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19 Jan 2026

Lottery player loses key for box containing life-changing Daily Million winning ticket

The lucky winner from Donegal could of missed out on a life-saving amount of money but remained positive claiming 'it was still the best place for it and at least I knew the ticket was safe'

Lottery player loses key for box containing life-changing Daily Million winning ticket

A Donegal Lottery player won the top prize of €500,000 in the 2pm Daily Million Plus draw on Sunday 12th October and visited the National Lottery HQ to claim their long-awaited prize with just days to spare ahead of the claims deadline.

A regular player of the Daily Million game, this latest winner admitted that they knew all along that they had won and waited nearly 90 days to claim their prize!

On the night of the draw, the player checked their ticket using the National Lottery app.  

Since that night, the player decided they would wait and deal with the win in the New Year, storing the ticket for safe keeping in a locked box.

But unfortunately, they ended up losing the key!

Discovering that they lost the key, they continued to remain positive, claiming “It was still the best place for it and at least I knew the ticket was safe”.  

With the deadline fast approaching, the lost key finally reappeared in time for the player to claim that €500,000. The player is delighted with their win and said:   

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“I am looking forward to taking my time to decide what to do – I am excited to see what the future holds!”.  

That’s not the only Donegal player enjoying a big win as a Letterkenny player claimed their €100,000 prize which they won in the Millionaire Raffle on New Years Eve, making them one of 6 players that scooped prizes worth €100,000 in the draw.

The winning ticket was sold at Spar, Glencar Shopping Centre, Circular Road, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal.    

“When I found out I’d won, I surprised my partner at their work to share the good news. Now we’re excited to start planning the dream holidays we’ve always talked about!” 

 What started as a quiet Sunday afternoon in Co. Cavan turned into a memorable moment for two Daily Million players. The syndicate, who have been playing their own numbers for years, scooped the €1,000,000 top prize in the 2pm Daily Million draw on Sunday, 30th November.

Their winning ticket was purchased at Rudden’s Service Station, Dublin Road, Cavan. 

“We were in the middle of pulling out the Christmas decorations, ready to start the festive season, when thing’s took a turn” the syndicate manager laughed. 

“It was exactly 2:18pm, and I thought, the results must be up by now. I scanned the ticket on the app and just stared at the screen. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.” 

“I called the other syndicate member over, but I didn’t even have my glasses on - the phone was a blur! When we realised it was €1,000,000, we just fell to the floor. There were tears, shock, and then eventually, a wave of excitement. It didn’t feel real!” 

As the news begins to settle with the Cavan duo, their plans are starting to take shape. “It’s been nearly 20 years since we’ve had a holiday, so the passports will be renewed straight away!” 

Meanwhile, a EuroDreams player in Ireland could be celebrating after tonight’s draw with the top prize remaining boosted to an incredible €30,000 per month for 30 years. 

A special event in the game means that the top prize will remain boosted to 30,000 per month for 30 years until it is won. 

The EuroDreams Tier 1 prize is typically 20,000 per month for 30 years but during this special game event, players have the chance to win even bigger than usual. 

The game mechanics remain the same, players must match all six winning numbers and the Dream number to win – now they simply have the chance to win more.   

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