Winner of €9.5m Lotto gets in touch to claim cash

The lucky winner of Saturday's €9.4m jackpot has made contact with Lotto HQ and is making plans to collect their substantial winnings.

According to a Lotto spokeswoman, the winner is making arrangements to collect the money but has said that they would prefer to keep the win private.

They made contact yesterday and Lotto staff went through the procedure for making a claim.

A date has yet to be set for the lucky ticket-holder to visit the winner's room in the Abbey Street offices.

Mystery still abounds as to where the winner is from.

The lucky ticket was sold in a Spar shop on Talbot Street, in Dublin 1, on the day of the draw.

Due to a busy day in the area, with the Kerry v Mayo GAA replay on Saturday, staff at the shop have speculated that the winner could be from anywhere in the country.

The winning numbers were 1, 16, 17, 32, 34, 35, and the bonus number was 5.

Shop manager Ulrika Campbell told the Herald that the identity of the mystery winner could be anyone's guess, because the shop is located directly across from Connolly Station.

"We get a lot of people buying tickets here because we've had winners here before," she said.

"People think we're a lucky shop so they come in when they're passing by or getting on or off a train across the road at Connolly Station.

"So the winner could be from anywhere. It was a very busy Saturday," she added.

Daunting

National Lottery CEO Dermot Griffin has said that the claims team will guide the winner "through this very exciting process".

"Winning a jackpot of this size can be a very daunting experience," Mr Griffin said.

"We always recommend that winners seek independent financial and legal advice before they receive their prize," he added.

The winner has 90 days to collect their prize, but most jackpot winners collect their money within a fortnight, according to a Lottery spokesman.