A family syndicate from Co Kerry have claimed a Lotto jackpot prize worth over €9.7 million and said the winning ticket lay in a handbag, unchecked, for almost a week.
The winning Quickpick ticket was bought at Daly's Supervalu in Killarney and is the largest jackpot winner in the county ever. The family syndicate had to delay claiming their prize won in April due to Covid-19 restrictions.
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 syndicate said they knew there would be a wait involved before collecting their prize after speaking to the National Lottery and that the two month delay 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”.
The family said 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 the prize.
The National Lottery has reminded players that it has extended the period of time that winners can collect prizes due to Covid-19 restrictions. Winners of Lotto, EuroMillions, Telly Bingo and Daily Millions draws from January 9th, 2020 until draws in the week of July 5th, 2020 will have an extra three months in which they can claim their prize.
