Couple scoop second lottery win, beating 24 trillion-to-1 odds
By Charlotte Reck, CNN
(CNN) — Theirs is a 24-trillion-to-one tale – a Welsh couple who defied astronomical odds to become million-dollar winners not just once, but twice.
Richard Davies, age 49, and his wife, Faye Stevenson-Davies, 43, claimed their second life- changing sum from the United Kingdom’s National Lottery on Tuesday after listening to a gut instinct telling them to ignore odds and go for it.
“We knew the odds of it happening again were outrageous,” mental health practitioner Stevenson-Davies said in a statement released by the National Lottery, “But we’re proof that if you believe, anything is possible.”
The lucky couple first hit the jackpot in June 2018 when their numbers, drawn in a game of EuroMillions Millionaire Maker, landed them a handsome £1 million (roughly $1.3 million.)
Even after their win, the pair continued to buy lottery tickets, nursing a hope that another scoop might be in the cards.
They were right to follow their hunch, but their second success was a little harder-won. This time, it took four consecutive draws to get them the big bucks.
“When you match two numbers in the Lotto draw, you automatically win a Lucky Dip for the next game,” Davies, a hairdresser-turned-courier, explained. “That’s what’s happened to us. We matched two numbers and won a free Lucky Dip … That put us into the next draw and so on, until the winning draw.”
In their own Christmas miracle, the duo scooped another £1 million, astonishing experts who estimate odds of a double win to be one in 24 trillion.
Despite their wins, the pair haven’t lost their appetite for work. Davies said he will continue to work seven days a week as a courier over Christmas, determined to deliver the many parcels ordered over the festive season.
Meanwhile, Stevenson-Davies said she will carry on offering mental health support to her clients, including on Christmas Day.
But the couple will need to take some time to think, as they’ve yet to decide how to spend their prize money. “The first time around we gifted people cars, we donated a minibus to the local rugby team and did our best to help friends and family … It was amazing to be able to make a difference,” Davies said.
He added: “This time, who knows? We’ll take our time and enjoy the moment.”
Across the Atlantic, the United States has a seen few of its own two-time-winners. In July, Massachusetts man Paul Corcoran hit the Powerball twice in one night, scoring himself a total $2 million.
Back in 2020, a Powerball player in Colorado got lucky twice in a month using numbers he’d routinely used for 30 years. He said his $2 million prize was spoken for with thanks to his wife, whom he affectionately termed “the boss.”
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