Imagine waking up one day, checking your lottery app, and seeing the words “Winning Match.” For Rachel Kennedy and Liam McCrohan, that moment was surreal. At just 19 and 21, they thought they’d hit the jackpot—literally. The £182 million ($216 million) EuroMillions prize was theirs, or so they believed.
Rachel recalls the thrill of that moment: “I called Liam and my mum into the room. We were all in disbelief, imagining the life ahead—dream mansions, luxury cars, the works.”
For five weeks, Rachel had been playing the same set of numbers: 6, 12, 22, 29, 33, 6, and 11. When they all appeared in the draw, it seemed like destiny. The app even confirmed it: “Winning Match.” But fate had other plans.
Rachel Kennedy & Liam McCrohan from UK played same lottery numbers for five weeks in a row before all seven digits finally appeared in the draw. Too bad Rachel's account, which was automatically set up to buy tickets, did not have enough funds. Around $250m/€211m are gone. 😬 pic.twitter.com/9hXzR3TUDY
— Oliver Darko (@oliver_drk) March 7, 2021
What Rachel didn’t realize was that her lottery account, set to auto-purchase tickets, hadn’t processed her payment that week. A single missed transaction turned their dream into a nightmare.
“I called the lottery office, convinced we’d won. But then they told me, ‘You’ve got the right numbers, but no ticket was purchased.’ My heart sank,” Rachel admitted.
Surprisingly, Rachel handled the news with more composure than Liam. “I was on top of the world for a moment, but Liam was more devastated than I was,” she said.
Liam, on the other hand, had already spent the money—in his head. “I was picturing the house, the car, the lifestyle. Hearing we didn’t actually win was soul-crushing,” he confessed. “The app made it look like we’d won! It was a cruel trick.”
The couple’s heartbreak mirrors another lottery saga in the UK. Joan Parker-Grennan is locked in a legal battle with Camelot, the National Lottery operator, over whether she’s owed $1.2 million (£1 million) or a mere $12 (£10).
Joan bought an Instant Win Game ticket back in 2015, and the game indicated she’d won big. However, Camelot claims a technical glitch caused the confusion. The matter is now in the hands of the courts.
While Joan’s fate hangs in the balance, Rachel and Liam’s story serves as a gut-wrenching reminder: even the most perfect lottery numbers can lead to heartbreak.
What would you do if you were in their shoes? Share this story with friends, and let’s discuss the rollercoaster of emotions that comes with almost winning it all.
