NewsUK NewsEuromillionsEXCLUSIVE: The 80 National Express workers will all take an equal share of the £108,510.50 winnings after worker Dennis Houghton meticulously ran the syndicate09:01, 10 Jul 2026Eighty lucky bus drivers have bagged a slice of a EuroMillions windfall - thanks to one employee's painstaking planning.‌The National Express workers will take an equal share of £108,510.50 and plan to splash out on a new upstairs carpet and a host of holidays. Staff at Yardley Wood Bus Depot, Birmingham, have Dennis Houghton, 73, to thank for the pay-out after his meticulous organising. He said he has been operating the syndicate for more than 17 years - playing a mix of numbers and Lucky Dips - but never expected to win.‌Now Dennis claims the boss was happy they hadn't won more - as it could have sparked a driver shortage. He said: "I’m suddenly Mr Popular, I can’t tell you how many pats on the back I’ve had since we discovered our nice little bonus. Everyone is so happy, but maybe not as happy as our gaffer who is relieved we didn’t match all the numbers. If we had, Birmingham might well have been a little bit short on bus drivers."‌The group won by matching the five main numbers and one Lucky Star number in the EuroMillions draw on May 22 2026. The lucky syndicate was started in 2009 when a fellow driver approached Dennis and suggested they should all go in together for the EuroMillions Jackpot that coming Friday.‌The syndicate plays a mix of Lucky Dips and their own numbers every week, picked by Dennis at random from a jar containing the numbers one to 59 on individual bits of paper before every draw. Once bought, Dennis will post a copy of the ticket onto the On the Buses syndicate’s Facebook page which is where he will share news and updates too.Over the years players have come and gone but many have continued to pay into the "On the Buses" syndicate even after retirement. Dennis said: "I joke that it’s an accidental syndicate, what started out as an informal, ’have a go’ with 24 of the drivers very quickly grew to an 80-strong syndicate with a waiting list and I had to quickly come up with a plan for managing it.”Article continues belowReliving the moment he discovered they'd won, Dennis said: “I was at home on Saturday morning when I checked the tickets on my National Lottery app, and while I heard the little bell confirm a win I assumed I would see a few quid, but seeing all those thousands was quite a surprise. I quickly called the first name that jumped into my head to share the news – my logic was, if the shock kills me someone else will know!”And Dennis' phone didn’t stop ringing as the other syndicate members called to check they’d won. He said: “I’ve never heard, 'Is this for real?', so many times in my life."Dennis was on his holidays when he bought the "On the Buses" winning EuroMillions ticket at Geralds Supermarket on Warren Road in Dawlish Warren, Devon. The syndicate's winning ticket was one of two UK winning tickets which matched the five main numbers and one Lucky Star.Choose Daily Mirror as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.‌EuromillionsNational LotteryAppsNational Express Group PLC