus Ball is not required for Match 6.
Can you match six main numbers plus the Bonus Ball?
No. A Lotto line contains six selected numbers. If all six match the six main numbers, the line is already a Match 6 jackpot winner and none of your selected numbers can also be the separate Bonus Ball.
What do two numbers plus the Bonus Ball win?
In the current main Irish Lotto game, Match 2 + Bonus pays a fixed €4 prize. In Lotto Plus 1 or Plus 2, Match 2 + Bonus pays €3.
How much is Match 5 + Bonus worth?
In the main Lotto, Match 5 + Bonus is a variable prize with a published guide value of around €75,000. In both current Lotto Plus draws, Match 5 + Bonus pays €1,000, subject to the game rules and overall prize caps.
What is the most common Irish Lotto Bonus Ball?
The current 6/45 Bonus Ball frequency leader is loading from the latest stored draw history.
Are some Bonus Balls more likely than others?
No. Past frequency does not change future probability. Every eligible remaining ball has the same chance of being selected as the Bonus Ball in a fair random draw.
Irish National Lottery Games Are for Adults Aged 18+
Bonus Ball statistics describe past draws only and cannot identify numbers with better future odds. If you choose to play, keep spending within a budget you can comfortably afford.
Past Draws Are Not Predictions
Every new Bonus Ball draw is random. Frequency and gap statistics are historical only.
My Lottery Life is an independent lottery information website and is not the Irish National Lottery. Prize guide values, statistics and result data should be checked against official National Lottery information if there is any discrepancy.