High Court splits £1m Millionaire Raffle prize between York boss and waiter

A EuroMillions ticket bought in York on 30 January 2012 won £1 million in the UK Millionaire Raffle. Its ownership ended up in court, in a dispute between a co-owner of the Kapadokya Turkish restaurant and one of his waiters.

The night before, the waiter had dreamed of holding a large bundle of cash with his employer standing in front of him. He took it as a sign they would win, and said the two agreed to play half and half. His employer said there was no such agreement and that he alone had paid, so the prize was his.

The case, Kucukkoylu v Ozcan [2014] EWHC 1972 (QB), was heard by His Honour Judge Gosnell at the Combined Court Centre in Leeds. He found parts of the owner's evidence not credible, including explanations that did not fit CCTV footage of the play slips being filled in.

In his judgment of 30 June 2014 the judge found that the men had made a contract to play jointly on an equal basis. He declared the prize should be shared equally, which gave the waiter £500,000.

Sources

• National Archives: Kucukkoylu v Ozcan [2014] EWHC 1972 (QB) (caselaw.nationalarchives.gov.uk)
• Australasian Lawyer: UK judge orders lottery winner to share his millions with waiter (thelawyermag.com)