'Family joker' has to convince them he really did win the €500,000
A man from Westmeath who had to convince his family he really had won half a million euro in a Christmas EuroMillions draw received his prize at the National Lottery winners room today.
The stunned Westmeath man, who scooped a prize of €500,000 on the Christmas Day EuroMillions Plus draw, revealed it was a good 24 hours after the draw before he realised his great fortune.
“It was St Stephen’s night and I heard on the local news that the winning EuroMillions Plus ticket had been bought in Cards ‘n' Things in Harbour Place Shopping Centre in Mullingar.
"That’s where I bought my Quick Pick ticket a few days before Christmas so I scanned it on the National Lottery App.
"I couldn’t believe it when I realised I had won half a million euro.
"I am known as a joker in the family and it took some convincing them that I was not messing!”
The winner, the 28th National Lottery player to win the EuroMillions Plus top prize of €500,000 in 2018, said he plans to use the winnings to help out close family and to pay off bills.
“After that I will take my time before I decide what to do.
"It’s a lovely amount of money to win and gives me and the family a lovely cushion.
"We are absolutely thrilled.
"We will have a family celebration in the next week.
"This has certainly made our Christmas.”
A Tallaght woman revealed in the winners room today that a lull in a shop queue in Dunnes Stores in Kilnamanagh led her to buying the golden EuroMillions ticket which landed her small family syndicate €489,376.
They matched 5 numbers, just one shy of scooping the mega EuroMillions jackpot of €102 million for the draw on Friday 21 December.
The head of the syndicate said: “I was flying around getting my last few bits of shopping done before Christmas and picking up the turkey and ham and was aware it was my turn to buy the EuroMillions ticket.
"The queues were huge in Dunnes so I decided to wait and get the ticket later on.
"But as I was about to leave the queue reduced to two so I ran up and got the ticket.
"It’s an amazing stroke of luck.
"If I had waited I wouldn’t be here in the Winner’s room now!”
The syndicate revealed they have no plans yet for their windfall as they are processing their luck.
The syndicate spokesperson said: “I haven’t been able to think of anything else all over the Christmas.
"I couldn’t even taste my Christmas dinner properly and it feels like my head is full of cotton wool.
"It’s like I’m dreaming!”
A National Lottery spokesperson said the last EuroMillions draw of 2018 takes place tonight (Friday) and the jackpot has rolled to €120 million (estimated).
“There is massive excitement with tonight’s jackpot at such a mega high level.
"We are advising our players to buy their tickets early in-store, online at lottery.ie or through the National Lottery App before 7.30pm today (Friday 28t December) for your chance to make all your New Year’s dreams come true!”