A Cork woman will have a May bank holiday to remember after she snagged a whopping €500k on a national lottery scratch card purchased at a Maxol service station.
The woman, who opted to keep her name anonymous, explained to Lotto bosses she was 'in complete shock' after realising she had won big on her €20 All Cash Extravaganza scratch card.
The scratch card was bought at Herlihy’s Maxol store in Ballincollig on the outskirts of Cork City as a “random treat” but as she was in a hurry, she didn't take the time to select her usual scratch card.
READ MORE: One lucky Irish Lotto player scoops €500,000 in daily million draw
“It was such a sliding doors moment in a way," said the woman said following her win.
"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.
“There it was, all alone – the very last one in its slot. I knew I had to have it,” she added.
The woman said she was in such awe at the size of her win that she had to keep looking at her winning card to check and recheck the number.
“It’s just been an incredible couple of days. I had absolutely convinced myself that I’d only won €50,000," she said.
"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."
What will she do with the big payout? She explained that she is going to be speaking with her bank manager and think carefully about how to invest in this unexpected win.
"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," she said.
"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. 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.”
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