Margaret, 60, and John Campbell, 73, were on the Greek island of Rhodes when Margaret received an email from The National Lottery saying they had won a prize on the EuroMillions
A couple from Liverpool were had returned home from celebrating their ruby wedding anniversary in Rhodes when they discovered they had become millionaires. Margaret, 60, and John Campbell, 73, had been enjoying the Greek sunshine when Margaret received an email from The National Lottery informing them of a win on the EuroMillions last month.
Before jetting off for a week of relaxation and sunbathing, Margaret had purchased their usual EuroMillions Lucky Dip. However, as players cannot access The National Lottery app from abroad, she assumed the prize was “£2.80, like it always is” and continued to enjoy their sunny getaway.
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Upon returning home at 4am, Margaret’s first thought wasn’t to check her winnings, but rather to do some laundry and get some sleep. It was only later that morning when she woke up that she finally logged into her lottery account.
Margaret shared: “I looked on the app and I’d only matched one number and it took me a few seconds to realise it was the Millionaire Maker code. I said to John, ‘I think I’ve won a million pounds,’ and he immediately said it must be a scam. I kept looking and thinking ‘this says I’ve won.’
“I called one of our two sons to say I’d won. When he arrived, I ran out of the door shouting ‘I have, I’ve won.’ He told me to get indoors before everyone found out.”
Margaret contacted The Allwyn, the operator of the National Lottery, and had the ticket details checked, reports the Liverpool Echo. She recalled: “The lady on the phone told me to get a pen and a piece of paper. She said write this down – one, zero, zero, zero, zero, zero, zero. That’s what you’ve won, £1million. I was literally shaking, my hands were shaking.”
Even after their ticket was validated, the couple found it hard to believe they’d actually won. Margaret confessed: “I said I’d believe it when it was finally in my bank account. The other day I went for a shower and when I came out there was the notification from the bank, a £1million deposit. It’s unbelievable.”
Margaret and John plan to use their winnings to “look after themselves and their family”. They intend to use the money to help pay off house and car loans and ensure their two grown-up sons are secure. They’ve also booked another holiday for August and are planning to buy a new car.
John thinks their win might have something to do with their dog, Kash, who sadly passed away shortly before they jetted off to Rhodes.
John reflected: “He was a lovely dog and only six years old. Sadly, he wasn’t well and couldn’t be helped. We keep saying that is it Kash is looking down on us and bringing us cash with this big win.”
Margaret bagged the prize by matching the raffle code on the EuroMillions UK Millionaire Maker. Each ticket is assigned a unique code which is entered into a raffle, with a top prize of £1M.
Margaret’s winning ticket matched the raffle code MQDD 67764 in the draw on Tuesday, June 24.
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