A Co. Wicklow man has today described how he and his family secured a life-changing €11.2 million Lotto win after he stopped at a service station in Enniskerry, Co. Wicklow to pick up a chicken fillet roll with a €10 note he received as a tip from a happy customer at work.
The Wicklow family syndicate who officially became the 15th largest Lotto winners since the game began in Ireland in 1988 were in Lotto HQ today to pick up their cheque for €11,225,280 – the highest Lotto jackpot prize in over two years.
The winners who wish to keep their win private bought their winning Lotto Quick ticket the Spar Service Station on Monastery Road in Enniskerry, Co. Wicklow.
One of the winning syndicate members explained how he only bought the lucky Quick Pick ticket because of a tip he received from a satisfied customer in work.
“I was at work that morning and a happy customer gave me a €10 tip so I decided to pop into the Spar garage to get myself a chicken fillet roll for my lunch and with the change, I got myself a Lotto Quick Pick – it was a simple act of kindness from a customer which led my family to a win of a lifetime. It’s something I will always be grateful for,” he said.
Despite winning Lotto fortunes beyond their wildest dreams, the Wicklow family have promised to stay grounded and will stay in their current family home and continue to work as normal, “We’re just a normal family and while the win is life-changing, it really won’t change us all that much. We have no intention of giving up work just yet and we’re currently making some plans to renovate the house. You always think that you’re going to go mad and lose the run of yourself when you win the Lotto but at the top of our shopping list at the moment is a new dishwasher and a new oven!” he said.
The mega jackpot win is the 15th highest jackpot since the Lotto was launched in 1988 and the lucky ticketholders from the Garden County also became the 6th Lotto jackpot winner of 2019. So far this year, 14 brand new millionaires have been created by Lotto and Lotto Plus games.
Despite winning the €11,225,280 on Wednesday 21st August, it was another two days until the family checked their ticket:
“I was sitting in the car eating my lunch on the following Friday while I was reading the paper and I overheard a conversation on the radio about the Lotto win in Enniskerry. My heart absolutely jumped out of my chest because I knew that’s where I bought my ticket. I pulled my ticket out of my wallet and checked the numbers on the paper. I was absolutely speechless. I just sat there in silence. It was such a magical feeling, knowing that you’ve just won a life-changing sum of money as easy as that,” he said.
He added: “I think everybody dreams about winning the Lotto. There are always constant reminders everywhere which gives you that hope. Coincidentally, my local rugby club recently has National Lottery funding which was obviously great for the community and it gave me an extra reason to buy my ticket. No matter how much you dream about winning the Lotto, you’re never quite prepared for it when it actually happens. We’ve been getting some sound financial and legal advice to ensure we are best prepared for the next couple of months.”
Want to share that winning feeling? Play EuroMillions. Tuesday's jackpot is heading for €130 million (est). Play in-store, online or by using the National Lottery app before 7:30pm on Tuesday evening for your chance to win.
Nearly 30 cent in every €1 spent on National Lottery games goes back to Good Causes in the areas of sport, youth, health, welfare, education, arts, heritage and the Irish Language. In total more than €5.4 Billion has been raised for Good Causes since the National Lottery was established 32 years ago. In 2018 alone, more than €227 million was raised; the equivalent of €620,000 a day in support for local Good Causes in communities across Ireland.
