Hemel woman and Bovingdon man scoop combined £19.8m National Lottery jackpots three days apart
In astonishing scenes, a woman from near Hemel Hempstead won a Lotto jackpot of nearly £8m only to be outdone by a man from nearby Bovingdon three days later who scopped a staggering £12m main prize.
The two players, who have chosen to remain anonymous, found out it really could be them as they celebrate after each winning a life-changing jackpot on The National Lottery’s Lotto draw just three days apart last month.
The woman from near Hemel won a Lotto jackpot of £7,807,592, a total that includes an additional £1 win, by matching six main numbers in the draw on Wednesday 9 September 2026.
The winner, who bought her ticket in a shop, has played the same numbers every week since the lottery first started, having chosen numbers that are especially meaningful to her.
She and her family now plan to buy a new home and help their loved ones.
Speaking about her win, she said: “I felt completely shocked and never thought this would ever happen to me. This will allow us to help the family, which will give us great pleasure. The numbers I play are special to me, so to see them finally come up means everything.”
Just three days after that win – and just four miles down the road in Dacorum village Bovingdon – a man in his 40s went over £4m better when he landed the staggering £12m jackpot after matching five main numbers and the Bonus Ball in Round 2 of the draw on Saturday 12 September 2026.
The winner, who works in sales and marketing, bought his ticket online.
A lifelong Liverpool fan, he regularly plays a mix of Lotto, EuroMillions, Thunderball and Set For Life, always dreaming that one day he would win big.
His first plan is a refreshingly modest one, a new tumble dryer, followed in time by trips with the children, a new extension, helping family and building memories together.
Speaking about his win, he said: “It’s all a little bit surreal, but I’m feeling happy. I’m still going to go to work, but because I want to instead of need to, I now have that choice. It means my kids can now have more options in their lives; they’re not going to have to struggle like we did.”
According to a calculation using Ai, 1 in 338 trillion is the illustrative probability for the two specific winning combinations on one line each in the specified rounds. The odds of two nearby residents winning significant prizes within three days are a different question beyond a reliable numerical probability.
Dean O’Field, Winners’ Advisor at Allwyn, operator of The National Lottery, congratulated both winners, saying: “Congratulations to both of our lucky Hertfordshire winners. One has played her special numbers faithfully since the lottery began, and the other can now work because he wants to rather than has to - both wonderful, life-changing wins. We wish them and their families all the very best for the exciting futures ahead of them.”