I made a mistake with my lottery direct debit – but a simple website trick ended up quadrupling my win to £500,000
A LUCKY lottery player has opened up about how a simple mistake led to him landing a whopping £500,000 win.
Mark Wilson, 62, this week scooped the six-figure sum in the People’s Postcode Lottery – but he’s £365,000 richer than he was meant to be.
The Hertfordshire engineer, and wife Billie, first started buying tickets eight years ago but cancelled their subscription.
And it wasn’t until December 2022 that Mark decided to give his luck another go, and entered the draw again.
The 62-year-old had planned to just buy one ticket, but made a mistake when he was putting through the direct debit.
Mark ended up with four tickets, and rather than cancelling the other three, he kept them.
Now he’s thankful for the “life-changing” error.
Mark said: “I made a mistake when we were doing the direct debit and I pressed three instead of one, and I never bothered changing it because it’s going to charities, so that’s good.
“I then added another [ticket] through PayPal because I didn’t think the Direct Debit was working.
“I still don’t think it’s real, I’ll wake up in a minute.
“This has changed our lives forever – I’m a half-a-millionaire.”
The engineer and four of his neighbours in Borehamwood after their postcode – WD6 2SL – won the £1 Million Millionaire Street draw.
The 62-year-old and wife Billie are now planning what to do with their winnings – and already have a few ideas.
Mark is a vinyl lover, and wants to build up his 4,000 record collection and build an extension on his home.
He said: “You have no idea how much room 4,000 records take up.
“We can get an extension and a loft conversion now.
“From rock, pop, classical, reggae, you name it, I’ve got it, but I’ve still got my eye on more.
“I don’t know what the world would be like without music. I love sitting down with a cuppa and relaxing to some music.”
The couple’s house extension plans are a long time coming, with Mark admitting his wife had been asking for a downstairs bathroom for years.
How does the People's Postcode Lottery work?
ACCORDING to the official website, players sign up with their postcode and pay £12 per month.
They are automatically entered into every draw and prizes are announced every day of the month.
Tickets play for prizes every day of the week – from Monday to Sunday, a ticket could win £1,000 each day in the Daily Prize.
Tickets could also win a jackpot of £30,000 in Saturday and Sunday’s Street Prize draws.
People’s Postcode Lottery also offer a £3 Million Postcode Millions draw each month – and your ticket plays for a share of a £3 Million cash prize fund.
Winners are notified by email, SMS message, mail or phonecall depending on the prize they win.
Jackpot winners are visited by the lottery team in person.
The lucky man said, smiling at Billie: “You can have your toilet downstairs now, dear.
“That’s all she’s interested in.”
It comes just days after a wife scooped a tidy £200,000 People’s Postcode Lottery jackpot prize after she ignored her husband’s pleas.
Sally bagged the hefty sum after she dismissed her husband Jonny’s request to cancel her subscription two months earlier.
He admitted he was glad his wife had completely ignored him as otherwise he would now be crying.
Sally and Jonny shared the £1million pot with four other neighbours in March, Cambridgeshire after their postcode PE15 9LU landed the weekly Millionaire Street prize today. Every ticket was worth £200,000.
The traffic management operator said: “I said to her that she should cancel it two months ago, but she never listens to me.
“Now I’m glad she ignored me. I would have been crying today.”
Gran in tears over 'mistake' amid £66k win
A great-grandmother was celebrating when she thought she’d won £1,000 on the lottery – but welled up when she realised her mistake.
Shirley Hehir, 83, scooped £66,666 alongside her neighbours in Folkestone, Kent in the People’s Postcode Lottery last week.
But, when the gran first heard she’d won, she thought she’d only landed £1,000 – and was happy.
Her mistake almost brought her to tears.
Shirley said: “Oh Lord almighty – never in my life have I seen a cheque that big. It’s wonderful.
“It feels amazing. I think I’m going to cry. £1,000 I thought. I did, I did.”
The great-grandmother, who goes to tea dances four times a week, is already planning on how she’ll spend her winnings.
Shirley said she wants to buy a bigger car and treat her family.
The 83-year-old continued: “I might have a new car. I’d like to go up to something just a bit bigger. And I’ll give all my grandchildren something.
“I’m nearly 84, I think I should treat myself. And I’ll maybe have a party for my daughter. She’s 60 this year.”
Shirley was hit with double tragedy in 2003 when her soldier son Leslie died during the Iraq War – just months after losing husband Jim to leukaemia.
But, she still finds the positives in situations.
The brave gran continued: “It is hard to bear, and it never goes away, but then I also think how lucky I am.
“My daughter, grandchildren and great-grandchildren keep me going.”