A 20 year old Co Clare student £1.7 million richer after winning the Easter Bonus Jackpot Lotto. The young man, who is studying in Galway, has decided to remain anonymous.
Earlier reports that the winner was a 17 year old schoolgirl were denied by the National Lottery spokewoman insisted the prize had been won by a 20 year old man.
The winner collected a cheque for £1,690,753 from the National, Lottery offices in Dublin yesterday. According to the Lottery, the winner was not a regular player and picked his numbers at random.
The student spent some of hi Easter break in Galway. On Saturday he went to Ballinrobe, Co Mayo, where he purchased the ticket in Cummins supermarket. When his aunt read the winning numbers from a Sunday newspaper, he realised he had won.
Persons under 18 years are not permitted to buy Lotto tickets. However, the National Lottery said there was no problem with a person receiving a present of a winning ticket.
Early reports had said a 17 year old girl from the Shannon area had won. She was also thought to have bought her ticket in Cummins supermarket in Ballinrobe. A relative from Co Galway, where she was reported to be on holiday, was quoted as saying how delighted everyone was at her success.
The National Lottery said yesterday that as far as it were concerned, the winner was a 20 year old student.
The winner is the eldest of a family of four, and both parents work outside the home. The National Lottery quoted the winner as saying he was finishing college this year and that the win would make any decisions he had to make much easier.
Meanwhile, Ms Kathleen Furlong, from Enniscorthy, Co Wexford, collected a cheque for £500,000. She was the winner of half the Lotto jackpot for Wednesday, April 3rd. She plans to build a new house in Enniscorthy.