Retired NHS worker from Sussex becomes millionaire

The Brighton man, who is in his 60s, landed the £1 million prize in the second round of the National Lottery’s new Lotto format on June 13 after matching five main numbers and the bonus ball.

The revised game now gives players two chances to win from each £2 play, offering more opportunities to take home a prize.

The winner purchased two Lucky Dips while out shopping, departing from his usual routine of playing with personal numbers.

He said: “We scanned our ticket using The National Lottery app on Sunday morning and it pinged saying we had won.

“We could not believe our eyes.

“Subsequently, finding out we won on the second game of the new Lotto draw… it’s incredible how lucky we are.”

The winner and his family now plan to buy a house with a garden, having previously downsized to a flat.

Liz Styles, winners’ advisor at Allwyn, the operator of the National Lottery, said: “Congratulations to our lucky Brighton winner.

“What a lucky decision it was to play a Lucky Dip for the new Lotto draw.

“It’s just amazing to think he won the £1M on the second round.

“So, if Lotto hadn’t changed to now have two separate sets of numbers drawn every Wednesday and Saturday, he wouldn’t now be a millionaire.

“We wish him and his family all the best with their house purchase.”

The National Lottery says its new format aims to deliver more frequent winners and create even more National Lottery millionaires.

Annual millionaire winners are expected to climb from around 140 to approximately 345 under the new system.

The National Lottery raises around £33 million each week for good causes, and has created more than 8,000 millionaires.

Since 1994, more than £53 billion has been raised to support more than 680,000 projects across the UK.