Identity of €8.6m Lotto winner remains mystery

THE National Lottery has refused to say what time on Tuesday afternoon the winning ticket in the record, mid-week Lotto jackpot of €8.6 million was purchased in Kilkenny city because the winner could be identified on CCTV.

The CCTV cameras in the Statoil service station on the city’s Castlecomer Road would be able to pick out the winner immediately as all transactions are recorded and timed.

Dedicated staff members Joan Butler and Ber Madden recalled a strange, middle-aged man coming into the shop on Tuesday at around 2.30pm to do the Lotto, clearly for the first time.

“He had no idea andwe had to show him what to do,” Joan explained.

The man purchased a €4 quick pick ticket.

However, gardaí at the scene said there was no suspicious activity.

Gardaí John Direen and Vera Cleary were at the Statoil station on Tuesday afternoon around 2.30pm getting petrol for the patrol car, but did not see anything. Both said they were a bit disappointed that they had not thought of doing the Lotto at the time.

Deputy manager of the Statoil station, Helen Connolly, said the shop had no idea who had won the money.

Ber Madden, who had been working in the shop since 6.30am, said the phone had not stopped ringing since the news was made public at 7.30am.

The National Lottery confirmed that the shop will receive €15,000 for selling the ticket.

Staff member Joe Malone said that he hoped that someone local had won the money and that it would be a pity if it went outside the county.

“We get a lot of passing trade and it may well have been someone just getting petrol and driving on to some other part of the country,” he said.