The Scruffy Murphy Syndicate: The Greatest Lotto Caper in Irish History
'Only in Ireland' - A great Lotto Caper that took place in a hidden watering hole a stones throw from Merrion Square.
2/27/20252 min read
The Scruffy Murphy Syndicate: The Greatest Lotto Caper in Irish History
Ah, the Irish have always had a knack for a bit of mischief and a great story, and the Scruffy Murphy Syndicate is one for the ages. It was 1992, and while the rest of the world was busy with the Barcelona Olympics and Bill Clinton’s first presidential campaign, a group of clever Dublin lads were cooking up a plan to beat the Irish Lotto. And where better to hatch such a grand scheme than in the backroom of a pub? Enter Scruffy Murphy’s, a now-infamous watering hole where pints and plotting went hand in hand.
The Irish Lotto, introduced in 1988, was seen as a game of chance—until this syndicate spotted a crucial flaw. Back then, the jackpot could only be won if someone had the exact six-number combination. If no one did, the top prize money rolled down to those with five numbers and the bonus ball. So, the lads devised a plan: if they bought enough tickets covering every possible five-number combination, they could guarantee a windfall.
With an almost heroic level of organisation, they pooled their money, printed thousands of tickets, and, over the course of a frantic weekend, manually filled them in (this was before online entries, after all). The result? A handsome payday of over IR£568,000—an absolute fortune at the time.
But like all great heists, things didn’t go entirely to plan. The syndicate had counted on a bigger jackpot rollover, which didn’t happen, meaning their profits weren’t quite as astronomical as hoped. On top of that, the scale of their scheme drew the attention of the Lotto organisers, who promptly changed the rules to ensure no one could ever pull off such a trick again.
Still, the Scruffy Murphy Syndicate left their mark, forever securing their place in Irish folklore. And speaking of folklore, here at Corkwest, we’ve long believed that the best way to experience Ireland is through its stories. That’s why, in the early 2000s, we introduced this hidden gem of a tale into some of our Dublin tours, giving visitors a taste of the city’s most audacious lottery escapade. Sure, isn’t a good story worth more than money anyway?