Westmeath Winners Speak Out After Collecting EuroMillions Plus Prize
The winners of a €500,000 EuroMillions Plus prize came forward on Friday to collect their winnings, revealing themselves to be a large family syndicate from County Westmeath. The syndicate chose to remain anonymous when arriving at National Lottery headquarters in Dublin, but described the “magical feeling” when they discovered their fortune.
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The syndicate matched all five numbers in the 17th May EuroMillions Plus draw – 10, 31, 34, 47 and 49 – guaranteeing them the top prize. The syndicate were the biggest winners that draw, as no one matched more than four numbers and two Lucky Stars in the main EuroMillions draw.
“Magical Feeling”
A syndicate member described the moment they realised they might be winners, after discovering on social media that their local shop in Moate had sold the winning ticket. “My heart properly stopped for a moment, knowing that there was a very big chance that the winning ticket was in my handbag! I said to my mother that it was definitely us and we just sat in the house for hours before we even checked the ticket! It was just a magical feeling when we all finally plucked up the courage to check it – it was just brilliant.”
Sharing a €500,000 EuroMillions Plus Prize
The syndicate member said the whole family had been “walking on air for the last week”, while “still trying to get our heads around the fact that we’ll be sharing a half million.”
When asked about what their family’s plans for the six-figure sum might be, the syndicate member was unsure: “We’ve thought very little about our plans for the money but we’re determined to enjoy the celebrations for the time being. We’re all going on a nice holiday soon so we’ll take a little bit of time out before we make any big decisions for the money.”
The Westmeath syndicate’s EuroMillions Plus prize is the ninth to be awarded in Ireland in 2019 – an average of nearly two prizes awarded per month, so far. The first EuroMillions Plus prizes won in 2019 were won in the same draw, on the 22nd January.
What Is EuroMillions Plus?
EuroMillions Plus is an additional game, played alongside EuroMillions in Ireland. For an extra €1 per line, your EuroMillions numbers are entered into the EuroMillions Plus draw, which works in the same way as a EuroMillions draw but without the Lucky Stars.
There are three prize tiers available in the supplementary lottery; match three numbers to win €20, match four numbers to win €2,000, or match all five numbers to win the top prize of €500,000. EuroMillions Plus prizes are fixed, meaning each winner receives the stated prize, and that prizes do not roll over from draw to draw.
28th May 2019
