{"id":1767,"date":"2025-03-31T15:03:14","date_gmt":"2025-03-31T15:03:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/?p=1767"},"modified":"2025-04-01T23:09:40","modified_gmt":"2025-04-01T23:09:40","slug":"will-the-209000000-euromillions-winner-go-public-and-who-else-has-won","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/31\/will-the-209000000-euromillions-winner-go-public-and-who-else-has-won\/","title":{"rendered":"Will the \u00a3209,000,000 EuroMillions winner go public \u2013 and who else has won?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n\t\t\"Everything\t<\/div>
Caption:Everything we know about the EuroMillions winner and about previous winners too<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The largest ever EuroMillions<\/a> jackpot has been scooped by one lucky man in Austria.<\/p>\n

He won \u00a3209,000,000 on Friday night<\/a> after spending just \u20ac10 on online tickets, according to Austrian newspaper\u00a0Kronen Zeitung<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The man\u2019s identity hasn\u2019t been revealed and it\u2019s not yet clear if he\u2019s chosen to remain anonymous.<\/p>\n

Many jackpot winners do, although UK couple Joe and Jess Thwaite<\/a>, who won the fifth largest amount, \u20ac215 million (around \u00a3184 million at the time) in May 2022, did go public.<\/p>\n

They said they didn\u2019t want to burden friends and family with such a big secret. <\/p>\n

More about the Thwaites and others who have gone public<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Joe was 49 at the time of the win and working as communications sales engineer and Jess, was 44 and a business manager of a hairdressing salon.<\/p>\n

The parents-of-two, from Gloucestershire, said the phenomenal win \u2018gives us time to dream which we haven\u2019t had before\u2019.<\/p>\n

Their first purchase was a chest of drawers and a wardrobe for their bedroom \u2013 but they said their number one priority was supporting family members after a \u2018hard few years, just like many people and families across the country\u2019.<\/p>\n

Joe said he normally bought a EuroMillions Lucky Dip ticket \u2018because it\u2019s easier\u2019 and purchased the winning ticket on The National Lottery App.<\/p>\n

They had no idea of the result until Joe woke up at 5.15am the next morning to tend to their dogs \u2013 and received an email saying \u2018Good news, you\u2019ve won a prize\u2019.<\/p>\n

Showing extreme self control, Joe didn\u2019t wake up his wife to share the news after seeing the nine-figure prize.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"Joe\t<\/div>
Caption: Joe Thwaite, 49, and Jess Thwaite, 46, from Gloucestershire
(Credits: PA)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u2018I saw how much and I didn\u2019t know what to do\u2019, he said.\u00a0\u2018I couldn\u2019t go back to sleep, I didn\u2019t want to wake Jess up so I just laid there for what seemed like forever.<\/p>\n

\u2018I spent some time searching for property with no budget limit, which was a novelty!\u2019<\/p>\n

When the alarm finally rang, Joe turned to Jess and said: \u2018I\u2019ve got a secret, I\u2019ve got something to tell you.\u2019<\/p>\n

Hearing the news in disbelief, his wife thought he was joking, concluded that it wasn\u2019t worth getting too excited about as it probably wasn\u2019t true and got up to make a coffee.<\/p>\n

But, after going about their normal morning routine, the pair called dedicated phone number when the lines opened at 8am and were told they had just become the UK\u2019s then biggest-ever winners.<\/p>\n

While many of us would call our managers to say we weren\u2019t coming in and crack out the champagne, Jess and Joe went about their normal day, doing the school run and settling down to work from home.<\/p>\n

Unable to keep the news in, Jess met her mum in a car park before work \u2013 with her screaming reaction bringing it home how life-changing the money would be and both breaking down in tears.<\/p>\n

The couple have acknowledged their previous financial situation was \u2018not horrendous\u2019 but say the cost of living crisis had \u2018affected our lives\u2019.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"EuroMillions\t<\/div>
Frances and Patrick Connolly from Belfast won almost \u00a3115 million in 2019 (Picture: AFP\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Jess said: \u2018Just like many people and families across the country, the last few years have been hard. My sister and I have tried to look after the business and the 20 staff, but times are difficult in hairdressing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2018Joe has been working hard and we have always tried to put everything into doing the best we can for the children.<\/p>\n

\u2018We\u2019ve had one week to think about this and we now have time to share lots of experiences and go on adventures with our family and friends.\u2019<\/p>\n

One couple who scored a \u00a3115 million EuroMillions jackpot had given away more than half of their winnings<\/a> to loved ones, charities and those in need during the coronavirus crisis within two years of wining. <\/p>\n

Frances\u00a0Connolly wrote a list of 50 close friends and family to help as she was too excited to sleep on the night she and husband Patrick, 56, secured their fortune on New Year\u2019s Day 2019.<\/p>\n

