Updated 5.55pm

NATIONAL LOTTERY COMPUTER terminals were hit by another technical glitch this afternoon following an issue with a firewall.

It’s the second time this month the terminals operated by retailers have experienced downtime.

A draw due to go ahead on 4 February was suspended until the following day after a service outage related to the machine’s 3G telecommunications system.

In a notice online, the National Lottery confirmed that there had been issues with a portion of the system since 2pm this afternoon.

The issue was resolved at around 4pm.

“We apologise for any inconvience caused and wish players the best of luck in tonight’s draw,” a statement read.

This was due to a firewall server malfunction which was quickly detected and resolved.

“The National Lottery’s full retail agent network is now operating as normal and players throughout the country can play for tonight’s €70 million EuroMillions draw, and all other games.”

The next draw is due to take place tomorrow night, with an estimated jackpot of €5 million.

The previous fault, the first to affect the network in decades, was “related to the 3G telecommunications infrastructure provided by Telefónica”.

Source: Mark Stedman/Photocall Ireland

It was ‘entirely out of the National Lottery’s control’, a spokesperson said.

The draw was pushed back by one night (and someone took home €10 million).

Originally published 3.55pm