Articles Thought-he-was-entering-for-a-playstation-won-40000

Khalid thought he was entering a competition to win a PlayStation. Five tickets and £2.45 later, £40,000 appeared on his screen. The only problem? He couldn’t see it properly. What followed was a week of disbelief before Khalid and his family finally visited Chaotic HQ to make their incredible win official.

He Thought He'd Won a PlayStation

Khalid describes himself as a gadget person.

When he looks through the competitions on Chaotic, it’s usually the tech that catches his attention.

So when he entered that day, there was only one prize on his mind.

A PlayStation.

"Any gadgets you put on, I'll go for that."

He spent £2.45 on five tickets and waited to see what happened.

Then something unexpected appeared on his screen.

£40,000.

Except Khalid couldn't actually see the number properly.

"I thought I was playing for the PlayStation."

His vision was blurry that day, so he called his partner over before heading upstairs to find his glasses.

"I asked her, 'What is this?'"

Glasses on.

Another look at the screen.

Yep.

£40,000.

Not on the PlayStation competition he'd entered for, but from an instant win ticket in our Leprechaun's Wish competition.

Not quite a PlayStation.

"I Couldn't Believe It"

Even after seeing the number properly, Khalid wasn't convinced.

"I couldn't believe it. I was shocked."

Then the phone rang.

It was Chaotic confirming he'd won.

Surely that would clear things up?

Not quite.

"I said, 'Is this the PlayStation?'"

No, Khalid.

It definitely wasn't the PlayStation.

He'd just won £40,000.

And even after that phone call, it took a while for the news to sink in.

For around a week before visiting Chaotic HQ, Khalid kept wondering whether the money would actually arrive.

"I don't know. I don't think it's real."

There was only one thing that was going to convince him.

Seeing the money in his bank account.

Five Tickets. £2.45. £40,000.

Khalid hadn't actually been playing with Chaotic for very long.

His partner was the big Chaotic fan in the house.

She's been playing for around a year, follows Chaotic across Facebook, Discord and Twitch and regularly gets involved with Games Night.

She'd even won £200 on a free Games Night.

That was enough to get Khalid interested.

"The first time I joined, I won £200."

But Khalid isn't someone who's constantly entering.

He plays occasionally, usually when he spots a gadget he likes.

This time, five tickets were enough.

£2.45 spent.

£40,000 won.

Meanwhile, his partner couldn't quite believe he'd managed it.

"I buy tickets for every game all the time... and he's the one that won."

Sometimes that's just how it goes.

What Do You Do With £40,000?

Once the disbelief started wearing off, another question arrived.

What do you actually do when £40,000 suddenly lands in your lap?

Spend it?

Save it?

Invest it?

Khalid and his partner have already had plenty of ideas.

"We've had about a thousand different ideas of, okay, we could do this, or we could do this."

But rather than rushing into anything, they want to make sure they use the money properly.

"You have to be very grown-up with it because it's a very big number."

For the family, it's an opportunity they don't want to waste.

"It's not very often you get an opportunity to have such a big amount of money at one time."

More Freedom for the Family

One thing already high on the list is their own vehicle.

Khalid and his family are originally from Portsmouth, where much of their family still live.

Without their own transport, getting back to see everyone isn't always easy.

The £40,000 changes that.

"We can have our own vehicle. We don't have to rely on anybody around us."

It also means more freedom when it comes to doing things with their son, Logan.

Instead of having to save for months or explain that something isn't affordable right now, there can be a few more yeses.

"You don't have to say, 'We can't really afford that,' or, 'Let's save up. It'll take about a year.'"

For Khalid and his partner, that's one of the most exciting parts.

Being able to give Logan more experiences without constantly worrying about the cost.

A Much-Needed Good Day for Logan

The family's visit to Chaotic HQ also came at exactly the right time.

Logan had experienced a pretty awful day beforehand.

He'd been injured, needed stitches and had been told he couldn't take part in sport for three weeks.

That meant missing his very first rugby lesson.

Understandably, he wasn't too happy about it.

So a trip to Chaotic HQ, balloons, gifts and watching his dad collect £40,000 provided a pretty good distraction.

"Today was a massive boost to take his mind off everything."

And Logan already had plans of his own.

Apparently, his shopping list was taller than he was.

Fair enough.

Dad's just won £40,000.

You Only Need One

There's quite a difference between how Khalid and his partner play.

She's the regular.

He's the occasional player.

She follows everything Chaotic.

He's looking for PlayStations.

She's got her spending limits set and regularly picks up smaller wins.

Khalid pops on once in a blue moon, spends a couple of quid...

And wins £40,000.

"You only need one ticket."

We're sure she's absolutely delighted for him.

Mostly.

Making £40,000 Official

There was still one thing left to do at Chaotic HQ.

Get the money into Khalid's account.

He logged into his Chaotic account while the team prepared to add the prize to his wallet.

Three.

Two.

One.

£40,000.

"Oh my gosh."

Suddenly there was a very big number sitting at the top of his Chaotic wallet.

Then came the important part.

The withdrawal.

Bank details checked.

Zeros counted very carefully.

And Khalid opened his mobile banking.

Before the payment arrived, his balance was sitting at just 17p.

Then the team pressed confirm.

Refresh.

And there it was.

£40,000.

Actually in his bank.

"It's gobsmacking, really. It's so overwhelming."

"I've never seen a number that big in my life."

After a week of wondering whether it was actually real, there wasn't much left to question.

It was his.

So, How Do You Celebrate £40,000?

After winning that sort of money, you'd be forgiven for planning somewhere slightly fancy for dinner.

Khalid and his family had other ideas.

Burger King.

There was also a surprising amount of conversation about cheese.

When asked what kind he liked?

"Any cheese will do."

£40,000 in the bank.

Burger King for dinner.

And some cheese.

We respect it.

Not Bad for a PlayStation Entry

Khalid came onto Chaotic thinking he was trying to win a PlayStation.

He spent £2.45.

Bought five tickets.

And somehow ended up with £40,000.

Now that money can help his family become more independent, see their relatives more often, create more experiences with Logan and plan properly for their future.

And after finally watching all £40,000 land in his bank account, Khalid can probably stop wondering whether it's real.

Khalid came to Chaotic hoping to win a PlayStation.

Five tickets and £2.45 later, he walked away with £40,000.

Not a bad upgrade.

From everyone at Chaotic, congratulations again to Khalid and his family on their incredible £40,000 win. And Khalid, next time… remember your glasses.