Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Richer than Robbie
UK winner claims £184m record lottery jackpot
BY RUKI SAYID
THE UK’S biggest ever Euromillions jackpot has been claimed, making a punter richer than Robbie Williams.
Operator Camelot yesterday confirmed a winner had come forward with a £184million claim, though experts still need to validate the ticket.
Andy Carter, senior winners’ advisor at The National Lottery, said: “Tuesday night saw history made with the biggest ever National Lottery prize won by a single UK ticket-holder, and we’re ecstatic that we’ve now received a claim.
“Our focus now is on supporting the ticket-holder through the process and helping them start to enjoy their truly life-changing and record-breaking win.”
When no one had come forward yesterday morning following the draw on Tuesday night, Camelot urged players to check their pockets, wallets and handbags for the winning numbers.
Hours later a player came forward with a slip bearing the winning digits – 3, 25, 27, 28 and 29, with Lucky Stars 4 and 9. Now they face a whirlwind of change as their overnight riches offer a luxury lifestyle most can only dream of.
Their fortune tops that of chart-topper Robbie Williams, thought to be worth £175m.
They could also outspend music stars Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, worth around £150m, and Adele, reported to have £130m of assets.
Rubbing shoulders with A-listers by splashing out on a £30m pad in West London’s exclusive Kensington Palace Gardens would barely dent the bank balance. And sipping champagne in the six-bedroom Sterling Suite at the capital’s swanky Langham Hotel for £24,000 a night would seem like spending loose change. The punter, whose name for now remains a mystery, sits at the top of the Lottery rich list, displacing an anonymous £170m winner from 2019.
Camelot said: “Once the ticket has been validated and paid, the ticket-holder will then decide whether or not to go public.” This is the second Euromillions jackpot won in the UK this year.
The £109m jackpot from February 4 was claimed a few days after the draw by a Brit who chose to remain anonymous. And Lady Luck smiled on the nation last year when five UK ticket-holders banked Euromillions jackpot wins. One scooped £122.5m in April and another bagged £111m in June. Fifteen Brits have won more than £100m since Euromillions began in 2004.