Almost two years on, the pair had given away \u00a360 million \u2013 extending their generosity to health workers on the Covid-19 frontline, care home residents, hospital patients and hundreds of other people.<\/p>\n

The husband and wife, from Moira, County Down, vowed to not become part of the \u2018jet set\u2019 when they celebrated their win with a hug and a cup of tea.<\/p>\n

They stayed true to their promise, laughing off the opportunity to live in a 15-bed stately home and deciding against flying first class to New Zealand to visit their daughter. They say they could have helped a young couple pay off a mortgage with the ticket price.<\/p>\n

Another couple who went public with a EuroMillions win was Richard and Debbie Nuttall, from Colne, Lancashire.<\/p>\n

They scooped \u00a361.7 million <\/a>share of a \u00a3123 million jackpot in January 2024.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"??61\t<\/div>
Richard Nuttall, pictured with his wife Debbie, initially thought he had won \u00a32.60
(Picture: Bruce Adams\/Daily Mail)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

They were in Fuerteventura celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary in January when an email from the National Lottery told them they had exciting news.<\/p>\n

Mr Nuttall, a self-employed accountant, said when he checked his account online he saw a win of \u00a32.60.<\/p>\n

He said: \u2018So I went through to Debs and I said we\u2019ve won \u00a32.60 on the lottery and she was like: \u201cWoohoo, we\u2019ll go and have a bacon butty or something with that.\u201d\u2018<\/p>\n

But he later realised the \u00a32.60 was from a win in November and when he logged in again later that day, after another email, he saw a figure of \u00a361,708,231.<\/p>\n

He tried to call the National Lottery from Fuerteventura but a bad signal in the Canary Island meant four calls kept cutting out.<\/p>\n

\u2018I\u2019m thinking, \u201cthis is a scam, someone\u2019s trying to extract information out of me inch by inch,\u201d\u2018 he said.<\/p>\n

He said: \u2018Obviously we were stunned but also very excited at the time, it was almost like Del Boy and Rodney when they come out of Sotheby\u2019s and they start cheering and punching the air, the car was rocking.\u2019<\/p>\n

And in 2016 Sonia Davies, then 53, and her family won \u00a361 million on the EuroMillions after she asked her daughter to buy tickets because she was \u2018on a roll\u2019 days after having a potentially deadly tumour removed.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"\"\t<\/div>
(Photo Illustration by Jonathan Raa\/NurPhoto via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The mum was in the US for the pioneering surgery when she called her eldest daughter, Stephanie, 23, back home in Wales, and asked her to pick up some tickets for the family syndicate and said \u2018we\u2019re on a winning streak\u2019. <\/p>\n

Stephanie bought six lucky dips with 40 minutes to spare before the deadline, and one of those turned out to be very lucky. <\/p>\n

Admin assistant Sonia said: \u2018I felt cured by the Friday and was a\u00a0multi-millionaire\u00a0by the evening, it was just unreal.\u2019<\/p>\n

What have EuroMillions winners bought in the past?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

In the past, people who have\u00a0gone public with lottery wins<\/a>\u00a0have chosen to spend their cash on\u00a0new houses<\/a>, cars, holidays and on their family and friends.<\/p>\n

\u2018The people who spend the money too quickly are a very, very small percentage,\u2019 Andy Carter, who was a Senior Winner\u2019s Advisor at former Lottery owners Camelot, previously told the Metro. <\/p>\n

\u2018The vast majority of winners are very conservative \u2013 they have been blessed with a huge amount of money and they want to protect it.\u2019<\/p>\n

Can winning the lottery bring more misery than joy?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Although many winners, like Andy said, are careful with their money history has a fair few examples of\u00a0winners\u00a0who haven\u2019t been so cautious and their lives have taken a turn for the worse as a result. <\/p>\n

Some studies<\/a>\u00a0suggest lottery winners in the US are more likely to declare bankruptcy within three to five years compared to the average citizen.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"Michael\t<\/div>
Michael Carroll, who won a \u00a39.7 million in 2002, has appeared in court several times over the years (Picture: PA)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Around one-third find themselves in financial trouble \u2013 and it does not end there.<\/p>\n

The pressure may force someone to spiral into depression, and lead to alcohol and drug abuse and problems with family and friends.<\/p>\n

One such example in the UK is Michael Carroll, a bin man who won \u00a39,700,000<\/a> on the National Lottery in 2002 \u2013 but declared bankruptcy nine years later.<\/p>\n

Dubbed the \u2018Lotto<\/a>\u00a0lout\u2019, he gave \u00a34 million to friends and family, including \u00a31,400,000 to his wife Sandra Aiken.<\/p>\n

But shortly after the couple wed in 2003, she decided she had had enough.<\/p>\n

Over the next few years, Carroll appeared in court more than 30 times while a mansion he bought in Norfolk fell into a state of disrepair.<\/p>\n

