A struggling corner shop owner who printed-out a £45million winning lottery ticket jumped for joy when he heard the jackpot had been sold at his store.
Hasson Nasr, runs "Earle Road Newsagents" in a run-down slum-clearance area of Liverpool.
It was last week that Hasson, 50, punched the buttons that created the biggest "Lucky Dip" in lottery history for the organisers of the Magnificent Seven syndicate.
The Magnificent Seven ring-leader John Walsh had popped into the shop on his way home to his house in Wavetree.
The 5-inch by 3-inch ticket earned £45 million for Mr Walsh, 57, James Bennett, 28, Sean Connor, 32, Alex Parry, 19, Emma Cartwright, 23, Ceri Scullion, 35 and Donna Rhodes, 39.
The winning numbers were 11, 19,34,43,45, with Lucky Stars 5, 9.
Hasson, who has been running the shop for the last five years, said: "When the lady from Camlot told me I sold the winning ticket I jumped -up and punched the air.
"I am walking on air... I almost feel like I have won the £45 million myself
"People have been coming into the shop all day to congratulate us and just to take a look at the machine that sold the winning ticket.
"It's all so unreal, but this is clearly a lucky machine... I am thinking that more and more people will want to buy tickets.
"The shop has been jammed with strangers wanting to buy their tickets from this famous machine.
"I can't even remember serving Mr Walsh, the lottery winner I serve so many people with tickets that it's hard to remember all their faces
"But as soon as I heard that there was a big winner in Liverpool I was praying it would be by shop.
"I still can't believe it, it is an amazing feeling. I am sure the luck will rub-off on me.
"I am just crossing my fingers that lightning will strike twice and someone else can win big at my shop very soon."
Hasson wished the best of luck to the winners for the future.
He added: "It's amazing that a group of people can win that amount of money. It will obviously change their lives.
"I just hope that the money changes them for the better and they make the most of what they've got. If they want to buy a corner shop they could make me an offer!"
PETER BARKER, WARWICKSHIRE around 2 years, 4 months ago