Dublin Man Claims €1 Million Lotto Prize
A man from Dublin has revealed that he hid his winning ticket in a pair of old trousers hanging in his wardrobe, after coming forward to claim a Lotto prize worth €1,000,500.
The Irish Lotto draw on Saturday 20th December featured a special promotion, linked to the Lotto Plus Raffle. Everyone who matches the raffle number receives €5,000, and in this draw one of those winners was picked at random to get an extra €1 million.
The winner turned out to be a man who nearly didn't buy a ticket at all, only doing so by chance after stopping at the Spar store at Unit 62-65 on Mountjoy Street, Dublin 7.
Speaking to officials at Lottery Headquarters, he explained: “Talk about a major sliding doors moment! I just happened to be working in the area that day when I popped into the Spar shop to purchase my ticket, but I almost wasn’t there at all – thank goodness those plans didn’t change.”
He admitted there were tears when he found out about the big win, while his wife got ‘the fright of her life’ when she got home and discovered him ‘absolutely shaking’ with the emotion of it all.
The newly-minted millionaire waited a couple of weeks over Christmas before coming forward, during which time he kept the ticket safe and started to think about how he would spend the money.
He said: “I put the ticket in a pair of old trousers hanging in my wardrobe for safe-keeping – no one would be looking there! First thing I’ll do is buy a car and then I am looking forward to treating family.”
Christmas Millionaire Raffle Prize Still Unclaimed
Another €1 million prize was won in the annual Millionaire Raffle, held on New Year’s Eve, although that winner has yet to claim their money.
The ticket number worth €1 million was 322259, and the store which sold the ticket has been revealed as the Cullies Maxol Service Station on Ballyhaise Road, Co Cavan.
Shop owner Jim Burke said: “We were thrilled to get the call that our shop sold this year’s winning Millionaire Raffle ticket! While we’ve had a few lottery wins before, nothing compares to this – it’s by far the biggest. Our store is at the heart of the community here in Cullies, Cavan, with regular customers coming and going every day.”
The winner has 90 days from the draw date to come forward, making the claim deadline Tuesday 31st March.
Whether you won a prize over the Christmas and New Year period or you missed out this time, there are more opportunities to play Irish Lottery games every day. Go to a local retailer to take part or go to the Tickets page to choose your numbers online.
Written by Lewis Rutledge, 8th January 2026
