MANSION JACKPOT
I won £3million home in £10 prize draw… my dubious daughter had some harsh words for me
Yet most Omaze winners opt to sell their houses - with 10 out of the last 14 winners having already packed up and moved
A DAD has won a £3million dream home and £100k in cash after buying a £10 ticket - although his daughter was initially less than impressed.
When Michael Maher, 53, won the Omaze Million Pound draw, his dubious daughter told him he'd probably just won a toaster.
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But Michael had actually scooped a massive house in Somerset - which ironically does come with a toaster in the kitchen.
Michael 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.
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"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.
''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.''
Omaze's latest Million Pound House Draw prize was a spectacular countryside retreat with a tennis court and picturesque gardens.
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It comes mortgage free, with all stamp duty and legal fees covered.
The lucky winner is now free to either live in the incredible house, rent it out for a supplementary income or sell it and become a 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.
Michael - who bought his £3,000,000 winning entry for just £10 - 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.
The couple live at home with their two children, a son aged 19 and 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.
Michael has been working in the IT industry for the past 25 years and Amanda is an admin assistant at a local school.
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.
What is Omaze?
Omaze runs sweepstakes in an effort to raise money for charities while offering amazing prizes for users and turning a profit for itself.
The more money customers fork over, the more entries they receive into their sweepstakes — there is also a ‘no purchase necessary’ option.
The concept of the business is that it rewards users for giving more money to charity than they otherwise might by offering the chance of winning prizes.
Omaze boasts that its business model is superior to traditional prize auctioning because more people can enter at a lower cost, which raises more money for charity.
As Omaze puts it: "A smaller percentage of a larger amount is more impactful than a bigger percentage of a smaller amount.
"And as Omaze experiences come at no-cost and no risk to the nonprofits, your donations make a big difference for organisations around the world."
"I subscribed to Omaze because it's a great way to support different charities month in, month out. Also, the chance to win a £3 million pound house for a tenner isn't bad either.
''We've owned property in the past but have been renting for the last eight years - and obviously we've been working towards owning our own property again - this win means that dream has now come true, and our family's future is secure.
"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."
But, when his kids asked if they could quit their Saturday jobs, Michael refused, saying he wants them to remain grounded.
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.''
Despite the luxury winnings, it has been reported that out of the 14 mansions recently won just three are still lived in.
Ten have already been sold and one is being rented out.
One of the winners who made the call to sell up was Uttam Parmar, 58.
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Uttam said: "We are selling it and not keeping it as a holiday home. If we could afford to keep it we would.
"It is beautiful. But we are looking to buy some land or a smaller property instead."
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