The National Lottery offers life-changing prizes – and when a single ticket scoops a giant rollover, the winning sums are extraordinary
One lucky ticket holder could become rich beyond their wildest dreams if they scoop the Lotto jackpot. The National Lottery offers mega-money prizes, with previous winners scooping up to £33 million each in the past. Here’s how the Lotto transformed the lives of a Gloucester taxi driver, a modest mum-to-two and a supermarket assistant among others over the years. Some of the biggest UK winners since the National Lottery began back in 1994 celebrated in style.
1. David and Carol Martin – £33 million
The couple were both 54 when they were unveiled as winners of half of a record National Lottery jackpot of £66 million. It happened after 14 consecutive rollovers in January 2016. David and Carol, from Hawick in the Scottish Borders, were relaxing at home with the lottery ticket on their mantelpiece and only checked it when a friend urged them to do so. Mr Martin soon quit his job with Borders Care and Repair, which helps elderly and disabled people fit specialist equipment in their homes. And Mrs Martin retired after working at a chemist for most of her working life.
2. Lisa and Jerry Cannings – £32 million
The teachers scooped a £32.5 million rollover Lotto jackpot but waited a week to claim their winnings in 2016 as “the decorators were in”. Gerry Cannings, then 63, and his wife Lisa, then 48, from near Peterborough, Cambs., only bought the ticket after popping out for fish and chips. The couple had been together for 13 years when they won.
3. Amo Riselli – £24.5 million
The taxi driver, from Gloucester, won his sum despite not having all of the numbers in January. The 50-year-old, who has five kids, planned to quit his job and buy a Ferrari. The grandfather-to-nine also planned to move house to a home with a swimming pool. “I may now be a multi-millionaire but I am still the same normal person I always was, just with a bit more loose change in my pocket,” the cabbie said.
4. Mark Gardiner and Paul Maddison – £22.5 million
Business partners Mark and Paul landed the then Britain’s biggest ever single lottery win in 1995. They invested it and, in 2005, it emerged Mark had bought Caribbean beach houses and a fleet of Aston Martins. It is unclear how Paul spent his money.
