Dad of four Michael Maher has scooped a £3 million mansion in the Omaze charity prize draw.
The 53-year-old paid just £10 for an Omaze ticket and now has the keys to a mansion and £100K in cash.
Omaze officials contacted him to say he'd won a prize and his teen daughter warned him not to get too excited.
Michael's daughter told him he'd probably won a toaster but had in fact scooped a massive house in Somerset which ironically does come with a toaster in the kitchen.
As the winner said: "I had a call from Omaze saying I'd won a prize.
''Obviously, I was intrigued but my daughter was somewhat sceptical and told me not to get too excited as I've probably only won a toaster.
''Luckily for me, it turned out to be a £3 million pound house - that also happens to come with a toaster."
Dad of four wins £3m Somerset Mansion
Sharing what they did when they learnt of their winners, the Omaze winner said: "We went to the pub to celebrate and then on for a nice curry - it was your average Friday night really, apart from the fact we’d just become millionaires.
“When they told us we’d won the house in Somerset, the first thing my daughter said was that she’d had the best kebab in her life last time she was there, so she was delighted we now own a house in such a culinary hotspot."
Michael and his wife of 16 years Amanda, 54, have lived in their rented 4-bedroom house on the outskirts of Luton for the past eight years and bought his £3,000,000 winning entry for just £10.
The couple live with their two children, a son aged 19 and a daughter aged 17 - as well as a four-year-old cocker spaniel called Ludo.
Michael also has two sons aged 32 and 27 and a grandchild aged two from his first marriage.
The 53-year-old has been working in the IT industry for the past 25 years and Amanda is an admin assistant at a local school.
With a big family, Michael joked: "We have family all over the world and plenty of room for them to come and stay now - if we decide to give them the address that is."
The £3 million mansion comes with a tennis court and picturesque gardens as well as mortgage-free and all stamp duty and legal fees covered.
The couple had owned property in the past but began to rent eight years ago with hopes that they could own their property again.
Winning the Omaze home has made the couple's dreams "come true" as Michael shared: "This win means that dream has now come true, and our family’s future is secure."
The IT worker added: "Going from a rented house in Luton to owning a six-bedroom house in the countryside is just mind-blowing.
“This house is truly spectacular in real life, the open plan kitchen and living area is spot on for us - and the garden is just incredible, it's so big we’ll have to put a bell on our dog otherwise we might lose him."
The Omaze winner has to live in the incredible house, rent it out for a supplementary income or sell it to become a cash multi-millionaire.
If Michael decides to rent it out, local estate agents estimate that the property could achieve a long-term rental value of between £6,000 - £8,000 per month.
However, Michael has admitted that he's not sure what they will do with their winnings yet, but do know they will spend some time in their new mansion:
"We’re not sure what we’re going to do long term yet, we’ll definitely spend some time here and enjoy it as a family - whatever we decide, it’s going to change all our lives for the better.”
As well as making Michael a multi-millionaire, the Omaze Million Pound House Draw, Somerset, also raised £3,500,000 for the RSPCA.
Chris Sherwood, RSPCA chief executive, said: “We are absolutely thrilled that the Omaze house draw has raised an incredible £3,5000,000 for the RSPCA in just six weeks.''
Draw entries for the Omaze Million Pound House Superdraw, Mallorca are available now at omaze.co.uk.
The draw closes on Sunday 28th January 2024 for online entries and Tuesday 30th Jan 2024 for postal entries.
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