Three National Lottery winners from Dublin and Cork got to claim their whopping prizes this week at Lottery Headquarters.
The first to make the trip to the famous Winners Room was a Dubliner who secured the incredible €1million Lotto Plus 1 top prize in the September 24 draw.
He told the National Lottery team: ‘I play the Lotto whenever I remember, but it’s great being able to schedule it on the app while I’m travelling for work.’
He then described the moment he realised he had won the top prize.
The Dublin winner said: ‘I received the results email shortly after the draw, but when I checked my account, the balance hadn’t changed, so I was slightly unsure what I could have won.
‘I opened the email to make sure it was real and then went into my online ticket where I saw the €1million prize in the box at the top of the screen – no wonder it wasn’t in my balance!
‘I must say that I managed to stay calm, but it was definitely a moment to remember.’
Regarding any temptations of what to do with the money, he is going to save for the future before making any other plans just yet.
Another online player in Dublin got their weekend started in style after sharing the €1million top prize in the 9pm Daily Million draw on Friday, September 26.
The player was delighted to pick up their €500,000 prize this week and already has plans for how to put it to good use.
They said: ‘I was buying my EuroMillions Mega Draw ticket for last Friday’s draw when I decided to get a Daily Million ticket as well.
‘Before that, the last time I logged on to the app was July so it had been a few months since I had even thought of playing.
‘I got the usual email about a prize that night and I was straight on to check what it could be. I saw the €500,000 and closed the app immediately saying to myself that that can’t be right.
‘Then I was opening and closing the app a few times second guessing myself. I told my wife then and we were both checking the numbers on the website before we finally believed what we were seeing.
‘We’re so boring – the first thing we’re planning to do is get a new boiler!’
Meanwhile, the Cork winner was very eager hand over their Bingo Multiplier Scratch Card in exchange for a cheque worth €50,000.
They scooped the top prize amount after purchasing their €5 Scratch Card at Con’s Shop on the Gurranabraher Road in Cork.
The winner admitted to keeping the Bingo Multiplier hidden safely away where no one would know to look.
They shared: ‘I’ve been sleeping on it for the past few nights! I tucked the Scratch Card under my mattress as soon as I realised just how much it was worth since it seemed like the last place anyone else would be looking.
‘To be honest, I have been in total disbelief since the win.
‘When I scratched the last panel on the ticket and saw what I had won, I wanted to be certain so I wrote out all of the numbers on a page and ticked them all off one by one.
‘It wasn’t until I spoke to the Claims team that I really started to believe it though – it was only then that I told my family.’
The Rebel winner is now looking forward to booking a holiday to celebrate their win.
Looking ahead, excitement is growing for Thursday night’s EuroDreams draw, which will see the top prize boosted to €30,000 per month for 30 years.
The typical Tier 1 prize is €20,000 per month for 30 years but the special promotion could see a player win even bigger than usual.
If there is no top prize winner in the draw, the boosted prize fund will remain up for grabs until it is won.
Last month, an online player in Wicklow took the title of first ever EuroDreams Tier 1 winner in Ireland since the game launched in 2023.
Players are reminded that tickets can be purchased in-store, through the National Lottery app or at www.lottery.ie ahead of the 7.30pm cut-off time for sales.
They are also reminded to play National Lottery games responsibly and only play for fun.
