‘Complete shock’ for Cork player who wins €500,000 on a National Lottery scratch card

A Co. Cork native has described how they couldn’t believe their eyes when they scratched their way to an incredible €500,000 on an All Cash Extravaganza scratch card. 

After officially claiming their €500,000 prize which they won on a on a €20 All Cash Extravaganza scratch card, the lucky Cork player told how they randomly purchased their winning scratch card at Herlihy’s Maxol store in Ballincollig on the outskirts of Cork city.  

“It was such a sliding doors moment in a way. I’d usually treat myself to a scratch card every week and I don’t usually purchase this scratch card. I saw this particular scratch card in the lottery stand in the shop and there it is, all alone – the very last one in its slot. I knew I had to have it,” she laughed. 

“It’s just been an incredible couple of days. I had absolutely convinced myself that I’d only won €50,000. I was in so much shock that I missed out on a zero! When I called the National Lottery to see if I was a winner, the chap on the phone told me that I’d won a half million euro. I nearly passed out with the excitement,” she added. 

The delighted winner is going to speak to their bank manager and think carefully about what to do with her new-found fortune before making any big plans: “Even now that I have the cheque in front of my eyes, it just doesn’t feel real. I’m going to put the cheque in the bank and take a couple of days to settle my nerves. Of course, I have thought about what I want to spend the money on but I didn’t want to make any plans for fear that I would jinx it,” she laughed. “The first thing to go will be the mortgage, so it will be amazing for me to be mortgage free. I’ll have to have a chat with my bank manager about my plans for the rest of the money but I’m going to treat myself to a lovely new car and have a couple of holidays in the next month or so. It’s all very new and exciting.” 

Staff at Herlihy’s Maxol store in Ballincollig, Co. Cork celebrate alongside Fran Whearty of the National Lottery after it was confirmed that their shop sold the winning All Cash Extravaganza scratch card worth €500,000

Also claiming a substantial prize at Lottery HQ this afternoon was a Dublin man who picked up a check worth €500,000 which he won in last Monday’s (17th April) 2pm Daily Millions Plus draw. 

The player, who wishes to remain private, purchased their winning Daily Millions Plus ticket in Spar, Balrothery, Balbriggan, Co. Dublin and revealed to the National Lottery the moment he realised he’d won the incredible prize. “I’m a regular enough player, so when I checked the ticket and realised I’d won, I felt this strange sense of calmness. I didn’t do any jumping up or down or cheering, but then I told the wife, and well she nearly fainted, she sat down on the floor in complete shock. We had two completely different reactions! She decided to hold on to the ticket and keep it somewhere safe and she ended up slotting it between pages in the Holy Bible”, he said. 

The Dubliner is looking forward to sharing the money amongst close family and friends and will host a private celebration in the coming days. 

Nearly 30 cent in every €1 spent on all National Lottery games goes back to Good Causes in the areas of sport, youth, health, welfare, education, arts, heritage, and the Irish Language. In total more than €6 Billion has been raised for Good Causes since the National Lottery was established 35 years ago. In 2021 alone, €304 million was raised for local Good Causes in communities across Ireland. 

Play National Lottery games responsibly, play for fun.