Shocked Lotto winner had €3.2m ticket in pocket
The country's latest multi-millionaire walked into a supermarket in Co Waterford yesterday, handed the assistant a Lotto ticket and said "check that".
Part-time assistant Jamye Drohan responded: "You're a winner but I can't cash it here for you it's too big. You'll have to go to Dublin."
Kilmacthomas shopkeeper Eoin Corbett said the Lotto winner, who has not been named, is local.
"It's our second major Lotto jackpot," said Mr Corbett, who runs a Londis foodmarket in the Co Waterford village.
"We previously sold a ticket for €1.8m. When we opened our new supermarket in October last, moving just across the street, people wondered if we would bring the luck with us. But we have."
He said the new Lotto winner was "stuck for words" after the assistant checked the ticket.
"He was genuinely shocked," said Mr Corbett. "The pair of them did the re-check together and then the man, who lives locally but was not known personally to the assistant, just walked out of the shop."
Mr Corbett said the man came into the shop around 11.30am to collect Sunday newspapers. "He had handed the assistant a few tickets to check, including the big winner."
Last night in local pubs, people said the winner's name was still a secret.
"It wasn't me anyway. I've checked my numbers and I had just three," said publican Louis Dunne at Carroll's Cross Inn Pub.
"We've heard absolutely nothing. Nobody has been in looking for champagne or loads of drink. But we're ready and waiting for any large party which wants to come in," he said.
Lotto headquarters is closed until tomorrow morning, so the winner will have to wait another 24 hours to collect their loot of €3,240,746.
A Lotto spokesperson confirmed the winner used their own numbers to pick 5, 13, 21, 33, 34 and 38. The bonus was 27. Five other players matched five numbers and the bonus number, netting €12,000 each.
