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Shocked taxi driver wins €1m on forgotten lottery ticket

Shocked taxi driver wins €1m on forgotten lottery ticket

A stunned taxi driver has won €1m after checking his Daily Million ticket he purchased last month.

The Dublin taxi driver regularly saves his tickets and scans them at the head office reception.

The winning ticket was sold at Tesco in the Phibsboro Shopping Centre, Dublin 7 on January 14.

The driver returned to driving passengers around the city despite his winnings to keep focused and said he wants to buy a house by the beach.

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He said: “About once a month I gather all of my lottery tickets from the car and get them checked behind the desk at the National Lottery office in Dublin city centre.

"The receptionist was checking my tickets one by one when all of a sudden, she hands me back this particular ticket, smiled at me and calmly whispered, congratulations, you’ve won a million euro.

"I was absolutely stunned, I just didn’t know what to do!”

He also admitted it will take him some time to fully comprehend his massive lottery windfall.

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“This is just unbelievable. I think it’s going to take a lot of time for this to properly sink in.

"I’m heading straight back to work for the day because I think it’s the best thing for me to focus the mind.

"I have always dreamed of having a brand new house beside the beach so it’s definitely something I’ll be thinking about as I drive around the city for the rest of the day."

A National Lottery spokesperson said:

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“This was a magical moment in Lotto HQ. Our winner had no idea he had a golden Daily Millions ticket and we are delighted for him.

"This shows how important it is to check lottery tickets. Many people often forget them and leave them in a car, a handbag, or a coat pocket."

Tesco staff at the Phibsboro celebrate after they sold a winning Daily Million top prize ticket of €1 million. Tesco Phibsboro, Dublin store manager, Karl Moraghan (centre), Simon Reenan, National Lottery (2nd from left) and Tesco staff from left: Annmarie Carroll; Kelly Redmond; Debbie Loughman; Philip Shannon and Sinead Roche. Pic: Mac Innes Photography.
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