LOTTERY operators have made a you-turn and brought back a slogan that has not been seen on TV for more than a quarter of a century.
New adverts for the Lotto, to be screened on television from tonight, feature the tagline It Could be Yoooooooou!! which has not been used for 26 years.
Sarah Cockings used some of her £3.5million jackpot to buy boob jobs for herself and her two sisters[/caption]
Sarah, a student from Northumberland, won on the National Lottery 20 years ago[/caption]
Sarah photographed with her sister Emma Cockings[/caption]
And for the first time in the 30-year history of the lottery, the new ad features winners who scooped the Lotto jackpot.
One of them is Sarah Cockings, who used some of her £3.5million jackpot to buy boob jobs for herself and her two sisters.
Chris and Geraldine Bradley, from South Wales, were part of a family syndicate with grandfather, Bob, and father, Barry.
They are also in the ad, having shared a £3,570,063 win in 2006.
And Gary MacDonald, who drove a delivery van round Lakeside Shopping Centre in Essex before he scooped the £5,208,504 jackpot in April this year, is seen on the golf course.
Gary tells viewers: “We won, and you could too!”.
The lorry driver initially thought he’d won just £35 in the draw.
Meanwhile, his partner Anita “thought it was five thousand and something”.
But the real eye-watering sum was confirmed after waiting a painstaking two hours on the phone for the National Lottery.
Despite the huge lotto jackpot, the first item Gary splashed the cash on was a Shark vacuum.
It Could Be Yoooou!! with a giant hand pointing from the sky was used in TV adverts to launch first-ever Lottery draw in November 1994 and the catchphrase caught on.
Since then, the Lotto game has created more than 3,500 millionaires.
The National Lottery’s new owner, Allwyn, is using the ad to showcase real people winning.
They also hope the advert will support an optimistic nation that is longing for a bit of hope and a belief in ‘what if’.
Sarah Cockings was a 21-year-old student from Newcastle when she won £3,045,705 on April 30, 2005.
She hit headlines for spending £10k on boob jobs for her two sisters and herself after her win but has rarely splurged since.
She said: “When I won, I was studying social care at Northumbria University and living at home. It was my mum’s dream to see me graduate, so I went back to university.”
Sarah treated herself to a Swarovski diamond-studded watch immediately after winning.
She has since bought her own house in the Whitley Bay area and invested some of her win.
She is raising her four children and has also paid for breast enhancement surgery for herself and her two sisters.
Speaking at the advertisement filming, she said: “I have never done any acting before and have loved being part of this and being on set with all the other winners. It’s been a great experience.”
Chris Bradley, 54 and Geraldine, 56, won a share of a family syndicate Lotto win of £3,570,063 on 11 March 2006. They live in the Pembrey area, Wales, where the couple are currently renovating their new home.
Chris Bradley, 54 and Geraldine, 56, won a share of a family syndicate Lotto win of £3,570,063 on 11 March 2006[/caption]
The couple are featured beaming in the ad[/caption]
“I never wanted to give up my job as a hairdresser, so I still work two full days a week. I love chatting to the customers.”
The money has allowed the couple to indulge their passion for motorbikes. For Geraldine’s 40th, she treated herself to a £7,000, 600cc Honda motorbike with a top speed of 156mph.
Now, every weekend the couple don their motorbike leathers and go riding.
Gary MacDonald, 60, from Essex, scooped a fabulous Lotto jackpot of £5,208,504 in April this year.
At the time he famously said he had never been sworn at so much as he shared the news with friends and family.
Since the win, Gary has retired from his job delivering goods to Lakeside Shopping Centre and married his long-term partner, Anita.
The couple have also been searching for their dream home and garden, and hope to move soon.
On set Gary said: “The last four months have been absolutely amazing. I’ve made so many people happy, I’ve made myself happy, I have retired, and I have finally married my beautiful wife after 25 years.
“It’s been a year of many firsts for me and the filming of this was another crazy one!
“They had me playing golf in one scene, trying to get out of a bunker – I gave it my best shot, but I may be better suited to crazy golf. I was just a regular delivery driver a few months back and now I am in an advertisement! It’s mad!”
Talking about how people have reacted to him since winning, Gary said: “I seem to have become a lucky mascot for other people.
“They keep rubbing me for luck or shaking my hand. I even got rubbed in the doctor’s surgery last week. I’m gradually getting used to it!”
Gary MacDonald, who drove a delivery van round Lakeside Shopping Centre in Essex before he scooped the £5,208,504 jackpot[/caption]
He has retired since his mega win[/caption]
Gary is seen on is seen on the golf course in the new ad[/caption]
Steve Parkinson, Brand and Marketing Director at Allwyn UK said: “The original tagline ‘It Could Be You’ has always struck a chord with our players and it has never left us.
“We know our players still use the phrase when they buy tickets and enter the draw and there is a great amount of nostalgia attached to it.
“But there’s also a new generation of players that want those ‘what if’ magic moments that Lotto provides.
“People win Lotto week in, week out, and we all have a chance if we buy a ticket. We wanted to embrace that and involve some of the real winners from across the years to demonstrate that anyone can win.”
The ‘It Could Be You’ advertisement was used to launch the nation’s very first National Lottery game and the tagline became instantly recognisable.
It was coupled with a giant pointing hand descending dramatically from the sky indicating that anyone could win.
The 30-second advert will broadcast on TV today with a peak Coronation Street slot.
Along with a refreshed look and feel to the Lotto game, Lotto players will also see additional special draws to win non-cash prizes and holidays on offer throughout the Autumn.
The National Lottery’s new owner, Allwyn, is using the ad to showcase real people winning[/caption]
The ad has a giant pointing hand descending dramatically from the sky indicating that anyone could win[/caption]
Lotto stats
£35,133,888 was the biggest Lotto jackpot, won by an anonymous player on April 16, 2016.
£33,035,323 – the second-largest Lotto jackpot ever – went to David and Carol Martin from Hawick, Scotland, on January 9, 2016.
99% of lottery millionaires say they are ‘as happy’ or ‘happier’ than before their win, able to spend more time with their friends and family as well as having financial security and freedom of choice.
40% believe being able to give to others has brought the most happiness
27% have lost weight since their win.