'I was speechless' - lottery player beats the odds to win €250k prize on €10 scratch card

Christmas has come early for a County Wexford man who scooped a life-changing prize of €250,000 on a €10 scratch card which he bought on a whim.

The National Lottery has confirmed the player has claimed the jackpot from a Mega Money Multiplier scratch card, which he purchased from Doyle’s Daybreak in Ballymurn, County Wexford.  

Commenting after collecting his winnings, the sole winner said: “I ran into the shop for a chicken fillet roll, and just as I was at the till, I threw in a €10 scratch card – not thinking much of it, I completely forgot about it in my pocket for the rest of the day."

Unbeknownst to the player at the time, the mega scratch card with his newfound fortune was forgotten about until later that evening. “I had a 5 cent coin on me and when I scratched the card, I couldn’t believe it – I was speechless. All I kept thinking about was what if I had let someone else ahead of me in the queue, or if I had ordered something different at the deli counter, or even if I hadn’t bothered buying the roll in the first place, I might not have won,” he said. 

When asked on who he has told about his winnings, he laughed: “Last week, I pranked my mother by telling her that I was going to get the dog christened – it's a viral trend on TikTok at the moment, and we got such a laugh from her reaction. So, when I told her about the winnings, it took her almost a week to believe me, and to be honest, I don’t think she fully believes me yet.” 

The player plans on sitting on his fortunes for the moment and is considering putting it towards some travelling in the future. 

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Separately, a Waterford woman is looking forward to a festive trip with her family after she scooped an incredible €20,000 on a seasonal scratch card.

The player won the prize after purchasing a Merry Money scratch card at the Centra store in Dungarvan.

After visiting National Lottery headquarters in Dublin this Wednesday, the woman said: “Initially, I won €20 on a scratch card, and I decided to trade it in for another, but before I bought any other scratch card, I checked the Lottery website to see what the odds were for each card – that was the only method behind the purchase.”  

After scratching the winning card on Monday, the woman says she struggled to believe the prize was real until her trip to Lotto HQ became a reality. The player is eagerly awaiting her upcoming Christmas trip with her family and looks forward to treating and spoiling her loved ones.