Meath Man Beats Deadline to Claim Lotto Plus 1 Top Prize
A man from Meath has come forward to claim his €500,000 Irish Lotto Plus 1 prize just a few days before it expired. The lucky player says he knew he had won almost straight away, but only actually checked his ticket last week and decided it was time to claim his money.
The winner, who has decided to remain anonymous, entered the draw on Saturday 4th June whilst enjoying a day out at the beach with his family. He was the only participant to match all six main numbers, but there were fears that the prize would remain unclaimed as the 90-day deadline approached and officials still had not heard from the winner. Those worries have proved to be unfounded, though, after the lucky Meath winner finally visited National Lottery headquarters to collect his money with just four days to spare.
“It was a beautiful June bank holiday weekend, so on Saturday we decided to bring the whole family to the local beach,” said the winner, quoted by the Meath Chronicle. “We stopped off in the shop to buy some ice creams so I decided to do the Lotto. I was back in the shop a couple of days later and everybody was talking about the big win. I got the biggest shiver down my spine and without even looking at the numbers, I knew it had to be me.
“I finally decided to check my numbers on a ticket scanner last week as I knew the deadline was approaching. On Friday, I noticed that the National Lottery were appealing for the winner to contact them so I said I better go up to Dublin and claim it before the deadline.” The lucky winner has not yet told his loved ones about the money and plans to surprise them by buying a new family home.
It has certainly been a great week for lottery players from Meath, after another man came forward to claim a EuroMillions prize of €436,958. He matched five main numbers and one Lucky Star in the draw on Friday 5th August, having decided to buy a ticket in his local shop in Carlanstown rather than play online like he usually does.
He is in no doubt that the money will change his life considerably, saying: “The one feeling which keeps coming into my mind is freedom. The freedom from money worries and the freedom to start making decisions. I was in a tight spot financially but this win will give me the freedom to make some important life changes. I am going to pay off my mortgage, pay all of my bills and then go on a nice holiday in the coming weeks.”
There will be more great prizes on offer this week, whether you fancy playing EuroMillions or Irish Lotto. Tonight’s EuroMillions jackpot will be up to around €30 million after rolling over last Friday, while a €3 million top prize is available on Irish Lotto. Tickets can be bought online or from authorised retailers in Ireland, and you don’t even have to be from Meath to be in with a chance of winning! Good luck!
30th August 2016
