A MAN who won a £500,000 scratchcard jackpot used a very unusual tactic to keep his mega win safe.
Matthew Harding bought the winning Pink Multiplier National Scratchcard from the shop where he works in Nottingham.
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When he scratched off the card, he was shocked to realise he had scooped half a million pounds.
The shop assistant took an eccentric step to protect his win – by running home to tell his partner John Drabble the news with the card tucked into his sock to keep it safe.
Matthew said: “I treat myself to a scratchcard or two every month after payday and scratch them on my way home.
“I have seen a few customers in the shop winning £20 or £40 here and there so I thought I would give this particular one a go.
“I have always been told to buy two in a row as you are more likely to win.
“There may be no real logic in that but that’s exactly what I do – I always buy them in a set.
“I had only got to the curb of the shop when I scratched off a ‘five’ and thought, ‘ah, it’s a fiver’. Then I scratched a ‘zero’ and then another ‘zero’ and then, to my astonishment, a ‘K’ at the end. I was in total disbelief.
“I grabbed a random person off the street to confirm it was real and I wasn’t seeing things.
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“They said ‘yes, it is £500K, congratulations!’. Holding the scratchcard as tight as I could, I ran straight back to work. I thought I was going to have a heart attack.
“I was shaking when I got back to the shop. I showed my boss the winning scratchcard and he told me to sign the back and call the National Lottery.
“So I signed it there and then, and shoved it in my sock, being sure not to crease it, and hot stepped it home.”
Now that the money is safely tucked away in the bank, the pair have turned their attention to the future and what to do with all that money.
Matt said: “We aren’t sure what we want to do with the money yet.
“We have just had a holiday to Cyprus which has helped us try and process it all, let it sink in and think about what we want to do with it.
“The most I have spent is £98 on a mobile printer for photos but that is about it.
“We want to pay off the mortgage and secure our future. We also want to get married.
“In the future we might look to buy a property abroad but I am not sure where yet. We did a bit of window shopping in Cyprus but didn’t come back with any keys.”
John said: “Matt has always been very generous, he is always doing lovely little things for people – Christmas is his favourite time of the year. He’s always been kind, lottery win or not.”
Matt added” “It feels really good to be able to offer help where it is needed, and without feeling the pinch thanks to our win.”
Matt bought his winning £500K Pink Multiplier Scratchcard at the Greasley General Stores, Eastwood.
The £500K Pink Multiplier Scratchcard, also known as ‘The Pink One’, from the National Lottery offers a 1 in 3.86 overall chance of winning a prize.
The scratchcard costs £2 and has prizes ranging from £2 up to £500,000.
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