Lotto draw leaves RTÉ production, moves in-house to new timeslot
From March 11, lotto broadcasts will no longer be produced in RTÉ, as the National Lottery takes the draw in‑house at its headquarters and shifts to a new slot just before the Nine O’Clock News on RTÉ One. Results will post at 9: 00 pm local time (5: 00 pm ET). The move reshapes production while keeping familiar presenters involved.
RTÉ production ends on 11 March
The National Lottery will begin producing both the Lotto and Telly Bingo draws fully in-house from March 11, starting with the Lotto, with Telly Bingo to follow in the coming months as part of a phased rollout. A newly designed studio at National Lottery headquarters will host the updated production, while both shows continue to air on RTÉ One, maintaining a broadcast relationship that stretches back to the first Lotto draw in 1988. Current presenters will provide narrated voiceovers as part of the new approach, and all existing draw controls and oversight mechanisms will remain in place, including KPMG’s independent observer role. The pattern suggests the operator is consolidating production to tighten control while preserving continuity on-screen.
Lotto timing shifts before news
The Lotto draw will now be scheduled just before the Nine O’Clock News on Wednesdays and Saturdays, with results available around 20 minutes later than usual at 9: 00 pm local time (5: 00 pm ET). National Lottery CEO Cian Murphy said the shift is designed to better reflect audience viewing habits and create a more seamless and engaging experience for players. For regular lotto viewers, this positions the draw at a highly habitual viewing moment and may lift reach without requiring a channel change. If engagement around the nightly news holds, the figures point to a cleaner build toward results at a consistent 9: 00 pm local posting.
Nuala Carey stays on team
Presenter Nuala Carey, a familiar face of the draws for over 20 years, confirmed she will remain part of the team as the programme adopts its new format from headquarters. She marked the end of the Montrose studio era by sharing a photo from the final RTÉ studio draw on March 7, and reflected on milestones that defined her tenure, including the National Lottery’s 30-year celebration in 2017 alongside then Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and a 2022 visit to Castlebar, where the highest ever jackpot-winning ticket was sold. With presenters set to deliver narrated voiceovers under the updated model, maintaining Carey’s involvement signals continuity at a moment of significant production change. The approach suggests the Lottery aims to refresh the show’s look without losing the voice audiences associate with weekly wins.
While the Lotto moves first, Telly Bingo will transition to in-house production in the months ahead and will continue to air on RTÉ One on its established weekday schedule. The Lottery’s headquarters, which relocated from Abbey Street to 1 George’s Quay in November 2024, already hosts the Daily Million and EuroMillions Plus draws, indicating a broader consolidation of draw operations under one roof.
The next milestone is fixed: the first in-house Lotto draw from National Lottery headquarters on March 11, with the new just‑before‑news broadcast and results at 9: 00 pm local time (5: 00 pm ET). If viewer habits match the timing thesis outlined by Cian Murphy, the schedule shift should deliver a smoother path from draw to result for lotto players.
