Why this man split his lottery winnings

Looks like someone got lucky…

Yes, but the man holding the big cheque wasn't the only one.

Was he part of a syndicate?

No. But Willie Sibbald, a 48-year-old painter and decorator from Edinburgh who matched all six numbers on his Lucky Dip ticket for Saturday’s Lotto rollover draw and banked £7,084,472, has promised to share his fortune with his work pal, Rab Layden.

What made him decide to be so generous?

He was honouring a pact that they would “see each other right” if either of them ever won the Lottery.

“He phoned me and said, ‘By the way I’ve got something to tell you, are you sitting down? I’m that guy that won the Lottery’ – and I about collapsed,” said Mr Layden, 57.

The pair had made a promise they would make sure the other never had to work again. An hour after Mr Sibbald told Layden of his win, they quit their jobs.

That’s quite a friendship

Sibbald and Layden had played the Lottery every week for years. “We used to say ‘Imagine it was us’ But you never expect it,” said Mr Sibbald. Leaving their paint brushes at home, the flush duo will now follow the Scotland football team during their away games.

Mr Sibbald said he won’t be moving away from Edinburgh but hopes to buy a Rolls-Royce. After he’s learned to drive, of course.

When did they find out?

Mr Sibbald fell asleep at his aunt’s house and missed the live draw. He only realised he had won when he spotted his lucky numbers during the adverts.

After much frantic number-checking, he then had to make sure his aunt’s pet dog, who has a fondness for scraps of paper, didn't get its paws on the lucky ticket.