An ecstatic Co Westmeath family revealed today how their half share of a €12.3 million winning Lotto ticket was stored in a gun cabinet in their home in order to keep it safe before cashing it in!
The jubilant family of six, who will remain anonymous, scooped €6.1 million in Saturday’s mega Lotto jackpot and arrived at National Lottery headquarters on Tuesday, May 9, to claim their prize.
The winning dad said the magic ticket had been safely stored in his gun cabinet since Sunday morning. “Sure I could think of no better place to leave it,” he joked.
The dad purchased the winning ticket at the Topaz Service Station, Dublin Road, Athlone, on the day of the birth of his grandchild.
The family discovered they held the winning ticket when they heard on the news on Sunday morning that the two winning tickets had been purchased in Westmeath and Donegal.
“I dared hope it was us, but when we checked the winning numbers we realised our dreams had come true,” he said.
The man rang his wife who was in work and told her he had won €500 on the Lotto.
“If I had told her the truth all of her work would known. She asked me to be sure to buy a bottle of wine to have with dinner,” he said.
“I couldn’t believe it when I got home to learn that we had hit the jackpot. The excitement was something else,” his wife said.
Each family member will get just over €1 million each, “a lovely amount which will help the kids out with their mortgages and to get a great start in life,” said the mum.
The holder of the second shared Lotto jackpot ticket from Saturday has made contact with the National Lottery office and arrangements are being made to claim the prize.
National Lottery chief executive, Dermot Griffin, said today: “We are delighted for this Westmeath family who are sharing in a €6.1 million win. The Lotto is about making dreams come true and we wish them all the best of luck in the future.”
