The €6 million Ranch!
ONLY in business since last year, and already the seller of a near €6 million jackpot-winning ticket, The Ranch is on the way to becoming one of those ‘ lucky’ shops.
There’s a Lotto agent in Bridgend, Co Donegal, that has had 12 big winners, and a place in Skibbereen with eight, so while the Armagh Road premises at EK Fuels has some ground to make up, it’s not a bad start!
Last Wednesday night the numbers 6-16-23-28-32-35 produced one winning ticket, scooping a dividend of €5,899,439; and shortly after 8 o’clock the following morning, manager Denise Murphy took a call from Lotto HQ to tell her The Ranch had sold the ticket.
‘It was a quick pick, and was bought on the day of the draw,’ said Denise, who runs the shop with her sister, Elaine McArdle.
‘We have been open since March of last year, and this is our first big win.
‘At Christmas, we had a man win €500 on the millionaire raffle, so this is a huge jump.’
Inevitably, there has been speculation on who has had their life changed by a massive windfall.
However, speaking last Thursday lunchtime, Denise said everyone was still in the dark.
‘We have local and passing trade, and a lot of regular players who come in to do the Lotto on Wednesdays.
‘A lot of people may not have checked their tickets yet, with the football being on (Ireland v Italy in Euro 2016).
‘We will just have to wait and see. Somebody may come forward, but in the meantime we have been putting up balloons and decorations, and there’s a sign sitting on the counter that we sold a jackpot winner.’
Denise did venture the chances are it is someone who comes in and out of the shop, using it on a regular basis.
Anyway, one lucky person, somewhere, woke up on Thursday morning nearly €6 million richer.
And we thought Robbie Brady and his Ireland teammates were the only big winners on Wednesday night!
‘We have passing trade, and a lot of regulars who come in to do the Lotto on Wednesday nights’