A Scunthorpe couple have defied incredible odds to win EuroMillions twice.
David and Kathleen Long, who won £1M in July 2013, have now banked another £1M, and a dream car in the EuroMillions Mega Friday draw at the end of March.
When David revealed the second win Kathleen said, “You said you’d do it again and you have!”
In 2013 the pair, then known as David Long and Kathleen MacKenzie, banked £1M when EuroMillions created 100 millionaires on one night. The Mega Friday draw in March saw ten winners drive away with £1M and a dream car. This success makes the couple the first double millionaire winners on The National Lottery to go public.
David’s secret to his success is simple, he likes to play when he knows there are lots of prizes available. “I always knew I’d win, even the first time. I just had a feeling it was going to be me. Last time I knew I had a good chance because there were 100 prizes of £1 million. Last Friday night I was passing the local shop and saw there were ten £1 million prizes on EuroMillions and a nice car and thought yeah I’ll give that a go.”
Nearly missed out
After nearly missing out on his win last time because he failed to check his raffle code, David checked his ticket carefully on Saturday morning. “On one line I’d matched two numbers and one star to get £7.20 and thought that’s alright. Then I checked the raffle codes – something I’ve learnt to do automatically since winning last time. After a few moments I very calmly called Kath in and said “Have a look at this. It’s there. Look. Read that line.”
“Kath checked the TV; then she turned on the laptop and checked the website. Then she went up right close to our television on the wall, put on her glasses and stared really hard at the raffle numbers. It seemed ages and then she finally said: “You said you’d do it again and you have!” Everything has been a blur ever since. It’s definitely taking longer to sink in this time!”
The first win came when the couple admitted times had been tough due to illness. The couple both quickly retired and say it has been an amazing 18 months since. They even finally got married after a 12 year engagement.
Of the second win David said, “I always told everyone that I’m gonna do it again. I just knew it would be my turn again someday. Now it has and we just can’t believe it.”
Party plan
The couple are planning a big celebration party for friends and family. Although David isn’t a fan of flying he has had to promise Kathleen a dream cruise. “Kath and I had a fantastic wedding last year but we never took a honeymoon because I’m just not keen on the idea of flying. Kath would love me to book an amazing cruise and I think I have just run out of excuses!”
Of course David and Kathleen also have to pick up the dream car they have won in Friday’s EuroMillions Mega Friday draw. They are currently still selecting from a stunning list of cars and have narrowed it down to either a Range Rover Autobiography or a Jaguar F-Type.
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