The man, who has not been named, won the Eurojackpot prize of €120 million (just under £105m) but didn’t bother to show up to claim the money until two weeks later
Most of us would be itching to get our hands on a massive lottery win, but one lucky German ticket-buyer who bagged a whopping €120 million (just shy of £105m) in the Eurojackpot didn’t even bother to pop by and collect his winnings until a fortnight later.
The instant millionaire, whose identity remains under wraps, left everyone gobsmacked by not claiming his prize straight away.
According to a spokesperson, the winner explained that he was in no rush, preferring to take a breather and let the enormity of his newfound wealth sink in before making any hasty decisions.
The man finally showed up at the organiser’s headquarters on October 7, where he hung around for about an hour.
Lottery representatives painted a picture of a man who remained cool as a cucumber throughout the process, and after confirming that his ticket had the winning numbers, his triumph in the draw was officially rubber-stamped.
Although the cash will be transferred next week to the account specified by the winner, the company will first conduct a thorough check of the transaction.
The spokesperson added that the new millionaire was “very reserved” and kept shtum about his future plans or what he intended to do with his enormous windfall.
Before eventually hearing from the winner, the organising company had initially believed that the ticket belonged to a casual player. They had even begun to consider launching a search campaign using posters and advertisements in the area where it had been sold.
The winning ticket was purchased for a total of €19 (£16.50).
According to Eurojackpot rules, the winner had three years to claim the prize before it expired.
However, the fact that he decided to take some time to reflect before coming forward shows a particularly calm and mature attitude towards such a dramatic change in his life.
The Eurojackpot grand prize starts at €10,000,000 and can roll over up to €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 and Greece as well as Germany.
Playing Eurojackpot costs €2 per line in most of those 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 its costs €2.50 per line, and in Slovenia where it costs €2.50 per line.