Guildford Chef Still Digesting Big Set For Life Win
Last Updated: Wednesday 23rd September 2020, 13:51
A sous-chef from Guildford has revealed that he thought it was a cruel trick when he first found out that he had won Set For Life - a game that his Italian mother jokingly refers to as ‘Grandma Elizabeth’s lottery’.
Matteo Raggio, 25, bought a Lucky Dip online for the Set For Life draw on Thursday 12th December. He matched all five main numbers - just missing the Life Ball - to win £10,000 a month for the next year.
Matteo, who is originally from Italy, only purchased his entry an hour before the draw took place and initially thought he had only won £5 when he saw he had an email to notify him he had a prize. When he saw the £10,000 message, he kept refreshing the page to check it was true, and the shock left him unable to sleep.
He still got up at 7am the next morning to go to work and only phoned National Lottery operator Camelot when he got home to get the news confirmed. He is now looking forward to getting on the property ladder and treating his parents to a holiday, but has no plans to give up work.
“I wouldn't let the team down this close to Christmas so it'll be business as usual, with long hours in the restaurant kitchen with everyone else,” he insisted. “The first thing my chef asked me is if I was going to quit but I have a great job so I've no plans to give it up.
“There's only one change I want to make. Until last Thursday I couldn't have dreamt of buying my own home. Now, if I'm sensible, I will be able to start looking for something in the coming months. But of course, first is the holiday for my parents. I'm the eldest of five, I think mum and dad deserve a break thanks to my winnings from Grandma Elizabeth's lottery.”
Big Set For Life Winners
Set For Life only launched in March of this year, becoming the National Lottery’s first annuity game. Instead of offering a big one-off jackpot like other games such as EuroMillions, the top two prizes are paid out in regular instalments over a period of time. This was designed to attract younger players such as Matteo.
While the second prize is £10,000 a month for one year, winners of the Set For Life jackpot receive £10,000 every month for 30 years. You must match all five main numbers plus the Life Ball to snag the top prize.
One lucky ticket holder managed to do just that in the draw on Thursday 19th December, matching the numbers 13, 18, 26, 37 and 38, plus the Life Ball of 1. They now have 180 days to come forward and can decide to go public like Matteo or stay anonymous.
Other big Set For Life winners this year have included Dean Weymes from Peterborough. An aspiring script writer, he won the jackpot on 29th July at the age of 24 and revealed that he would start to work through his bucket list. He quit his job with Amazon to pursue his love of film and theatre, and set his sights on a hot air balloon, tandem skydive and family trip to Disneyland Paris.
The next Set For Life draw on Monday 23rd December will be the final one to take place before Christmas, and a big win would set you up not just for this festive season but for years to come. Pick up a ticket and then check the Set For Life Results to see if you are a winner.
