A 44-year-old golf club greenkeeper has become a National Lottery millionaire after finally checking a stack of old tickets gathering dust in his car’s console.
Darren, from the UK, had ignored repeated advice from friends to scan his EuroMillions tickets following an appeal to find an unclaimed Millionaire Maker prize from the October 18, 2024 draw. It wasn’t until he reached into his aging Citroën DS4 to grab a half-eaten packet of crisps for his son that he decided to check them.
Using The National Lottery app, Darren scanned one ticket and won £3.60. But another ticket was so creased it wouldn’t scan. “I thought I’d leave that one until the end,” he said. “I had to bring up the draw details and check the results myself.”
To his shock, the numbers and the Millionaire Maker code matched. “I just could not believe what I was seeing,” Darren said. “I kept looking at the date and the code again and again.”
The realization brought not only joy but also a jolt of panic. “Anyone could have taken that ticket,” he said. “My car is basically a shed on wheels. I never lock it because it has no value.”
When he called his wife, Gemma, to share the news, his voice was shaking. At first, the 34-year-old teaching assistant feared something had happened to their children. It took some time for Darren to convince her it was good news.
Now the couple, who have a six-year-old daughter and a four-year-old son, plan to buy their first home together. Darren also has his eyes set on a new pick-up truck. “My current car is falling apart. The pick-up will let us go on more family adventures.”
He also dreams of one day seeing the Ashes live in Australia.
Gemma said the win still feels surreal. “It feels like a dream. I keep pinching myself,” she said. “We love caravan holidays and our family life, but now we can do even more together.”
