One lucky German man who won a staggering €120 million (just under £105m) in the Eurojackpot lottery amazed organisers by not to claim his winnings, instead waiting two weeks before presenting himself. The instant millionaire, whose identity remains secret, surprised everyone by not immediately claiming his life-changing prize.
According to a spokesperson, the winner was in no hurry, preferring to take some time to absorb the scale of his newfound wealth before making any decisions. On October 7, the man made his way to the lottery organiser’s headquarters, where he spent approximately an hour. His demeanour was described as calm and composed throughout the process by lottery representatives.
After verifying that his ticket held the winning numbers, his victory in the draw was officially confirmed.
Although the windfall will be transferred to the account specified by the winner next week, the company will first conduct a thorough verification of the transaction.
The spokesperson added that the new millionaire was “very reserved” and chose not to share any details about his future plans or how he intends to spend his enormous prize.
Before finally hearing from the lucky winner, the lottery organisers had started to believe that the ticket belonged to a casual player. They had even begun contemplating a search campaign using posters and advertisements in the area where the ticket was sold.
The winning ticket was bought for a total of €19 (£16.50). As per Eurojackpot rules, the fortunate winner had three years to claim the prize before it expired.
However, the fact that he chose to take some time to reflect before coming forward demonstrates a particularly calm and mature approach towards such a life-altering event.
The Eurojackpot grand prize begins at €10,000,000 and can roll over up to a staggering €120,000,000. Tickets can be purchased at outlets in Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Greece and Germany.
Playing Eurojackpot costs €2 per line in most of these territories except in Lithuania where it includes a compulsory additional game called ‘The Joker’ that increases the price to €3 per line, in Greece where it costs €2.50 per line, and in Slovenia where it also costs €2.50 per line.