Ballinasloe man collects half a million euro lotto winnings
Lady luck must be shining down on the town of Ballinasloe after a local man became the second person in the space of two weeks to scoop half a million euros in the National Lottery Euromillions Plus draw.
The latest lucky lotto winner from Ballinasloe – who wishes to remain anonymous – collected his winnings at National Lottery HQ on Thursday of last week, July 6, and his wife described how he was “grey in the face with shock” when he “wobbled into the kitchen” to deliver the good news of his win having checked his numbers online.
The winning ticket was purchased in the Eurospar store in St. Michael's Square in Townspark, Ballinasloe on Friday, June 30, and just a week previously, another lucky Ballinasloe resident also scooped €500,000 after purchasing a ticket at Corrib Oil in Brackernagh.
The lucky streak in the City of Tribes continued last week when a third Galwegian scooped the EuroMillions Plus top prize of half a million when he purchased a ticket in McGreal's Mace in Ballybrit Court, Ballybrit on Tuesday, July 4 last.
The Ballinasloe winner who collected his winnings in National Lottery HQ last week revealed this he has been playing the same numbers for the past 12 months and had “carefully selected them.” Having checked his numbers online he said he “wobbled into the kitchen” to tell his wife the good news, but admitted that “I don't think she believed me at first.”
His wife recalled how “his face was grey with shock when he came into the room and then he whispered to me that he thinks he has won half a million euro.” She added that it was “so surreal” to read the papers and listen to the radio talking about the big lotto winners from Ballinasloe “and we're sitting here thinking 'that's us'”
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.