The National Lottery website and ticket machines were targeted by a cyber-attack to disrupt its operations.

A  DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attack floods the communications system with traffic affecting all communications connectivity.

“Indications are that this morning’s technical issues were as a result of a DDoS attack affecting our communications networks,” a statement from the Lottery said.

“The issues were resolved by the National Lottery’s DDoS protection systems, limiting disruption and restoring all operations within two hours.

“This incident is still under investigation. However, we can confirm that at no point was the National Lottery gaming system or player data affected,” the statement added.

Tonight’s jackpot is heading for €12 million.

RGDATA, the representative association for the independent retail grocery sector, said the National Lottery made it aware of the problem this morning.

Last February, the National Lottery was forced to postpone its draw for 24 hours after a technical problem stopped ticket machines working.

Source: http://www.rte.ie/news/2016/0120/761563-national-lottery/