Lotto player shares spur-of-the-moment decision which lead to incredible €1m win
National Lottery HQ in Dublin(Image: Collins)
The life-changing win went unnoticed for several days until the player heard a radio report about an unclaimed €1 million prize
A Kerry woman’s decision to stop for an ice cream led to an unexpected €1 million Lotto win.
The lucky player scooped the Lotto Plus 1 top prize in the July 18 draw after making a spur-of-the-moment decision to buy a Quick Pick ticket at Deo’s Shop and Portmagee Post Office on July 16.
She said: “If I hadn’t been there that day, I probably wouldn’t have bought one.”
The win went unnoticed for several days until she heard a radio report about an unclaimed €1 million prize sold in Portmagee.
She recalled: “As they called out the details of the store, it all started to sound very familiar.”
She rushed to find her ticket and was stunned to discover she was the lucky winner.
After telling her friends, she said they “couldn’t believe it” either.
Still coming to terms with her newfound millionaire status, the Kerry woman said the win “still feels like a dream” and revealed she hopes to put the money towards a new home and perhaps enjoy a well-earned trip away.
Her incredible win comes alongside two sizable Lotto and EuroMillions prizes claimed by Dublin players.
One Dublin player picked up €38,199 after winning the Lotto Match 5 + Bonus prize in the August 19th draw.
The winning Quick Pick was purchased at Spar Rathborne, Unit 5A, Rathborne Place, Ashtown, Dublin 15.
The player was checking the results on the night of the draw when they spotted the Match 5 + Bonus prize, but never imagined their own ticket was a winner.
They said: “I remember looking at the results and thinking, ‘That’s a great prize for someone to win,’ never imagining it was me.”
After checking their ticket, they realised they had matched the numbers.
“Seeing €38,199 beside my ticket was something else entirely,” they said.
The timing was particularly welcome, with home renovations about to begin.
“The timing is brilliant too, as we’re about to start some home renovations, so the prize will definitely come in very handy,” they added.
The winner also revealed that their ticket had been kept “hidden in plain sight” somewhere in their home until they were ready to make their claim.
Meanwhile, another Dublin player was left stunned after discovering they had won €18,384 in the EuroMillions Match 5.
The lucky player bought their Quick Pick ticket at SuperValu Sundrive on Sundrive Road, Crumlin, Dublin 12.
They only checked their numbers after spotting a newspaper article about recent National Lottery winners.
“I was reading the paper and saw there was a €1 million prize won in Kerry. Underneath that, it mentioned that someone had won €18,384 in Dublin,” they said.
After pulling out their own ticket and checking the numbers, they realised the winner mentioned in the article was them.
“I couldn’t believe it when I realised it was my ticket they were talking about. It was a lovely surprise and definitely not something I was expecting from a Sunday morning reading the paper,” they said.
For now, however, the winner is keeping their good fortune to themselves.
They joked: “I might hold off on telling the family for now. As soon as they hear about it, I’m sure they’ll have plenty of ideas for how to spend it.”
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