The winning ticket for Saturday’s €5.4 million Lotto jackpot draw was purchased at a shop in the arrivals hall of Terminal 1 in Dublin Airport.
The ticket was purchased in the WH Smith store on Friday, when some 85,000 passengers passed through the airport on its busiest day of the year.
The winning numbers for Saturday’s draw were 5, 14, 28, 29, 32, 38 and the bonus number was 31. The ticket-holder has not yet come forward to claim their prize.
National Lottery chief executive Dermot Griffin appealed to the public to check their numbers, and described Friday's bonanza as a "life-changing" amount of money.
“This was one of the busiest days of the year in arrivals and the ticket could have been brought by somebody coming home for Christmas, by a friend or relative meeting a loved one, or an airport worker.
“This is such a great story at this special time when family and friends are coming together to celebrate the festive season. We are thrilled to be making this a very Merry Christmas indeed for a player or players,” he added.
It was the 12th Lotto jackpot won in 2017, with over €70 million shared between the fortunate dozen.
Speculation is rife among staff working in the airport about who the potential winner might be, according to WH Smith store assistant manager Suzanne McDonald.
“There is incredible excitement here today at news that we sold the winning €5.4 million jackpot ticket. It is certainly adding to the Christmas spirit in the shop and Terminal 1 in general,” she said.
“It has been a really busy period here with a lot of traffic through the store, and we have no idea who the lucky winner might be. But we wish them all the very best with the win.”
The winning ticket-holder has 90 days to claim their jackpot following last night’s draw, but can only do so from Thursday 28th December when the National Lottery offices reopen after Christmas.