A Lotto player who became Ireland’s latest millionaire overnight on Saturday, May 7, has officially claimed their life-changing prize.
The Waterford winner of the Lotto Plus 1 draw collected the huge sum in Lotto HQ on Wednesday after purchasing the lucky ticket at Nugent’s Centra on the Clonea Road in Dungarvan, Co Waterford.
The €1 million top prize win occurred on the same night as the €8.5 million jackpot, which was won by a Kilkenny player.
READ MORE: Lottery bosses confirm location of Saturday night's €52,478 as jackpot rolls towards €3 million
Speaking about the incredible win, the Lotto Plus 1 winner admitted they did not realise how much their ticket was worth after initially checking it.
They said: “I wasn’t watching the draw, so it was the next day when I decided to check my ticket. I scanned the ticket on my phone and immediately got the message that said I had won a big prize. It didn’t say how much I had won, so I was thinking maybe it was something like €5,000.
“You can imagine the surprise I got when I checked the results! To be honest, it took a few glances at the numbers and the ticket before I fully believed that I had won €1 million – it’s not something you would ever expect to happen!”
The player added that the most challenging part of the win was keeping the ticket safe.
They said: “Keeping the ticket safe proved to be quite nerve-wracking, so I put it in a sealed envelope and hid it behind a mirror that we have on the wall. No one would ever be looking there, so that seemed like the best option.
“I am delighted to have the ticket out of the house now and to be here in the Winners Room – and of course, to see the cheque with my name on it! I will be taking my time in planning what to do next, but the first thing on the list is a holiday in the sun for sure.”
However, the Lotto Plus 1 prize was not the only sum to be claimed in Lotto HQ on Wednesday.
Later in the day, the EuroMillions player in Cork who won the top prize of €500,000 in last Friday’s EuroMillions Plus draw arrived at Lotto Headquarters to claim their recent win.
The winning ticket was purchased at Coleman’s Centra in Millstreet, Co. Cork.
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