Is someone in Moate €500k richer today?

Moate is on high alert this week as the search goes on for the lucky punter who scooped a whopping €500,000 in last Friday night's EuroMillions Plus draw - with a ticket purchased from Marie's Store in the centre of the town.

Store owner, Padraig Mulhall, suspects that the winner may be local, as he says the shop “doesn't get as much passing trade these days since the bypass opened.” The delighted local businessman spent all day Saturday spreading the word to all his loyal customers after receiving the good news from National Lottery HQ on Friday night, and says he is “absolutely thrilled” to have sold the winning ticket. Marie's Store has been in operation for the past 20 years on Moate's Church Street.

The winning ticket is the ninth top prize on EuroMillions Plus to be won so far this year.

Meanwhile, the National Lottery has issued an appeal to everyone in Westmeath who recently bought an EuroMillions ticket, especially those who bought a ticket in Moate, to carefully check their tickets to see if they have won the massive €500k prize.

As the National Lottery ad says: It could be YOU!