They all come from the same village, and have decided to play the same card together, hoping it will be the lucky one. And so it was: 165 inhabitants of the town of Olmen, in the province of Antwerp, in Belgium, won 143 million euros in the Euromillion similar to our SuperEnalotto. “They all played together in the same newsstand, where they invested 15 euros each,” national lottery spokesman Joke Vermoere told De Morgen. “It’s not the first time this bookstore has organized this type of collective game, but it’s the first time it’s won so much. »
When purchasing their ticket, customers added €15 for a multiple ballot, allowing players to tick off more numbers than a normal ballot. By dividing the winnings equally, the 165 players will receive around €900,000. Although all attendees went home with a copy of the ticket, only one original exists, Vermoere explained. “Wim, the owner of the newsstand, will come to our office in Brussels with the ticket. He will then have to arrange the payment through the winners’ banks. Everything was done very neatly and correctly. »
“Customers are incredulous,” said Wim Van Broekhoven, owner of De Pershoek bookstore in Olmen. “I often had to repeat it five or six times,” he said. “It’s very hectic here, but they’re very thankful to have won,” he continued. “When they come to play, they obviously dream of winning. Most people who have children will help them through these difficult times, I think. Or they will go on vacation with them,” he concluded. The Euromillion is organized in nine European countries: Belgium, France, United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal, Ireland, Austria, Switzerland and Luxembourg.
