Irish Lotto Winner Finds Winning Ticket Weeks After the Draw
Last Updated: Tuesday 27th September 2022, 12:11 pm
An Irish Lotto player from Waterford has collected a prize worth nearly €200,000 after finding a winning ticket lying around her house, weeks after the initial draw had taken place. The lucky woman, who opted to remain anonymous, discovered the playslip after checking a number of old entries and was fortunate enough to stumble upon a winner.
Always Check Your Irish Lotto Tickets
The victorious Quick Pick ticket was purchased from the Tesco superstore in Kilbarry, Waterford, ahead of the draw on Saturday 21st October and correctly matched five of the six main numbers plus the Bonus Ball. However, once purchased, the woman cast the prosperous playslip aside, allowing it to become part of a much larger pile of unchecked tickets.
Luckily, the woman finally got around to examining the ticket before the 90 deadline for prize collection passed. Speaking to National Lottery officials in Dublin, she said: “I’m a divil for not checking my old lottery tickets! I had a bundle of them and decided to get them checked when I was doing my Tesco shop.” The woman’s call certainly paid off as she was ushered to one side by the cashier, who whispered that one of the tickets was worth a huge amount of money.
Overwhelmed, the woman, who had just found out that she would soon be €193,300 richer, raced home to inform her family of the news, however, she was met with a few raised eyebrows: “They were sure I was having a senior citizen moment so they all had to check the ticket for themselves just to be certain,” she revealed.
The Luck of the Irish (Lotto)
Riding on a wave of luck, the woman opted to take a portion of her winnings and place a wager on the outcome of a horse race. With fingers crossed tightly, the prize winner held her breath as the equine entertainment unfolded.
“Myself and my husband were in the kitchen with our next-door neighbour watching the race,” she said. “Lo and behold the horse came in first and my husband with his big mouth blurted out that we had yet another reason to celebrate. Rather innocently, our neighbour joked that we must have won the Lotto and we fell about the place laughing – there was no point in denying it at that stage.”
Plans For the Future
Naturally, the woman was quizzed by lottery officials on how she would be spending her sizeable sum. “It’s a lovely amount to win and it’s even better to share it among the family,” she smiled. “It will give myself and my husband a lot of comfort over the next few years and we’ll look to make some home improvements.”
Of course, the mother was also eager to put a little bit aside for her young offspring: "Our children are only starting out in life and I’m sure that the money will be well used for house deposits and cars which will give them an amazing start in life.”
