Clock is ticking for €500k EuroMillions ticket holder

It has proved to be a very merry Christmas for some National Lottery winners, but for one ticket holder, the clock is ticking as to whether they see out the year €500,000 the richer.

On Christmas Eve, it was announced that the winning ticket of the €5.4m Lotto Jackpot had been sold at Dublin Airport at the WHSmith shop at arrivals in Terminal 1 on December 22.

National Lottery CEO Dermot Griffin said: “This is going to be a very special Christmas indeed for that lucky person.”

A National Lottery spokesperson said as of yesterday, no one had come forward through the helpline to claim the prize, but said it was hoped they would make contact tomorrow when the office reopens.

While that ticket holder may be planning their trip into National Lottery HQ to collect their winnings, last Friday saw a Tipperary family syndicate make a last minute dash to collect a €500,000 Lotto Plus 1 top prize.

The syndicate leader was quoted by the National Lottery as saying: “What a way to celebrate Christmas.”

However, the same amount of cash awaits another ticket holder — but only if they make themselves known by close of business tomorrow.

The National Lottery has asked players in Co Meath to check their tickets to see if they are the winners of a EuroMillions Plus prize of €500,000 from the draw on Tuesday, September 26.

The winning ticket was sold at Kilmoon Service Station in Ashbourne and the 90-day window in which players have a chance to collect the winnings is due to elapse at close of business tomorrow.