LOTTERY WINS: Do you have a lucky job?

According to Camelot, driving was the luckiest profession in 2016 - but was in third place in 2017.

But that could be set top change in 2018 after success for taxi drivers Amo Riselli, who won more than £24 million on the Lotto, and Melissa Ede, who won £4 million on a scratchcard, whose wins will count toward the 2018 statistics for the luckiest occupations.

Meanwhile, catering was the job which boasted the highest number of individuals who took home a prize of £1 million or more in 2017.

The six hospital caterers who scooped a EuroMillions jackpot of more than £25 million in November as part of a work syndicate contributed to the profession's strong showing in last year's ratings.

Builders had the second most millionaires across 2017.

The statistics are gathered across all National Lottery games.

Father of five Amo Riselli, 50, from Gloucester, scooped £24,501,283 in the Lotto draw last Wednesday.

The new multimillionaire did not have all six numbers but the top prize had to be won, so the jackpot rolled down to those who had matched five numbers and the bonus ball.

After sharing the news with his family - including his mother Maria, who turns 80 in February, his four brothers and sisters and his five daughters - he called Camelot to confirm his details.

Mrs Riselli was given the responsibility of keeping the ticket in a safe place and stored it in a glass jar in a cupboard, checking it was still there every time she walked by.

The festive season continued as normal and the family shared a glass of champagne during new year celebrations, just like every year, even though they knew about the jackpot win.

As soon as his win was confirmed Mr Riselli hung up his car keys for good and passed his last regular taxi runs over to his brother-in-law.

"I will miss all my friends at work as we really have a laugh together, but I've decided I'm going to retire - just because now I can," Mr Riselli said.

He celebrated the win at Hatherley Manor Hotel, near Gloucester, with his family, including daughters Tammy Lock, Letitia Sciberras, Bethany Sciberras, Nicole Lock and Lucia Lock.

Also present was one of his regular customers - former England rugby player Phil Vickery.

Mr Riselli with sister, Lisa, celebrating the win

Mr Riselli is still overwhelmed by the enormity of his win, but reality is kicking in, with news of his luck spreading as far as Italy, where his parents are originally from, and people getting in touch to congratulate him.

After treating family and friends, Mr Riselli is planning to move house and wants a four-bedroom home with a swimming pool, but plans on staying in the Gloucester area, where he has lived all his life.

He is also going to arrange a big get-together as a thank you for all his colleagues from the Grosvenor taxi rank, where he was self-employed for 12 years.

A holiday to Las Vegas is on the cards, but more than anything else he just wants to have a great time with his family.

The win is touched with sadness as his partner Donna died from a heart attack four years ago and his father Italo died 12 years ago.

"I'm not going to play the lottery any more, as I've already conquered that 'big win' - it is someone else's turn now," the grandfather of nine said.

"I may now be a multimillionaire but I am still the same normal person I always was, just with a bit more loose change in my pocket."

Mr Riselli bought his winning ticket from Seymour Road post office in the Linden area of Gloucester.

He said he always bought three lines for the Lotto draws on Wednesday and Saturday and saved up a batch to get them all checked at the same time.

After scanning the first ticket, the terminal in his local shop made an unusual noise and Mr Riselli was told he had matched five main numbers plus the bonus ball and should contact Camelot.

Taking the printout from the machine, he ran next door to his sister Lisa Riselli's hair salon and excitedly shouted he had won the lottery, thinking at first he had pocketed £240,000.

"I try to get my tickets checked in the same shop and I have always said, 'One day this machine is going to start smoking red hot because I will have hit the big one'," he said.

"I can't believe that it's actually happened to me for real.

"I then called my brother Marco.

"I was shaking like a leaf and I told him I'd won £240,000.

"He said he didn't understand how that could be as he'd already checked his own ticket and didn't remember that winning amount.

"He asked what numbers I'd got and when I told him he cried, 'You've won the whole jackpot of £24 million'.

"It's an amazing feeling and I'm absolutely over the moon."

The Lotto jackpot is capped at £22 million and once it is reached the sum has to be won in the next draw.

This means either a player will match all six numbers or the jackpot money will roll down into the next winning prize tier.

In the draw on December 27 no-one matched all six and Mr Riselli was the only player to match five and the bonus ball.

His winning numbers were 36, 48, 57, 58 and 59 and the bonus ball was 50.

The draw proved controversial as 66 people with five matched numbers lost out on a share of the jackpot and won £1,128 each.