2 ticket scoops 4.9m Lotto windfall

A MINIMUM 2 gamble secured a 4.9m windfall for a Lotto punter in the midweek rollover draw.

The lucky player struck it rich with a Quick Pick ticket at the Downtown Deli in Skerries, Co Dublin.

Shop owner Dave Cullen said the supermarket outlet was only appointed a Lotto agent 11 months ago.

Most likely, he said, the winner is a local.

"A few weeks ago, there were lot of people on holiday in the area but most of the business in the shop is now local."

Mr Cullen, who lives in Co Kildare, runs the convenience store from 7am to 10pm, seven days a week.

"The winning ticket was sold on Tuesday and we had about 400 Lotto customers that day," he said. "I was listening to the morning news at 7 o'clock that the prize was won in Dublin. I didn't give it much thought until 10 minutes later when my Lotto representative rang and told me the good news. It's created a great buzz in the locality and, hopefully, the winner lives locally," he said.

Meanwhile, the winner of a new Winning Streak scratch card game will have one million reasons to be happy.

The Derek Mooney-presented television show to coincide with the scratch game returns to the screens this Saturday. Called Winning Streak millionaire, it offers contestants a chance to become instant millionaires on television.

The top prize will be presented on a special TV show on New Year's Eve.

Each week , until the December 31 show, three three-star tickets will be drawn on the game show, which will have a final total of 48 contestants in line for the fabulous major prize.

"At the end of that New Year's Eve show, one lucky player will walk away with 1m what a fantastic way to start 2004," said National Lottery director Ray Bates yesterday.

Throughout the 16 weeks of the televised game show, the top prize will be 500,000, along with a wide variety of other cash prizes, great cars and exotic holidays. Each of the five weekly players will be guaranteed to win cash and prizes to the value of at least 10,000 on each show.