I was ecstatic when I won the lottery…but then I found out I’d have to travel 10 hours to another COUNTRY to claim prize
A MAN who scooped an incredible jackpot was overjoyed – until he discovered he’d have to travel 10 hours to claim it.
Kieran Gallagher was over the moon when he realised he’d bagged a £800 lotto windfall, but his excitement didn’t last long.
He purchased the lucky ticket in Strabane in Co Tyrone, Northern Ireland, just a few miles across the border from where he lives in Lifford in Co Donegal, Republic of Ireland.
But officials have now told him he would have to travel to Britain to get his cash.
The 61-year-old has now warned other players not to buy tickets for the UK lottery while in Northern Ireland.
Speaking to the Irish Mirror, the dad-of-two said: “Just don’t do it. I won £800 after buying a UK ticket across the border.
“But they won’t show me the money. Travelling to Britain could wipe out the winnings.
“You’ve to stay overnight because you have to make an appointment. The trip probably would take all the winnings. At this stage, I’m just p*****d off.”
The factory worker won his £800 (€947) on a UK National Lottery Hot Pick while he was in Northern Ireland.
But they insist the sum can’t be paid to an address in the Republic of Ireland – despite Kieran living just two miles away from where he bought the ticket.
He has now been embroiled in a bitter dispute for eight weeks, as his prize continues to sit unclaimed.
Lotto bosses insist he must travel all the way to Wales to receive his winnings.
“As you can imagine, I wasn’t one bit happy about that. I bought it two miles down the road and now I am being told I’ll have to book a flight or get a ferry to lift my money,” he added.
A fuming Kieran blasted “there was no wriggle-room or common sense” after he was told “rules are rules”.
Eventually the disgruntled winner gave up phoning for answers because he “probably would have worked up an £800 phone bill” if he’d continued.
A spokesperson for UK lottery operators Allwyn said: “For prizes up to £500, players can go back into a UK or [Isle of Man] shop to claim the prize. For any prizes above this, they should contact us. We’ll ask colleagues to contact Mr Gallagher directly.”
What are my chances of winning the lottery?
EVERYONE wants to know how to beat the odds and win the lottery.
But unfortunately, the lottery is a game of luck and there are no tips or tricks that can guarantee you’ll take home a top prize.
The odds show how likely you are to win any particular prize – the lower the number, the better the odds.
For example, odds of 1 in 10 are better than odds of 1 in 100 or 1 in 1,000.
There are several major lottery games in the UK including Lotto by the National Lottery, Camelot’s EuroMillions and Thunderball.
Chances of winning the Lotto
Lotto by the National Lottery is a game where you pick six numbers from 1 to 59. You can play up to seven lines of numbers on each slip.
The game costs £2 to play per slip.
The odds of winning any prize on the Lotto are 1 in 9.3.
But to win the jackpot on the Lotto, the odds are considerably slimmer.
To bag the top prize, you need to have six matching balls. The odds of doing this and scooping the jackpot are currently 1 in 45,057,474.
The next highest prize of £1,000,000 is for getting five main matching balls plus the bonus ball.
The odds of taking home the million pound prize are 1 in 7,509,579 – far higher than the jackpot, but still unlikely.
The odds of taking home £1,750 for getting five main numbers without the bonus ball are 1 in 2,180, while you have a 1 in 97 chance of bagging £140 for getting four main numbers.
Your chances of taking home £30 for getting 3 main numbers are much better at 1 in 97.
And you have a roughly 1 in 10 chance of getting a free lucky dip for 2 matching numbers.
Chances of winning the EuroMillions
The EuroMillions costs £2.50 to play and is open on Tuesdays and Fridays.
To play, you must pick five numbers from 1-50 and two “Lucky Stars” from 1-12. Players with the most matching numbers win the top prizes.
Your chance of bagging the EuroMillions jackpot is even slimmer than winning the top Lotto prize.
This is because it generally has higher jackpots on offer, meaning it attracts more attention.
Currently, the odds of matching five numbers and two lucky stars – the top win – stand at 1 in 139,838,160.
The average jackpot prize is £57,923,499, according to EuroMillions.
The odds of winning the second top prize for matching 5 balls and a lucky star, which is typically around £262,346, are 1 in 6,991,908.
The chances of taking home the third prize for five matching balls, with an average payout of £26,277, are 1 in 3,107,515.
For four matching balls with two lucky stars, it’s 1 in 621,503, and for four balls with one lucky star, it’s 1 in 31,076. These come with an average prize of £1,489 and £95, respectively.
Chances of winning the Thunderball
Thunderball is another game run by National Lottery where you pick five numbers and one “Thunderball”. It costs just £1 to play and you can enter up to four times a week.
The jackpot of £500,000 for matching five balls plus the Thunderball is 1 in 8,060,598.
Your odds of bagging the next highest prize of £5,000 for matching five balls is currently 1 in 620,046, while the chances of winning £250 for four balls plus the Thunderball is 1 in 47,416.
You have the best chance of winning £3 for matching the Thunderball, with odds of 1 in 29.