‘Complete shock’ for Cork player who wins €500k on scratch card

A Co Cork woman has described how they couldn’t believe their eyes when they scratched their way to an incredible €500,000 on an All Cash Extravaganza scratch card.

After officially claiming their €500,000 prize which they won on a on a €20 All Cash Extravaganza scratch card, the lucky Cork player told how they randomly purchased their winning scratch card at Herlihy’s Maxol store in Ballincollig.

‘It was such a sliding doors moment in a way. I’d usually treat myself to a scratch card every week and I don’t usually purchase this scratch card. I saw this particular scratch card in the lottery stand in the shop and there it is, all alone – the very last one in its slot. I knew I had to have it,’ she laughed.

‘It’s just been an incredible couple of days. I had absolutely convinced myself that I’d only won €50,000. I was in so much shock that I missed out on a zero! When I called the National Lottery to see if I was a winner, the chap on the phone told me that I’d won a half million euro. I nearly passed out with the excitement,’ she added.

The delighted winner is going to speak to their bank manager and think carefully about what to do with her new-found fortune before making any big plans. ‘Even now that I have the cheque in front of my eyes, it just doesn’t feel real. I’m going to put the cheque in the bank and take a couple of days to settle my nerves. Of course, I have thought about what I want to spend the money on but I didn’t want to make any plans for fear that I would jinx it,' she laughed.

'The first thing to go will be the mortgage, so it will be amazing for me to be mortgage free. I’ll have to have a chat with my bank manager about my plans for the rest of the money but I’m going to treat myself to a lovely new car and have a couple of holidays in the next month or so. It’s all very new and exciting.’