Winning the jackpot doesn't necessarily mean retirement

By Kate Northrop

A 20-year-old has no plans to quit working after securing a £7.5 million (US$9.1 million) Lotto jackpot.

Although he has already booked a luxury vacation, one U.K. lottery winner doesn't plan on taking permanent time off after coming into a £7.5 million Lotto win.

James Clarkson, 20, of Carlisle, is no stranger to playing the lottery. Just a month ago, he scooped a £120 (US$146) prize in the special Lotto Christmas Day Draw. He put some of the winnings toward a future lottery purchase — five plays for the first Lotto draw of 2025. Two lines were Lucky Dips (Quick Picks), and the other three were numbers he randomly chose himself.

The day after the drawing, one of those lines with self-chosen numbers was about to make his head spin.

"I was at my girlfriend's house and got up early to check on the snowfall when I saw a message saying I'd won on the National Lottery app," Clarkson told the National Lottery. "I opened it straight away but couldn't see anything to begin with; then I scrolled down and saw I'd matched all six main Lotto numbers to hit the jackpot and that my prize amount was £7,533,329! I just didn't believe it! I thought I was dreaming!"

Clarkson immediately woke up his girlfriend to show her the message, after which he was met with a "sleepy look."

"No, you haven't won," she replied, according to a press release. She rolled over and went back to sleep.

Then Clarkson called his father, who told him to come home so they could look at the message together.

Clarkson, his mother, father, and 24-year-old brother, Thomas, gathered in his parents' bedroom and sat on the bed to wait for the National Lottery phone line to open at 9:00 a.m.

"We called dead on nine and chatted through the ticket details and who I was," Clarkson recalled. "They confirmed mine was the winning ticket. I think I just started laughing. I thought, 'This is mad!'"

Clarkson's ticket for the Jan. 4, 2025 Lotto drawing had indeed matched all six numbers to win the £7,533,329 jackpot: 16, 19, 22, 24, 27, and 35. The Bonus number was 28.

But there were others who still didn't know about the win, so he made a point to share the good news with more of his family.

"I spent the rest of the day visiting my family and girlfriend who all live close by, all of us talking about the win," Clarkson continued. "I have a big family, and we are all close. News spread fast, and we all ended up celebrating later at my Grandma's and Grandad's with a roast beef dinner and champagne!"

By the time the Lottery announced his win on Thursday, Clarkson had already booked an all-inclusive luxury vacation to Cape Verde. He's also shelled out some cash for a few designer items, such as a Gucci bag for his girlfriend and two new jackets for himself.

However, he was right back at work the following Monday morning with his father, Stephen, 47.

"I was out in the cold fixing blocked drains the day after I found out I had won," the winner said. "I'm not going to stop working. I want to qualify as a heating engineer and then go from there."

It's not just a lavish vacation he's looking forward to — he can't wait to make more cherished memories as well. Clarkson is a huge Manchester City fan thanks to his father, who took him to his first game when he was three years old. Now, he can attend many more matches and is planning on buying season tickets for himself and his family.

At the end of the day, Clarkson has neither forgotten the significance of pursuing his career, nor is he oblivious to focusing on the necessities. His top priority, he told the Lottery, is helping his family and paying off his parents' mortgage.

"We are close, and they have always been there for me," he said. "This win isn't just for me. I want to make sure we all benefit."

(Click to display full-size in gallery)James Clarkson won just over £7.5 million (US$9.1 million).

Thanks to hearsetrax for the tip.