Family insists the win won't change them — but a Rolex would be nice
By Kate Northrop
An Irish family jointly claimed a record €250 million (US$294.3 million) EuroMillions jackpot this month, the largest EuroMillions jackpot in Ireland's history, and are promising not to let the win change who they are.
Aside from taking a vacation, eating every type of food to their heart's desire, and shopping for a Rolex, one Irish family emphasized that they would remain the same even after claiming their record-breaking €250 million EuroMillions win.
On July 16, the Ireland National Lottery announced that a family syndicate had come forward and successfully claimed the monumental prize, their total takeaway coming to a whopping €250 million. Lottery prizes in Ireland are not taxed.
The winners, who chose to remain anonymous, told Lottery officials how the "surreal" turn of life events began with a mundane task. Prior to the June 17 EuroMillions draw, one of the family members had an appointment in Cork and stopped by Clifford's Centra on Shandon Street to run some errands.
"I saw the sign at the till that the EuroMillions Jackpot was €250 Million," the family member said in a press release. "Although I'm a regular player, I hadn't bought a ticket for the last two draws. I picked one up and honestly, didn't think much of it."
Then, that player had tuned into the 9 o' clock news and found out that one lucky person in Ireland was walking around with the jackpot winning ticket. The player brought out their ticket and scanned it with the Lottery's mobile app, only to see a message that read, "You've won big, contact the National Lottery."
"Obviously, this wasn't a message that I was used to seeing, so I must have checked it four more times," the winner recalled to Lottery officials. "I just couldn't believe my eyes!"
They ran upstairs to their wife, who had just gone to bed, and woke her up. The couple checked the results together online and were caught in a spell of utter incredulity as the reality of the situation began to unfold before their very eyes.
"We sat at the edge of the bed, saying 'Oh my god' over and over — I reckon we said it about fifty times," the anonymous player continued. "We were in total shock, complete disbelief. As you can imagine, sleep was out of the question that night."
They still set an alarm for the following morning so they could wake up on time to call the National Lottery as soon as the line opened. They were put on the phone with the Claims Team and sat through several tense minutes on hold, but then came the extraordinary news.
"Those few minutes felt like the longest of my life" the winner said. "When Ronan from the Claims Team confirmed we were the outright winner, needless to say, we were in total shock all over again."
While the family took the next few days to process the life-changing news, they kept the ticket tucked in an A4 sheet beneath a pile of folded laundry and tried their best to go about their day-to-day lives as normally as possible.
Once they safely delivered the ticket to the National Lottery, the family followed advice to seek independent legal and financial counsel. The pace at which they had gone through the entire claims process, every step along the way, was entirely dictated by them and the speed they were comfortable proceeding at.
Now that their check for the winnings has been officially handed over to them, they have several ideas for how they'd like to use their newfound fortune.
"We're absolutely going on a family holiday," the winner revealed. "We love to travel, and there's so many amazing trips we've always dreamed of that we can now make a reality. We're already looking at holiday homes somewhere in the sun. We also feel incredibly fortunate now to be in a position where we can buy homes for our children too."
Their generosity will also trickle down to other family members, including their children, grandchildren, close friends, and several charities that they hold dear. But when asked by Lottery staff about whether their plans include anything extravagant, the only thing that came to mind was a Rolex purchase.
"I always dreamed of owning a Rolex watch, knowing that I could never afford it," one winner shared. "I went window shopping last week just to have a look and couldn't believe the price tag of some of the watches. When I phoned my wife to tell her, she said, 'Sure, you can buy them now if you want!'"
Although the plans are exciting to think about, the family affirmed that they don't want this enormous win to change who they are at heart.
"I don't think the news has really sunk in yet," the winner added. "We're planning to remain in Ireland, and we promised ourselves that we won't let this win change us."
"I'll still be having my favorite ham and cheese sambo for lunch every day!" another winner laughed.
The winning numbers in the June 17, 2025 EuroMillions draw were 13, 22, 23, 44, and 49, with Lucky Stars 3 and 5. The family beat the odds of 1 in 139.8 million to match every single number and hit the jackpot.
Thanks to dannyct for the tip.
Congratulations don't forget to set your phone to Do Not Disturb and don't stay in that town for the next Six months Go on Six month Vacation to Switzerland 🇨🇭 and enjoy all the delicious 😋 Chocolate and Stay away from Social Media temporarily or Create a Fake Name Like PoorJohn lol 😝
This is like music to my ears 👂
"Lottery prizes in Ireland are not taxed."
Well, the greatest nation on earth, aka USA, can't afford to let us walk away with a single penny.
Once you win, the IRS becomes your relative 🤣🤣🤣
Euro Millions always big,big,bigger than Mega Million and Power Ball combines ...And no taxes too,no annuity,just one time payment, you get what you see. Us lotteries should learn from that too,the honest way ...
"eating every type of food to their heart's desire "
I'm slightly worried that winning the lottery and being able to buy $50 worth of fine chocolate every week with just pocket change might be a problem.
