This is the beautiful story of Christmas. A ringing and stumbling story: 165 inhabitants of Olmen and its surroundings, in the Antwerp region of Belgium, will share the 143 million euro jackpot, won on Tuesday evening at the EuroMillions. In fact, instead of the usual single winner, the lucky ones had decided to play together, through a kitty organized by the newsstand of their municipality, and to bet on the same combination: 12, 20, 25, 26 and 27, as well as the additional numbers, 8 and 12.
“They paid 15 euros each and won together,” confirms Joke Vermoere, spokesman for the Belgian national lottery. Once the treasure of 142,897,164 euros has been divided, everyone will start with just under 900,000 euros. 165 winners… and only one official winning ticket. But no confusion: as the Belgian lottery explained to our colleagues at La Libre Belgique, everything was done according to the rules of the art by the organizer of the pot.
“Wim, the newsstand operator, will come to our Brussels office, explains Joke Vermoere. He must then arrange for the payment through the banks of the various winners. Everything here was done very cleanly and correctly. »
“I sent them all an email with the good news”
The manager also explains that he is used to offering loyal customers the opportunity to participate in this kind of kittens, with an initial bet of 15 euros. But this is the first time the jackpot has been won. “I sent them an email with the good news. They come by now or call to confirm and they are all happy. It’s very hectic here, but I’m very thankful it managed to work,” he said, according to Belgian media VRT, describing the winners as “incredulous”, who had to “repeat the good news five or six times”.
What will they do with their almost million euros (870,000 euros to be exact)? “I think most people who have children will help them the most in these difficult times. Or go on holiday with them,” explained Wim, the tobacconist, describing the players as “very cool” people. “I am very moved. I think that this way I will make my children and grandchildren happy”, confirmed one of the winners to the Flemish newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws. He himself had been playing for… thirty years, without ever having any luck!
No precedent in France
In France, a story of this magnitude does not exist, we think we know it in the Française des jeux. But the winnings have already been shared: in 2019, on the occasion of the draw of 13 million euros organized on Friday 13 December, a family of ten people won!
Furthermore, 143 million, yet a colossal amount corresponding to 9000 years of minimum wage, is not a EuroMillions record. Six years ago, a resident of Brussels won 168 million euros. And in July, the maximum jackpot of 230 million was won by a resident of the UK. The ceiling has since been set at €240 million.
