A LUCKY Lotto player has told how he discovered a life-changing €1million win in a packed pub – and “didn’t know what to do”.
The Wexford man bagged the cash in a shared jackpot prize from 28th September’s draw.
He purchased his winning ticket from Mace in Killeen’s Maxol Service Station on Newline Road in Co Wexford.
And he headed to Lotto HQ in Dublin to collect his winnings today – after “sitting on it for weeks”.
Speaking in the winners’ room, he said: “I was sitting in the corner of pub the night of the draw and I saw the winning numbers come through, I doubted myself first, but I had a feeling they were mine.
“I snuck out to the car to check my ticket and sure enough, they were my numbers.
“I just went back inside and kept the news to myself; I didn’t know what to do!”
The player contacted the National Lottery team to confirm his win the following Wednesday, and ever since, has been sneakily keeping his winning ticket in his car’s glove compartment.
When questioned on how he plans on spending his winnings, he added “I’ve been sitting on it for a couple of weeks now, and there’s nothing significant that I want to do.
“I’ll definitely buy a seasonal ticket for my favourite football team now, and I’m looking forward to a nice Christmas with my family.”
A Kildare man was also celebrating his incredible €1million Daily Million top prize online win from November 22, but remarkably, he hasn’t shared the news with anyone yet!
The winner, who wishes to remain anonymous, revealed that playing Daily Million isn’t a regular habit for him, but a spur-of-the-moment decision turned out to be life changing.
He said: “I’d just finished a long shift at work and was sitting in my car the next evening when I saw an email from the National Lottery saying, ‘You’ve won more than €100.’ I had no idea how much I’d won, so I logged into my account and there it was, €1,000,000!”
Recalling the moment, he said, “Honestly, I was completely frozen for a few minutes. But then it sank in, and I thought, ‘Happy days!’”
Despite the life-changing win, he’s managed to keep the news entirely to himself. “The first couple of days were tough, I really struggled not telling anyone. But now, I’m kind of used to it. I might share the news with one or two people once I’ve got myself set up.”
It was a flu-turned-fortune for a Dublin syndicate, who scooped €81,820 after matching 5 numbers and the bonus in the Lotto draw on 23rd November, purchased from Centra, Corduff, Blackcourt Avenue, Dublin 15.
The winner shared how an unexpected visit to the shop led to the winning purchase:
He said: “My partner was down with the flu, so I went to the shop to get her some medication.
“While I was there, I thought, ‘Why not grab a Lotto ticket?’ A couple of days later, I scanned the ticket, and it said, ‘You’ve won big – contact the National Lottery!’
“When I called, they told me the ticket was worth €81,820. I was absolutely gobsmacked!”
His partner added with a laugh: “It’s the only time I’ll ever be grateful I had the flu!”