Where Would You Hide Your Winning Lottery Ticket?
Last Updated: Wednesday 23rd September 2020, 14:41
Matching a winning lottery line is just the start of your new life as a multimillionaire, but before the National Lottery can transfer your windfall into your bank account, you have to go through the claims process.
Although this can be completed relatively swiftly, there may be a couple of days when you are in possession of a hugely valuable slip of paper on which your new status completely rides. Where would you hide your winning lottery ticket to keep it safe?
Hide the Lottery Ticket in a Kitchen Jar
Amo Riselli, who scored £24.5 million in the Lotto draw on Wednesday 27th December 2017, didn’t realise he was a winner at first, keeping the unchecked ticket in the glove compartment of his taxi. However, after a shopkeeper scanned the slip and he confirmed his big win with lottery bosses, Amo needed a new place to stash the precious document.
The Gloucester dad-of-five’s 80-year-old mum Maria came to the rescue, placing the ticket in a glass jar in her kitchen cupboard and regularly checking to see if it was still there. The lucky winner now intends to buy a mansion with a swimming pool and jet off to Las Vegas.
Attach the Winning Ticket to a Person
Preston North End fullback Kevin O’Connor won €1 million (£880,000) on New Year’s Eve thanks to the Christmas Millionaire Raffle in his native Ireland. The footballer had been sent the ticket as a Christmas gift by his godfather, and didn’t have a clue where he had put it when he took a call from his parents on New Year’s Day urging him to check his numbers.
Thankfully, his girlfriend Chloe O’Leary had tidied it up and eventually remembered its location. Unfortunately, Kevin couldn’t claim his prize immediately, as he was named in the matchday squad for the Lilywhites’ 1st January clash against Middlesbrough, so the couple hatched a plan to keep it safe.
Chloe sat through the game, in which Kevin was an unused substitute, with the ticket in her bag, clutched to her chest. On collecting the cash, she admitted it had been an awkward 90 minutes, “Everyone was like, ‘You love your bag today don’t you?” she told the assembled press.
Keep Your Ticket Under Your Pillow
A surprisingly large number of lottery winners from around the world believe the best place to keep a valuable, delicate slip of paper is under their pillow. Great grandmother Annie Showell from Scunthorpe checked her EuroMillions numbers before turning in for the night in May 2017 and discovered she had won the £1 million Millionaire Maker prize. Rather than wake husband John to confirm the win, she rested her pillow on the ticket and suffered an understandably restless night.
Other pillow stashers include an NZ$8 million (£4.2 million) New Zealand Powerball winner last July and Michael Liddy of Canning Town in London, who won £4.9 million on Lotto in 2002.
Damaged or Lost Lottery Tickets
Although these winners all successfully kept hold of their winning tickets, it is easy to lose or damage the playslip you need to be able to claim your prize. Although the National Lottery can investigate reports of lost lottery tickets at their discretion, there is no guarantee they will pay out, so you should always sign the back of the entry and keep it in a safe, memorable place.
To avoid this worry, you could play online, where your tickets are held digitally, so can never be lost. You also receive an email telling you if you are a winner and the claims process is simple and straightforward. If you choose EuroMillions numbers online at Jackpot.com in January, you receive a free additional line. Follow the link in the banner above to redeem this offer.