He has admitted he wasted millions on cocaine, gambling, prostitutes and drinking two bottles of vodka a day.<\/p>\n

By 2013, Carroll was broke and homeless, so he returned to Scotland and worked in a biscuit factory and then a slaughterhouse before landing a job as a coal man.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"Mandatory\t<\/div>
Adrian and Gillian Bayford celebrate winning over \u00a3148 million but later divorced and have had their share of woes (Picture: Beretta\/Sims\/REX\/Shutterstock)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Then there\u2019s Adrian and Gillian Bayford, who won \u00a0\u00a3148,656,000 in August 2012, but are no longer married. <\/p>\n

Gillian now has\u00a0a conviction<\/a>\u00a0for threatening her ex-boyfriend, domestic abuse charity worker Gavin Innes, who she pushed and shouted at in 2017.<\/p>\n

She then married convicted fraudster Brian Deans, before\u00a0ditching him<\/a>\u00a0because he begged for more and more money after blowing the monthly allowance she gave him on cars, watches and trips with friends.<\/p>\n

Adrian, meanwhile, turned to eating\u00a050 Cornish pasties a day<\/a>\u00a0to cope with loneliness after being dumped by younger women, one of whom he dated while sending saucy messages to an ex.<\/p>\n

Another jackpot winning couple to divorce after scooping big was Colin and Chris Weir, who won \u00a3161.6 million in 2011.<\/p>\n

They split up some months before Colin\u00a0died of sepsis<\/a>\u00a0and an acute kidney injury in December 2019, at the age of 71.<\/p>\n

By then he had spent half his \u00a380million share of the fortune on cars, property and a controlling stake in his favourite football club, Partick Thistle.<\/p>\n

The former TV cameraman also donated millions to the Scottish National Party and the pro-independence Yes campaign ahead of the 2014 referendum.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"\"\t<\/div>
Adrian turned to eating Cornish pastries and Gillian married a convicted fraudster (Picture: Oli Scarff\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What actually happens when you win the EuroMillions?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

If you find yourself in the almost impossible-to-imagine situation of having a winning lottery ticket, the first thing to do (once you\u2019ve finished screaming into a pillow or jumping up and down) is to turn the ticket over and find the phone number to ring.<\/p>\n

Andy explained:\u00a0\u2018If you were to win the EuroMillions<\/a> tomorrow night, you would check the ticket, ring the number on the back of the ticket and that would put you through to a lottery line. They would then get a member of my team to call you back.\u2019<\/p>\n

This first phone call to the National Lottery<\/a> call centre is important, because it sets in motion the crucial steps that all lottery winners must follow to claim their prize.<\/p>\n

How does the National Lottery contact winners?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

From the moment you realise you\u2019ve won to actually getting the money, winners are looked after every step of the way by a dedicated team of National Lottery \u2018Winner\u2019s Advisors\u2019 like Andy.<\/p>\n

It is their job to support winners through the entire process so they can begin to enjoy their life-changing win.<\/p>\n

Andy, or one of his advisor team members, will call lottery winners back as quickly as possible once they receive news that a EuroMillions prize has been claimed.<\/p>\n

After the initial phone call with the winners\u2019 advisor team, Andy or one of his colleagues will visit the winner, in person.<\/p>\n

Ideally, you\u2019ll get a visit the next day, or failing that\u00a0as soon as the winner can allow<\/a>.<\/p>\n

How long after winning the lottery do you get your money? <\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n
\n\t\t\"Mandatory\t<\/div>
Colin and Chris Weir from Falkirk, Scotland won \u00a3161.6 million in 2011 (Picture: Daniel Gilfeather\/REX\/Shutterstock)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

During the home visit by the Winners Advisory team, a number of checks will be carried out to verify the winner.<\/p>\n

\u2018Within half an hour I can tell if someone has won the money,\u2019 Andy revealed.<\/p>\n

As well as checking the winning ticket is legit,the advisory team are there to answer any questions that the winners may have and, as you can imagine for someone who has just become a (sometimes multi) millionaire, they have more than a few.<\/p>\n

\u2018Sometimes we get to people\u2019s houses and we don\u2019t even open the computer for an hour because we just sit there and answer people\u2019s questions,\u2019 Andy said. \u2018This could sometimes last all day.\u2019<\/p>\n

As soon as the winning ticket is verified and the ID of the winner confirmed, the Lottery can pay the winner their money on that very day.<\/p>\n

However, once the money is paid into an elected bank account, it takes two days for the money to process before it can be withdrawn.<\/p>\n

This means that the longest you have to wait before getting the money is around three days between discovering you\u2019ve won the lottery and actually being able to spend the cash.<\/p>\n

