Imagine the horror of discovering you’d just won the lottery after you’d accidentally ripped ticket in two. That’s what happened to a recent EuroMillions lottery winner. It’s upsetting enough when you end up throwing away a small prize, but the retired couple won more than that. This was the story of Fred and Lesley Higgins from Aberdeenshire, revealed as a £58m winning couple. But it was not their fault. A few days after the draw, they went into their local shop and asked the cashier to check the numbers. When nothing happened, the cashier told Mr Higgins that the ticket did not win.
Mr Higgins then “Ripped Ticket in Two”
He took the ticket, tore it up and placed it in the bin. Then a message flashed up on the screen and in horror, the cashier pointed out the mistake. The ticket was retrieved and restored. Luckily, as it was only torn in half, there was not a problem and the winner was able to contact EuroMillions lottery HQ. It was not until he returned home that Mr Higgins was shocked to discover the enormous win. The couple are reportedly avid players of the Tuesday and Friday draws of EuroMillions.
It’s often hard to believe such stories. Many winners think they’ve won a much smaller prize than they have actually won. The Higgins’ were no different and they thought they’d won “just” £5.7m. But imagine their surprise to discover it was ten times that much, especially after Mr Higgins ripped ticket in two after mistakenly believing the ticket was a loser. However, because of the ticket damage, Camelot were duty bound to investigate. They sent out a security team and checked CCTV to see if the reported course of events actually took place. Once confirmed, the Higgins’ were allowed to claim their prize.