While stories of self-indulgence after a lottery win are commonplace, there are few stories of winner altruistic behaviour. One Limerick lottery winner recently claimed €209,241 on the Irish National Lottery (around £178,500). Instead of spending it on flash cars, holidays and a new house, he said he wanted to divide it between his family. Most would forgive a winner for keeping such a relatively small amount all for themselves. The Irishman decided otherwise, saying that he wanted to “change lives”. There is one small concession, though; he bought his wife a new handbag for Valentine’s Day.
By Eric The Fish (Flickr: Limerick Castle) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Limerick Lottery Winner’s Generosity
The couple decided very quickly that they would give most of the money away. The day after they realised their win, they sat down and planned how to use it. Feeling that the €209,241 was too much for one couple, they vowed to give the majority of it away to family and friends. While few people expect lottery winners to give anything away, there is often a degree of altruism. While some vow to give away substantial amounts to charity, many more people are determined to see their friends and family right. The real winners, in more ways than one, are those people that the winners care about.
The Limerick lottery winner won the prize on a game called Lotto. He matched 5 numbers plus the bonus ball. Irish Lotto is the equivalent of the UK National Lottery and is run by Premier Lotteries Ireland working on a 20-year license. Like other lotteries, there is an obligation to set aside a portion of the money raised for good causes in Eire. This will include social deprivation, sport, environment, heritage and many other areas. Camelot is one of the official consultant partners. However, they do not run any part of the lottery (as they do with Euromillions).