Emo Farmers Drove Around for Weeks with Winning EuroMillions Plus Ticket
A farming couple are €500,000 richer after finding a winning EuroMillions Plus ticket in their car. The Midlands pair were frantically searching for spare change in order to fund a parking meter when they discovered the entry amongst the rubbish in their car.
The lucky husband and wife had bought their Quick Pick ticket, which included entry into the EuroMillions Plus draw, ahead of the draw on Tuesday 18th April from the Gandon Service Station in Emo, Portlaoise, Co. Laois, however, the ticket soon became lost in the couple’s vehicle.
Seven weeks on, and the pair were on a shopping trip when they found themselves in dire need of money in order to park their car: “I was desperately looking for coins to fill the meter when I spotted four lottery tickets stuffed with rubbish in the side pocket of the driver’s door,” the wife told National Lottery officials.
Intrigued by the playslips, the curious pair rushed to their nearest retailer to find out whether or not they had won a prize. Upon discovering that they had scooped a significant sum, the pair were overjoyed: “I could not believe my luck when I was told to ring the National Lottery office,” the wife said.
The discovery came just in time, as all EuroMillions prizes in Ireland must be claimed within 90 days of the draw: “If I wasn’t hunting for loose change in the car we might have forgotten about these tickets and it might have been too late to claim,” exclaimed the wife. “We play EuroMillions and Lotto fairly regularly but we are terrible for forgetting about the tickets and not checking the numbers. We usually let them accumulate before getting them checked together,” she explained.
The fortuitous farmers, who have opted to remain anonymous, now intend to use their newfound wealth to pay off their mortgage and invest in their young children’s education: “We are farmers and it is a hard graft. Like so many people we have had a tough time financially in recent years so this is a great win and will take the pressure off,” they told the press. The pair, who booked a holiday prior to their big win, also plan to treat themselves by splashing the rest of the cash.
The husband and wife’s situation was greeted with positivity at National Lottery headquarters: “We are delighted for this couple who got a great surprise when they checked their tickets seven weeks after the draw,” a spokesperson said. But it did set alarm bells ringing, with a reminder also being issued: “We don’t want people to lose out. We appeal to players to always check their numbers.
If you fancy your chances of winning a EuroMillions prize of your own, tonight’s estimated jackpot of €37 million is just waiting to be won. You can pick your numbers online or play through an authorised retailer. Good luck, and don’t forget to check those tickets!
13th June 2017
