A £100 million EuroMillions jackpot sounds like the kind of news you'd want to shout from the rooftops.

But for most Brits, the first thing they'd do isn't celebrate. It's keep quiet.

New research from tombola found that two-thirds (66%) of Brits would keep a life-changing win within a partner or trusted circle, keep it completely secret or tell nobody at all.

And nearly one in four (23%) would keep the news under wraps for as long as possible or never tell anyone, while just 9% would tell their closest family and friends straight away.

Friends or family expecting financial help emerged as Britain's biggest post-win concern, selected by 28% of respondents.

Losing privacy (23%) and being treated differently (22%) followed closely behind, suggesting many people worry more about how others might react to their fortune than making the wrong decision with the money itself.

A nation of secret millionaires

Instead of telling everyone immediately, most respondents preferred to keep the news within a tightly controlled circle.

Telling a partner but nobody else was Britain's most popular response (23%), followed by telling a small, trusted group (20%).

Meanwhile, 15% would keep the win completely secret for as long as possible and 8% would never tell anyone at all.

When asked what major change she'd make first, one woman aged 65+ from Liverpool said: “I would keep my gob shut for a start.”

The real luxury is time

But if the secret were safely contained, what would Brits actually do with their fortune?

Rather than splashing out on flashy purchases, many respondents said they would use a life-changing win to reclaim something far more valuable: their time.

More than two in five (41%) would give up full-time work or domestic responsibilities such as cleaning, cooking, laundry, and life admin.

Working full time was the single most popular activity people would stop doing, selected by one in five respondents (20%). However, the same proportion (20%) said they would keep their lives largely unchanged.

The findings reveal a nation split between embracing complete freedom and preserving the routines they already enjoy. For some, a life-changing win would mean escaping work and household chores. For others, it would simply provide greater flexibility, security, and peace of mind.

Dream homes top the wish list

A dream home ranks top as Britain’s first change (18%), followed by early retirement (11%) and travelling the world (11%).

Britain’s top five big-win ambitions

1. Buy a dream home – 18%

2. Retire early or stop working – 11%

3. Travel the world – 11%

4. Keep life the same – 7%

5. Move abroad – 6%

Together, the top three choices make up around two in five respondents (40%).

But forget superyachts and celebrity lifestyles. When it comes to spending a life-changing win, Brits have surprisingly simple tastes.

While dream homes, early retirement and round-the-world trips topped the wish list, luxury shopping sprees, personal drivers and VIP event access were all picked by just 2% of respondents. Only 1% said they'd splash out on a private yacht or hire a personal chef.

Micala Sansom, Social and Community Manager at tombola, said: “People often imagine that winning big means yachts, designer shopping trips and extravagant parties, but that's not what we found at all.

"Most respondents were far more interested in the things money can't usually buy so easily, like time, freedom and peace of mind. Whether it's retiring early, travelling more or simply having less to worry about, the findings show that luxury means something very different to most Brits.

"We were also struck by how many people would keep a big win under wraps. Concerns around privacy, changing relationships and expectations from others may help explain why so many would choose to share the news with only a trusted few."

For more information and the full findings, please visit: https://www.tombola.co.uk/tombola-talks/if-money-was-no-object

-ENDS-

Notes to Editors

tombola is always stylised with a lower case ‘t’.

For more information, please contact Cameron Trevena at cameron.trevena@idhl.co.uk

Sources and methodology:

• Primary: Using a survey of 2,000 UK adults split by age, gender and nearest city, we set out to discover what Brits would do if they unexpectedly won a life-changing amount of money, uncovering their dream purchases, lifestyle changes, personal priorities and how they would behave following a major win.

• Survey conducted across 15 UK cities, with demographics split by age (18–65+), gender and region.

• Questions covered: the first major life change respondents would make, who they would tell, which everyday activities they would give up and what would concern them most after a life-changing win.

About tombola:

tombola is Britain’s biggest bingo site, with more players than any other bingo site in the UK. Founded as an independent brand in 2008, the multi award-winning company also launched tombola arcade in 2016. In 2022, tombola became part of the global betting and gaming brand, Flutter Entertainment.

Developing and producing all its original bingo and arcade games in-house. As well as the UK, the company is the leading online bingo company in Spain and Italy, and also operates in Denmark and Sweden - with offices in Sunderland and Gibraltar.

Player safety is at the heart of tombola’s values. They run industry-leading safeplay initiatives, including a dedicated care team, and unique safer gambling tools.

tombola is proud to have one of the UK’s most engaged bingo communities, with active Chat Rooms on every online game, featuring 24/7 Chat Moderators, and several real-life players featuring in recent tombola TV adverts. The company has proudly been the headline sponsor of ‘I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! since 2017.

Players must be 18+ https://www.gambleaware.org

For verification, contact adverification@tombola.com

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