Where do lottery winners put their money?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Winners have no choice but to have their winning sum deposited in one, single bank account by the Lottery \u2013 so there\u2019s no stuffing it under your bedroom mattress or locking it in your personal safe.<\/p>\n

The winner can choose the bank they would like to hold the money with, but a brand new account with that bank is set up \u2013 usually with a private arm of that bank who specialise with dealing with large sums of money of this kind.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"Illustration\t<\/div>
It\u2019s up to the winner if they want to go public or remain anonymous (Picture: AFP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This bank account can be open for as long as the winner needs it to be, or they can move the money to other accounts once it has cleared after a couple of days.<\/p>\n

Can EuroMillions winners remain anonymous?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Yes and as we mentioned earlier, many people choose not to go public.<\/p>\n

\u2018All winners are anonymous<\/a>,\u2019 Andy confirmed, \u2018This is the default position for all lottery winners.\u2019<\/p>\n

Andy also impresses that any publicity surrounding a winner is a personal choice and there is no set media schedule \u2013 every winner is different.<\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2019s entirely the winner\u2019s decision if they want to share news of their win. We have an aftercare programme in place to ensure that all winners have access to legal and financial advice.<\/p>\n

\u2018Sometimes we go to a winner\u2019s home and we\u2019ve already had media enquiries before we even get there because the winner wants to celebrate their win and mark it publicly,\u2019 Andy explained.<\/p>\n

\u2018Often the rule of thumb tends to be the higher the amount of money the more likely the winner will be to take publicity.\u2019<\/p>\n

However, if a winner does choose to keep their newfound wealth a secret, then Andy and his team are the only ones to know about the win.<\/p>\n

He says: \u2018It\u2019s often the case that when a winner decides to remain anonymous, we are the only people that know about their win so we keep in touch with them for as long as they want to. Often they like to talk to someone or just let us know what they have been up to.\u2019<\/p>\n

Is your spouse entitled to your lottery winnings?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

When it comes to the decision to keep a lottery win a secret or tell the whole world, you\u2019d think that either way, one of the people to definitely be in the loop would be the winner\u2019s partner or spouse.<\/p>\n

But, should you want to keep your newfound wealth entirely to yourself, the National Lottery certainly isn\u2019t going to tell you otherwise.<\/p>\n

\u2018A National Lottery win belongs to the signatories of the relevant validation paperwork. How a winner(s) chooses to share (or not) winnings is their personal decision,\u2019 Elanor Corbett, PR Executive at The National Lottery confirmed to Metro.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"\"\t<\/div>
The National Lottery raises \u00a330 million for good causes every week (Picture: Jonathan Raa\/NurPhoto via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Are EuroMillions winnings taxable?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u2018There is no tax on the win itself, but if the win produces an income through interest, then that will be taxed as part of your normal income tax,\u2019 Andy explained.<\/p>\n

Does EuroMillions money go to charity?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u2018The only way the EuroMillions jackpot would go to National Lottery Good Causes is if the jackpot is won in a draw but, for whatever reason, the ticket-holder does not then subsequently come forward to claim,\u2019 Elanor told us.<\/p>\n

\u2018Unclaimed prizes have a maximum of 180 days to be claimed from the date of the winning draw. After that, the money plus the interest it has generated whilst it is held in trust, is passed over to National Lottery Good Causes.<\/p>\n

\u2018Each week, The National Lottery raises around \u00a330 million for Good Causes because every time a National Lottery ticket is bought a proportion of the ticket sale automatically goes to National Lottery Good Causes.\u2019<\/p>\n

Which countries have had the most EuroMillions winners?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Perhaps unsurprisingly, out of the nine countries that take part in the lottery, those with the highest populations have the largest number of jackpot winners over the years.<\/p>\n

The UK, with a population of almost 67 million, tops the table with 132 jackpot winners since the contest started in 2004, while\u00a0France,\u00a0which has a population of around 66.6 million, follows closely behind with 130 winners.<\/p>\n

Spain, with a population of 49 million, comes third with 122 winners.<\/p>\n

Portugal, meanwhile has had 86 winners, Belgium 45, Switzerland 26, Ireland 19 and the tiny country of Luxembourg, 4.<\/p>\n

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk<\/a>.<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

For more stories like this, <\/strong>check our news page<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Caption:Everything we know about the EuroMillions winner and about previous winners too The largest ever EuroMillions jackpot has been scooped by one lucky man in Austria. He won \u00a3209,000,000 on Friday night after spending just \u20ac10 on online tickets, according to Austrian newspaper\u00a0Kronen Zeitung. The man\u2019s identity hasn\u2019t been revealed and it\u2019s not yet clear […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1769,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1767","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uk"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1767","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1767"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1767\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1781,"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1767\/revisions\/1781"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1769"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1767"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1767"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1767"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}