I won £73 million on the lottery but it’s not easy – avoiding ‘leeches’ is hard
A MAN has revealed that he won £73 million on the lottery thanks to numbers that were randomly generated.
The anonymous lottery winner revealed that life has totally changed for him since the win – not only does he now have a chef and a driver, but he also has two maids.
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However, he confessed that things haven’t been as easy as you might imagine – as he’s had to learn how to avoid ‘leeches’.
The man took to social media to open up on his epic win, leaving many totally stunned.
Posting on Reddit, on the ‘AMA’ thread under the username @gintonicandlemon, the man simply penned: “One year ago, I won (around) $96 million [approximately £73 million] on the lottery.”
The man then explained that prior to his win, he had “a really decent job”.
Read more real life stories
He shared: “My boss and colleagues were (and still are) really awesome to me, so I only told them what happened and quit without making a fuss. We still are very much friends to this day.”
The winner claimed that prior to the win, he would play the lottery sometimes once a month, as he continued: “I used to play once a month, maybe once every two months.
“I bought two tickets, one random, one chosen. Winner was the random one.
“I was middle class, had a normal life with a little bit of struggle but nothing major.
“No debt but no money saved, no car, used a lot of Uber, had my money to buy my (minor) stuff.”
He explained that he won the lottery during the Coronavirus pandemic, but it hasn’t changed his outlook on life “that much”.
He confessed: “I can’t say that my outlook has changed that much: only less worries and a bigger house.
“I was never a “work hard” person, so I don’t miss working much.
“I like my routine in a more “easy” way, taking more care of myself and my family now.
I have a chef, a cook assistant, a driver, two maids and a personal assistant
Lottery winner
“A normal day to me would be: wake up around 8:30am, breakfast, rest, workout, lunch, nap, meetings/business (like employees or decisions), dinner, free time after dinner.
“On weekends, having my friends over for some drinks and dinner.
“I’m at the animal shelter once every 15 days, I go there to see how the dogs are going and if everything is fine and, of course, enjoy their company.”
Everything you need to know about Lottery and EuroMillions
When it comes to his lottery purchases, the Reddit user claimed: “[The] most “unnecessary” thing I’ve purchased is a vintage jersey of my football team. Wasn’t cheap but I was really happy to buy it!
“I have a total of nine employees full time (three for my mum and six for me), and five more that I get services occasionally.
“My mum has a chef, a driver and a cleaning maid. I have a chef, a cook assistant, a driver, two maids and a personal assistant.
I only help who I’ve known for a long time…helps me avoid leechers. If I don’t 100% trust them, I don’t help them
Lottery winner
“Also the occasional are a nutritionist, a lawyer, a personal shopper, an office guy (takes care of paying bills, going to the bank, etc) and a bookkeeper.”
The winner then shared all on how he has helped others with the prize, as he continued: “I only help who I’ve known for a long time, so I know their struggles and how they really could use my help. Helps me avoid leechers.
“It’s kinda simple: If I don’t 100% trust them, I don’t help them.”
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.
Not only has he helped those close to him, but he’s also invested a lot of the money too, as he concluded: “I have invested about 90% of my total prize.
“Now I get a fixed monthly rate from my bank and I treat it as my “salary” and live only with it, so the money doesn’t shrink.
“The rest of the 10% I used to start my new life, buy an apartment, business, and celebrate.”
REDDIT USERS LEFT STUNNED
Reddit users were left stunned at the man’s claims and were eager to know more about his epic win.
One person asked: “What was the first thing you did?”
To this, the man confirmed: “Well, after a few days, I called all my friends and mum to tell them the news, and we got wasted on wine and pizza.”
UK’s biggest lottery winners
By Ethan Singh
- Anonymous winner – £195,707,000
A UK ticket-holder scooped the record EuroMillions jackpot of £195 million on July 19 2022 – the biggest National Lottery win of all time.
The holder, who remains anonymous to this day, amassed the fortune with just one lucky ticket.
- Joe and Jess Thwaite – £184,262,899.10
Britain’s previous EuroMillions record holders were Joe and Jess Thwaite.
The couple won a record-breaking £184million jackpot in May 2022 and shared hopes of a Hawaiian holiday and a new horse box for their children’s ponies.
Joe bought his winning ticket online on May 10, 2022, and the following morning received an email with good news.
As he learnt of the huge win, he was in disbelief and initially kept it for himself as he did not want to disturb his wife, who was sleeping.
Joe, a communications sales engineer, and Jess, who runs a hairdressing salon with her sister, have been married for 11 years and have two children.
- Colin and Chris Weir, £161,653,000
Colin and Christine Weir landed the colossal prize money in 2011 and were Europe’s second-biggest winners until someone in Italy won a jackpot worth £193m in 2019.
They splashed the cash at an astounding rate of £100,000 a week before tragedy struck.
But at the time of Colin’s death in December 2019 his share of the prize money had dwindled by around £40m.
He spent the millions living a life of luxury, forking out for sports cars, property and the football club he supported.
Colin and Christine divorced shortly before his death after being married for 38 years.
He left money for their children Carly and Jamie.
- Adrian and Gillian Brayford – £148,600,000
Adrian and Gillian won 190 million euros in a EuroMillions draw in August 2012, which came to just over £148 million.
But Adrian split from Gillian the following year because of the stress of the win.
The couple bought a Grade II listed estate in Cambridgeshire, complete with cinema and billiards room, but it was sold in 2021.
After divorcing in 2013, he failed to woo ex-sausage factory worker Marta Jarosz — but fell for stable girl Sam Burbidge.
She left him in 2017, taking 30 prize horses Adrian bought.
It might have worked out in the end for Adrian though as the former postman was seen smiling with ambulance worker Tracey Biles last year.
- Frances and Patrick Connolly – £114,969,775
Former social worker and teacher Frances set up two charitable foundations after she and her husband hit the jackpot.
They scooped almost £115 million on New Year’s Day 2019.
She estimates that she has already given away £60 million to charitable causes, as well as friends and family.
- Richard and Debbie Nuttall – £61,000,000
The couple from Colne, Lancashire, took home £61 million on January 30 2024.
Both 54, they were enjoying a holiday in Fuerteventura, celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary.
But they then discovered the big EuroMillions win.
Richard revealed they originally thought they had won £2.60, but then received another email telling the pair to check their account.
Other eye-watering anonymous winners:
Another anonymous winner scooped up a prize of £123,458,008 in the June Superdraw rollover.
Following nine rollovers, one ticketholder bagged the £122,550,350 jackpot last April.
The successful participant chose to remain anonymous.
Another anonymous winner found their fortune during the Superdraw jackpot rollover in April 2018, securing £121,328,187.
Another questioned: “Do you still use coupons?”
To this, the lottery winner replied: “Of course. If I can pay less, I absolutely will!”
A third wondered: “How have the people closest to you changed in their attitudes towards you?”
People have sometimes tried to take little advantages
Lottery winner
In response, the Reddit user shared: “Well, I’ve always had three closest friends and was already engaged, so in my inner circle, nothing changed, they treat me like before.
“Only thing that changed is that they don’t expect to pay for anything anymore when we’re together.
“That’s something I’ve made clear since the beginning, they are like family and it’s a pleasure for me to pay for them on these occasions.
“Other people have sometimes tried to take little advantages but nothing crazy.
“Rest is like trying to ask for phones as birthday presents, asking me for money for food when I know they don’t need it.”
