The Lotto player bagged the life-changing prize on a €10 ‘Countdown to Christmas’ scratch card – which she purchased from a Costcutter’s store in Co Cork, Ireland
A woman was over the moon and “screamed with excitement” after discovering she’d won €100,000 on a forgotten scratch card that had been lying in her handbag for a week.
The lucky punter struck gold with a €10 ‘Countdown to Christmas’ scratch card she picked up from Costcutter’s in Rathcormac, Co Cork, Ireland. She made the journey to Dublin recently to claim her hefty sum at National Lottery HQ, where she shared her shock: “I bought the scratch card almost two weeks ago and had forgotten about it it was buried at the bottom of my handbag”, she said.
“Last weekend, I decided to clear out my bag, and that’s when I found the unscratched card, so I got a coin and scratched it. I screamed with excitement when I matched three fireplaces, which meant I’d won the top prize; I was in total shock!” In another stroke of luck, a Kilkenny man also visited Lotto HQ this week to pick up a €20,000 prize from a ‘Merry Money’ Scratch Card, the Irish Mirror reports.
He had bought the €5 winner at O’Keeffe’s Daybreak on Market Street in Thomastown, Co Kilkenny, and recalled the moment he won: “I was sitting in the car, enjoying my morning coffee and decided to scratch the card before heading into work,” he said.
The ecstatic winner continued: “When I first saw that I won €20,000, I couldn’t believe it. I ran straight back into the shop to ask the assistant to scan the ticket to make sure I wasn’t seeing things. It wasn’t until then that I actually let myself believe the win.”
Despite not being entirely sure how he will spend his new fortune, the man hinted at possible indulgences, admitting, “but I’m certain there’ll be a sunny trip on the cards next year”.
In the spirit of holiday generosity, the National Lottery is pushing its range of festive scratch cards this Christmas with more than €7 million in total prizes waiting to be claimed. Customers stand a chance to participate in the second-chance Christmas Bonus Draw online with each Christmas scratch card purchase. One lucky individual will hit the jackpot, nabbing €5,000 every week throughout twelve draws.
National Lottery spokeswoman Sarah Ruane reminded everyone in her statement: “We are reminding our players and everyone hoping to spread the festive cheer with our Christmas games, to support our ‘Gift Responsibly’ campaign when purchasing any National Lottery product as a gift.
“National Lottery products are strictly for those who are aged 18 years and over and we encourage all of our players to gift responsibly, not only at Christmas but at any time of the year”.