It might not be a massive £101 million lottery windfall but three lucky Maltese players must be feeling just as blessed after winning the biggest ever Quaterno jackpot of €680,000 on Saturday.

The players, who preferred to remain anonymous, will be banking €226,666 each in perfect time to plan a luxurious Christmas holiday or perhaps treat a loved one to something that extra bit special.

The previous Quaterno jackpot of €640,000 was won in April 2011 by Jesmond Grima, of Ħamrun, with the numbers 16– 20–46 and 90.

He bought his ticket on the day before the draw from an agent in St Paul’s Bay.

Shortly after winning the money he said he was going to buy his mother a new house because she had been living in a rather damp place.

In a statement, gaming company Maltco said that since enhancements to the Quaterno game were introduced more than two years ago, its popularity has steadily increased.

The jackpot had been pushed to a minimum of €200,000 but gave players more chances to win with three as well as two numbers.

There were 11 different chances of winning in the Quaterno game with each ticket selling for €2.