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A FAMILY syndicate from Kerry have claimed a Lotto jackpot prize worth a whopping €9,772,175 after a two month wait and revealed that the winning ticket lay in a handbag, unchecked, for almost a week.
The syndicate, who scooped the largest Lotto jackpot ever to be won in Kerry on 18th April, were calm and patient about the longer than usual wait to claim their prize, brought on by health restrictions due to COVID 19.
A member of the syndicate said: “Of course we heard of the big Lotto win in Kerry but never entertained the thought that it could be us – sure we never win! A few days passed and I was checking my ticket for the following Wednesday’s draw when I spotted the ticket in my handbag.
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“It dawned on me that I forgot to check Saturday’s numbers. It was such a surreal moment when you realise you have won. Without even thinking about it I just started hopping all over the living room in delight. It’s so funny to think I was walking around with the winning ticket in my bag for almost a week!”
“We kept the ticket safe in a drawer at home but found ourselves checking the numbers frequently. It certainly took a while for the news to sink in… We actually won the Lotto!”
The family knew there would be a wait involved after speaking to the National Lottery claims team but said the two month wait actually turned out to be a positive thing for them. The syndicate member said: “Of course winning the Lotto is on your mind constantly but we didn’t mind waiting to claim. In fact it turned out to be a good thing as we were able to get our heads around the win and make the necessary preparations to get such a huge amount of money. We knew it would come sooner or later so we really didn’t mind the wait”.
This Kerry family were the first Lotto jackpot winners to avail of a new postal claims process following rigorous verification checks. They have no plans as of yet on what to do with their windfall and will take their time to plan how they will spend their €9.7 million fortune.
Their winning Quick Pick ticket was bought at Daly’s Supervalu in Killarney, just days after the store sold a €500,000 EuroMillions Plus top prize to another one of its lucky customers.
A spokesperson for the National Lottery said: “What an amazing story and it really goes to show the importance of checking your National Lottery tickets as soon as you can as our Kerry winners amazingly had a ticket worth €9.7 million in their bag without knowing. We are absolutely delighted for this family and wish them the very best for the future.”
