Pub manager wins £4 million on a scratchcard and goes back to work

Amadou Gillen, a 46-year-old pub manager from Trowbridge in Wiltshire, was in the middle of his shift when he popped out and bought a couple of National Lottery scratchcards. When he played the cards, and scooped an incredible £4 million, he became the biggest scratchcardwinner of all time in the UK. However, he didn't do anything rash: he went back to the pub and worked the rest of his 12 hour shift.

He worked the last four hours of his shift in The Albany Place Wetherspoons last Wednesday, without telling anyone about his win. He eventually quit his job three days later, told his family more than a week after the win, and went public today.

He has spent the time making some fairly extensive spending plans. He wants to buy a house in Bristol, pay for a driving course and buy a Peugeot (as a supercar wouldn't be the best choice for someone who has just passed his test). He also wants to book a holiday to The Gambia for a family party, visit Jamaica, and support his daughters.

Back to work

He says it was incredibly difficult not to show his excitement at work, but he didn't want everyone to know until it had sunk in. It's a sensible idea, and one of many good reasons why a number of lottery winners have gone into work - or finished a shift - after hearing about a big win.

There are plenty who have won a life-changing amount, but not enough to mean they will never need to work again, so they don't want to lose their job. In May, a Manchester road worker won £1 million on a scratchcard. He left before the end of his shift, but was back at work the next day. He said he wanted to carry on in the job, but wouldn't be bothering with overtime any more.

There are also those who aren't entirely certain of a win, and want to check before doing anything hasty. Back in 2014 a road sweeper checked his lottery ticket before work at 4am, and realised he'd won £4.5 million. However, he wasn't convinced, and it was too early to call Camelot to check, so he decided to go to work just in case.

There are those who aren't working just for the money - so a win makes no difference to their work plans. Back in May 2013, Jan Parfitt, a district nurse from Pontardawe, near Swansea, was sleeping off a night shift, when her husband woke her to tell her she'd won £1 million. Hours later, she went back to work, and said she had no plans to stop.

Finally, there are those who don't want to let anyone down. In 2013 Sutton grandfather Ron Elliott won almost £8 million on the National Lottery and went to work the next day. He said he worked in a care home and the patients needed him.

But what do you think? Would you go back to work after a win, or would you be too busy celebrating? Let us know in the comments.