'I didn’t know what to do!' - Irish Lotto winners reveal the ins and outs of their big wins

If you were to win the lotto tonight, what would you do? It's a game, a fantasy even, that we've all played at one point or another. 

Would you tell anyone or keep it a secret? Would you buy a Ferrari or treat the family to an extra special Christmas?

Well, the National Lottery has revealed all with winners sharing their stories as they collected over €2 million in prizes this year.

In the September 28 draw, a Wexford man scooped a €1 million prize and found out while sitting in the corner of a pub. 

The player has been using the same numbers of personal significance for years, filling out the lottery slip most weeks while on his travels around the country. The player purchased his winning ticket from Mace in Killeen's Maxol Service Station, Newline Road, Co Wexford. 

“I was sitting in the corner of pub the night of the draw and I saw the winning numbers come through, I doubted myself first, but I had a feeling they were mine. 

“I snuck out to the car to check my ticket and sure enough, they were my numbers. I just went back inside and kept the news to myself; I didn’t know what to do!” 

The player contacted the National Lottery team to confirm his win the following Wednesday, and ever since, has been sneakily keeping his winning ticket in his car’s glove compartment – needless to say he checked in on it every second day to ensure it was safe and still intact. 

When questioned on how he plans on spending his winnings, he added “I’ve been sitting on it for a couple of weeks now, and there’s nothing significant that I want to do. I’ll definitely buy a seasonal ticket for my favourite football team now, and I’m looking forward to a nice Christmas with my family.” 

Elsewhere, a Kildare man also celebrated an incredible €1 million Daily Million top prize online win from the November 22 draw, but remarkably hasn’t shared the news with anyone yet! 

The winner, who wishes to remain anonymous, revealed that playing Daily Million isn’t a regular habit for him, but a spur-of-the-moment decision turned out to be life-changing. 

“I’d just finished a long shift at work and was sitting in my car the next evening when I saw an email from the National Lottery saying, ‘You’ve won more than €100.’ I had no idea how much I’d won, so I logged into my account and there it was, €1,000,000!” 

Recalling the moment, he said, “Honestly, I was completely frozen for a few minutes. But then it sank in, and I thought, ‘Happy days!’” 

Despite the life-changing win, he’s managed to keep the news entirely to himself.

“The first couple of days were tough, I really struggled not telling anyone. But now, I’m kind of used to it. I might share the news with one or two people once I’ve got myself set up.” 

It was a flu-turned-fortune for a Dublin syndicate who scooped €81,820 after matching 5 numbers and the bonus in the Lotto draw on November 23.

The winner, who  purchased the ticket from Centra, Corduff, Blackcourt Avenue, Dublin 15, shared how an unexpected visit to the shop led to the winning purchase:  

"My partner was down with the flu, so I went to the shop to get her some medication. While I was there, I thought, ‘Why not grab a Lotto ticket?’ A couple of days later, I scanned the ticket, and it said, ‘You’ve won big – contact the National Lottery!’”

“When I called, they told me the ticket was worth €81,820. I was absolutely gobsmacked!"   

His partner added with a laugh: "It’s the only time I’ll ever be grateful I had the flu!"   

Finally, a syndicate of two from Birr, Co. Offaly, claimed their prize of €25,000 after scratching their way to a fortune on a Mega Money Multiplier scratch card purchased from Buckley’s SuperValu Birr.

“I ran out of milk, so I walked down to my local SuperValu to buy some and casually threw in a scratch card while at the till – not thinking much of it. 

“I was scratching it on my way home and then I saw the prize, it completely stopped me in my tracks. I tried to ring my partner to tell him the news, but I lost the talk!” 

The duo has no immediate plans to spend their windfall, but they’re looking forward to a special Christmas. 

Meanwhile, tomorrow night’s Lotto Jackpot soars to an estimated €3 million. Players dreaming of becoming Ireland’s newest Lotto winner are reminded that tickets can be purchased in-store, through the National Lottery app or at lottery.ie ahead of the 7.30pm cut-off.