What do you do if you’re unable to claim a big lottery win for a few weeks? Why risk putting it somewhere easy to find? While burglaries are generally much lower these days, the fear of the threat remains present. One family from Co Mayo had exactly this problem waiting to verify their prize. In early February, they won an amazing €17m on EuroMillions. But the problem was, they had to wait two weeks for the lottery headquarters to verify it. They searched high and low and eventually found the perfect lottery ticket hiding place: the family Bible.
Two Weeks Inside a Lottery Ticket Hiding Place
They immediately contacted family members across the country to come home. Although they didn’t specify a €17m win, most believed the family had won €500,000 thanks to a local rumour of a half million winner. But it would take another two weeks to verify the claim, in which time the family had to go to work. They felt the Bible was the perfect lottery ticket hiding place, so that is where they hid it. For two whole weeks, their ticket sat untouched between the pages of The Good Book. The family logic was that no burglar would check books for valuables as they would be in a rush to get in and out.
Even the immediate family thought they had won the €500k, such was the strength of feeling of the local rumour. They were more than surprised to find they’d won a much larger prize and set about seeking the ideal lottery ticket hiding place. After two weeks of nail biting, anticipation and anxiety, the call finally came through. Lottery administrators verified the claim and they claimed the money. It’s recommended that big winners keep the ticket in a safe place. However, not all lotteries require the ticket following the initial claim.