4 December 2020
By Tom Collins
tom@TheCork.ie
Shop owner to use Lotto bonus sellers prize to fund massive celebratory party for staff once Covid-19 passes
“Please tell me you’re calling to let me know I’ve sold the winning ticket,” were the first words out of the mouth of a popular Cork retailer when the National Lottery called him on Thursday evening to inform him that he had sold the winning ticket for last Wednesday night’s €10.7 million Lotto jackpot.
The golden Quick Pick ticket which won the biggest Lotto jackpot so far in 2020 was sold at the Spar store in Mount Oval village in Rochestown, Co. Cork. Owner of the store is Cork native, Shane Cantillon who runs the local store with the help of his brother Mark, his father Greg and an additional 30 local staff members.
The National Lottery has also confirmed that it is still waiting to hear from the latest Lotto millionaire of 2020 and reminded all players in Co. Cork to check their tickets to ensure that their prize is paid in time to celebrate Christmas in style.
Storeowners Shane and Trudy Cantillon Spar Mount OvalGerard McCarthy / Mac Innes Photography
Storeowner Shane Cantillon owner Spar Mount Oval, Mark Cantillon Spar Magda Sitarek Spar and Jim O’Connor National Sales Manager National Lottery. Pic: Gerard McCarthy / Mac Innes Photography
Shane Cantillon was overjoyed by the news once he was informed of the win by the National Lottery late on Thursday evening. He said that he has always promised his staff a huge celebration if they sell a big winning lottery ticket and he intends to throw the bash of a lifetime to thank them for their incredible work after a tough 12 months.
“My phone lit up last night and to my surprise, the National Lottery number came up. I was aware the winning Lotto ticket was won in Cork so I knew it could only be one thing – I must have sold the winning ticket. Anybody working in the retail trade will tell you that selling a winning lottery ticket to one of your own customers is the next best thing to winning it yourself. Working with my entire family in the business makes this win even more special. The ethos of the business is all about being local, supporting local communities and local suppliers and now one of our local customers is worth over €10 million! 2020 has been a tough year for everybody but knowing that somebody in the area may be €10.7 million richer today is a huge buzz for us. We’re only a couple of weeks away from Christmas so I hope that it brings them and their family tremendous hope, joy and happiness for many, many years,” said the delighted shop owner.
He added: “I am in a very lucky position that I have the most incredibly hardworking staff working for us. We have five stores throughout Cork and another one in Carlow and I have always promised the staff a huge celebratory night out if we ever sold a winning jackpot ticket. Once the end of Covid is in sight, it’s going to be a massive celebratory party for all of our 250 employees so I know that will give them something special to look forward to, once restrictions are lifted of course.”
This latest Lotto win is the 11th jackpot win this year, with over €60 million won in jackpot prizes alone. In 2020, over €130 million has been won in prizes in the Lotto game and includes 18 new millionaires which have been created in the Lotto and Lotto Plus games.