Man who won €2.9m jackpot hasn’t even told his family
A MAN who scooped a €2.9million Lotto jackpot hasn’t even told his family about the monster win yet.
The winning Quick Pick was sold on Tuesday, June 12, at the Spa XL Service Station in Swanlinbar, Co Cavan.
He admitted he “hasn’t told a soul” about his seven-figure June 13 windfall.
There were celebrations in the small village close to the border with Fermanagh but when the news first broke the winner was still in the dark.
He only found out while reading his local newspaper the following week.
The lifelong player from Cavan said: “I knew that there was a winner locally but I just assumed somebody had come forward to claim the prize. I had a good few lottery tickets folded up in my wallet and I was none the wiser.
“I was reading the Anglo Celt over the weekend and they listed the numbers so I took the tickets out to check them and that’s when it hit me.
“It’s a massive shock so I’m taking it one step at a time until I get used to having nearly €3million in my bank account.”
And while it may be one of the most memorable days of his life, the Lotto winner admitted he hasn’t shared his news with anybody except for National Lottery officials in Dublin.
He added: “I haven’t told a soul. Absolutely nobody knows, not even my family.
“I am going to get some good advice about what I am going to do with the money and as soon as all of this commotion has died down, I will be able to relax a little more.” As news of the €2,895,277 jackpot win sent the Swanlinbar locals into a frenzy, the owner of the shop which sold the lucky ticket spoke of the excitement the news first generated in the town: Francis O’reilly said: “The town was going absolutely bananas checking their tickets. “We do get some passing trade coming through the town but the majority of our customers would be local so we’re hoping one of them has won this truly life-changing prize.” So far this year, there have been six separate Lotto jackpot winners with the top prizes alone exceeding €26million.