Politician’s Shop Creates First Lotto Plus Millionaire
Last Updated: Tuesday 27th September 2022, 09:35 am
A Westmeath politician played his part in a small piece of Irish National Lottery history over the weekend after the shop he owns with his wife sold a ticket worth €1 million. It was the first time the top prize had been won in Lotto Plus 1 since changes were made to the game at the start of the month.
Who Sold The Winning Ticket?
The all-important entry for Saturday night’s draw was bought at the Penrose shop in Ballynacargy, a village in the north of the county. The store belongs to Labour TD Willie Penrose - who was first elected to office in 1992 - and his wife Anne.
The ticket matched the numbers 2, 6, 7, 16, 25 and 27, and now everyone in the village is eagerly waiting to find out more about the winner. Anne Penrose said: “I was shocked to get the call from the National Lottery. Our store is in the middle of the town so we have a lot of regular customers and a fair bit of passing trade.
“We have no idea who it could be, but of course it would be amazing if it was one of the locals here in Ballynacargy. There’s great excitement about the town this morning.”
National Lottery CEO Dermot Griffin has also urged everyone who bought a ticket at the store to check to see if they are the winner. Offering advice to the lucky player, he said: “Take care of this valuable piece of paper, sign the back of the ticket, and contact the National Lottery prize claims team on 01 836 4444. We’ll make arrangements with you to come to the Winner’s Room in Dublin and collect your prize.”
The Penrose shop has already had its fair share of good fortune, having sold a EuroMillions Plus ticket worth €500,000 in February 2015, but this is the biggest win they have had.
A New Era On Lotto Plus
The Lotto Plus jackpot has only been worth €1 million since the draw on 1st September. The top prize was doubled from €500,000 as one of several changes that were made to freshen up the National Lottery’s range of games.
New prize tiers were introduced in both Lotto Plus 1 and Lotto Plus 2 to improve the overall odds of winning, while the top prize in the Lotto Plus Raffle was also pushed up from €300 to €500. The cost of Lotto Plus went up from €0.50 to €1 per line to pay for the extra prizes.
Other Jackpots Rising
While Lotto Plus 1 was won on Saturday, the Irish Lotto jackpot rolled over and will now rise to €5 million for the next draw on Wednesday. EuroMillions also came and went without a jackpot winner on Friday, pushing the top prize up to a gigantic €140 million for tomorrow night’s game.