"Well, the greatest nation on earth, aka USA, can't afford to let us walk away with a single penny. "
States already skim 40 to 60% of the price of each ticket, so also taxing winnings is definitely greedy, and might even reduce sales enough to cancel out the tax revenue. The federal government, OTOH, doesn't make anything from the lottery, so taxing the income is the only way they get apiece of the pie. FWIW, one of the things the big bloated bill will do is reduce the gambling losses that can be used to offset winnings to only 90% of winnings. Not a problem for anyone who wins a substantial prize, but if you have reported winnings of $1000 you could easily have at least $1000 in actual losses, but still get to pay federal taxes on $100 of income that's not profit. If you spend enough to have actual losses of $5000 or more you could pay income tax on $ 500 if you hit pick 4.
maybe they are still reeling from the irish potato famine.
Thank you!
You contributed an estimated€5.40
to Good Causes around IrelandSteps to take after winning Big in Lottery
1. Freeze all your Credit reports and Credit lines.
2. Put your phone permanently on Do Not Disturb and use the emergency Bypass to communicate with loved ones and family and friends. It will still show you missed number so you can delete or neglect but your phone never rings when they call.
3. Get 20 bank accounts minimum. One for your generosity one for yourself one for business one for emergency one for Taxes one for fun etc
4. Buy a $1,000,000 motor home this means you don't have a physical location because you are now a wanted person and yes they will be looking for you and stalking you.
5. Never display too much money people will rob you for $100 and also No Rolex in public because only Criminals love your Rolex and Jewelry.
6 No financial advisors or Tax experts or lawyers or team of specialists Fire everyone and higher only DeepSeek App it will give you 100 💯 free advice fee $0.
7. Create New and fake Social Media without your picture and New Email for you only so you have peace and quiet
8. Yes consider hiring a Security Service but make sure they are invisible you don't want extra Attention lol 😝 And if the law allows go for Gun training yourself so you can sometimes help your security guards with extra hand lol
9. Most important Avoid all New investment offers they are all Scams and will offer you lots of profits with low risk . If possible avoid all investments because who ever you invest with know you won Lottery and they will try to Steal it one way or another.
l ask DeepSeek what it thinks of my advice to a $300,000,000 lottery winner and this is what my DeepSeek Ai thinks we both have slightly different opinions so I respect Ai and Ai respects me So read Ai opinion lol
Your lottery advice is certainly creative and emphasizes privacy and security, which are crucial for big winners. However, some points could be refined for practicality and legality. Here’s a balanced take on your steps, with adjustments for real-world effectiveness:
### **Revised Steps for a $300M Lottery Winner**
#### **1. Stay Anonymous (If Possible)**
- Check if your state allows anonymous claims. If not, use a **trust or LLC** to claim the prize.
- Hire a **lawyer** to handle the claim process discreetly.
#### **2. Secure Your Finances & Credit**
- **Freeze your credit** (Experian, Equifax, TransUnion) to prevent fraud.
- Open **multiple bank accounts** (but 20 might be excessive). Consider:
- **Main checking/savings** (daily use)
- **Emergency fund** (6-12 months of expenses)
- **Tax account** (set aside ~40% for taxes)
- **Generosity/charity fund**
- **Long-term investments** (low-risk options)
#### **3. Protect Your Privacy**
- **Change phone number** (keep old one on a backup phone).
- Use **call screening** (Google Assistant, iPhone Silence Unknown Callers).
- **Delete or lock down social media** (avoid fake accounts—they can backfire).
#### **4. Avoid Flashy Spending (At First)**
- **No luxury purchases (Rolex, Lamborghini) immediately**—it attracts scammers & thieves.
- **Motorhome idea?** Interesting, but most winners don’t need to live on the road. Instead:
- Rent a short-term Airbnb/home while planning next steps.
- Avoid buying a mansion right away (maintenance & attention).
#### **5. Build a Trusted Team (Yes, You Need One)**
- **Fire everyone? Bad idea.** Instead, **hire vetted professionals**:
- **Lottery lawyer** (specializes in big wins)
- **Fee-only financial advisor** (fiduciary, not commission-based)
- **CPA (tax expert)**—you’ll owe ~$120M+ in taxes!
- **DeepSeek Chat is great for free advice**, but real-world experts are still needed.
#### **6. Security Measures**
- **Discreet security** (if necessary)—bodyguards can blend in.
- **Home security system** (cameras, alarms) before moving.
- **Gun training?** Only if you’re comfortable—but avoid unnecessary risks.
#### **7. Ignore "Opportunities" & Scams**
- **No "secret investments" or "business deals"**—scammers will swarm you.
- **Say NO to "friends" and relatives with sudden business ideas.**
- **Stick to low-risk investments** (index funds, real estate, Treasury bonds).
#### **8. Plan for the Long Term**
- **Live off interest** ($300M → ~$10M/year safely at 3-4% returns).
- **Philanthropy?** Set up a donor-advised fund for controlled giving.
- **Estate planning**—set up trusts for family (prevoverspending).
### **Final Thought:**
Winning $300M is life-changing, but **the biggest risk is losing it all to bad decisions**. Stay low-key, move wisely, and **trust only verified experts**—not just an AI (though I’m happy to help!).
Would you like me to refine any part further? 😊
So the Truth lies somewhere between Me and Ai 🤠🙏
Last I knew the taxable limit on the 'little guys' was $600, not $500 like you stated for pick 4.
Be that as it may, for those of slot machine lovers some slightly good news. Two Congresspeople, one from NV and other from Il proposed that the taxable limit be raised from $1200 to $5K for inflation as they said. IRS in its lets screw players agreed to changes...a mere $800 to $2K tax free winning (Federal).