Winners explain why they took their time to claim the prize

By Kate Northrop

A close-knit Irish family hit the jackpot in the National Lottery's Lotto draw game in April and wisely did everything they could to prepare for the sudden influx of cash they were about to accept.

The winners, who reside in County Kilkenny in Ireland, finally claimed the Lotto jackpot from the drawing on Wed., Apr. 14, 2021 worth €12,740,043 (US$15.2 million). Since coming forward, they discussed the steps they made before making the lifechanging claim.

It all started at the Circle K gas station on Waterford Road in Kilkenny City, where one of the family members bought the winning Lotto ticket for the April 14 drawing. On the evening of the draw, what would have been a night of celebration for any lottery winner was incredibly nauseating.

"That Wednesday was one of the most stressful nights of my life," the winner joked. "I always play my lucky numbers on the Lotto play slip, but the previous Saturday night, I made a mistake on it and selected 29 instead of 37. On the Wednesday, I watched the draw live and saw all of my numbers come out one after another. I should have been jumping around with joy, but instead this horrible feeling of dread had me wondering if I had used the same incorrect play slip to play again."

It took the unsuspecting winner an entire hour to muster the courage to finally look at his ticket.

He could breathe a heavy sigh of relief — all of his numbers matched. The numbers for the drawing on Apr. 14, 2021 were 4, 14, 20, 23, 27, and 37, with Bonus 39. He matched the six numbers minus the bonus to take home the jackpot.

Now, there was an entire claims process ahead of him and his family, whom he planned on sharing his good fortune with.

The steps that the family took to claim their prize very well model the same ones Lottery Post recommends in the video, "What happens when you win the lottery?" on YouTube.

"It's been a very strange but exciting couple of weeks," an anonymous family member told The Mirror. "We wanted to take some time out and get some proper financial advice before we claimed the prize, and I think we are more prepared now than we could have been if we had claimed it any earlier."

Part of the planning process also involves deciding how the money will be put to good use. One sensible step is allocating winnings to financial responsibilities, such as loans, payments and bills.

"It's a lifechanging prize, but in our case, it's lifechanging for so many people," a representative of the family said. "We have a large family syndicate who are at different stages of their lives. Some of them will be planning on paying off mortgages, putting deposits on houses, upgrading their cars, or just paying off some bills."

One family member remarked that, while you can do everything in your power to make arrangements for the newfound wealth, nothing mentally prepares you for the shock of accepting such a wildly large amount of money all at once.

"While we have in some way come to terms with the win, you can't prepare yourself for the moment you have a check for over €12 million in your hands," they quipped. "It's literally a dream come true for all of us."

There is one additional step that the family is following through on —  and that's celebrating the well-earned win and enjoying the good that comes of it.

"Winning is incredible, but it's even more special when you win with your family and we are all in the same boat," a family member continued. "Because there's so many of us, none of us will be filthy rich, but it makes us all comfortable, and we'll be able to make some nice changes to our lives."

Thanks to dannyct for the tip.