My heart sank when I made crucial Euromillions error which left me seconds away from losing £145k jackpot
A LUCKY punter now sharing a £145,000 lottery win with his wife has opened up about how he nearly lost it all.
George Muir and Sandra McCormack are looking forward to early retirement after striking gold in the EuroMillions draw on May 3.
But the Scottish couple’s turn of fate nearly wasn’t to be, with George revealing he remembered to snare a ticket just in time.
He said: “I always play a month in advance and always purchase my EuroMillions tickets online.
“It was 3pm on the Friday when I suddenly remembered I hadn’t bought my ticket.
“I always go for a EuroMillions Lucky Dip so I did just that.”
Renewable energy worker George, 60, and supermarket staffer Sandra, 64, then went out to celebrate their 28-year wedding anniversary and had no idea they had won.
It was only the following day that George started to scroll through his emails, discovering the lifechanging jackpot.
George told how he dropped his phone in disbelief when he realised he had a winning combination.
He added: “I was just scrolling when I came to an email from The National Lottery telling me that there was news about my ticket.
“I just assumed that if I had won something that it would be a few pounds so I didn’t rush to log in and check.
“I actually went on to the National Lottery website to look at the numbers just for the novelty value and then to my total disbelief I discovered I had matched the five main numbers and one Lucky Star number.
“I literally dropped my phone. My heart was beating so fast.”
George and Sandra are now set for a spending spree and will hang up their working jackets after their good fortune.
A new car and a family holiday are high on the shopping list for the couple as well as their early retirement plans.
George’s near miss isn’t the first in the storied history of lottery victors.
Charity boss Jacqui Shannon revealed she was ignoring lotto emails, thinking she only won a small amount.
Big wins can be a blessing & curse - lotto boss
By Henry Martin
A LOTTO boss who has handled £2billion worth of wins has revealed how a big scoop can be both a blessing – and a curse.
Over 18 years, Andy Carter, 50, has helped more than 2,000 people who landed prizes of more than £50,000 adjust to their new lifestyles.
But while winners are understandably delighted upon discovering they’re in the money, Andy says that any existing personality or relationship problems tend to get even worse.
He said these will not be solved by a lotto win, and could well become even worse.
While relationships can break down following a big win, Andy says these couples would have also likely split up if the win never happened.
He told This is Money: “It’s part of life – the lottery just exaggerates it.”
Andy and his team of advisers are banned from entering the draw themselves.
He introduces winners to financial experts who help them plan for the future, and discuss what they can do with their newfound wealth.
While winners can turn down the expert help roughly 90% accept the offer of speaking with a financial planner, Andy says.
And while lotto players may dream about splurging for a luxury sports car or something equally extravagant, reality can quickly dispell these fantasies.
Andy said: “Can you fit a pram in the back of a sports car?
“Some winners hire a sports car for a weekend and then realise it wasn’t all it’s cracked up to be.”
And while some may choose to invest in property, spending money on experiences is far more popular than material purchases, according to Andy.
He said: “They want that fantastic holiday to spend time with someone, more than the holiday itself.”
He added that the British public are in general “pretty conservative” with spending, and people being “ridiculous” with their money is very rare.
He said roughly 98% of winners were “very cautious” with their new money.
When the Essex woman finally decided to check her account, she had a £1million prize waiting for her.
A South Yorkshire couple in 2021 nearly left their ticket at shop counter before an assistant called them back.
The ticket turned into a £1million winner.
Meanwhile, an ex-cop from Perthshire who also won £1million told of how he nearly walked away with nothing, thinking he forgot to pay his entry fee.
Recent winner George added: “Thanks to my National Lottery win I am now able to do all of those things which I could previously only ever have dreamt of doing.”
The winning EuroMillions numbers for the draw Friday 3 May, 2024 were 6, 9, 10, 30, 49 and the Lucky Stars were 3 and 4.
George matched the five main numbers and Lucky Star number 3.