(Reuters) – Christmas came early for 165 people from the small village of Olmen in northern Belgium, who won 142,897,164 euros in EuroMillions this week, the biggest collective win ever recorded in Belgium.
Each individual will receive nearly €900,000 tax-free, EuroMillions spokesman Joke Vermoere told Reuters.
She added that it was the first time in Belgium that such a large group had won so much. “It’s a great story, really.”
The winners all put £15 into a pot at the local store whose owners run a regular EuroMillions group buy, resulting in occasional wins but never a big jackpot.
“A lot of winning customers were in disbelief at first,” said shopkeeper Wim Van Broekhoven, who was as amazed as his wife when they heard the winning numbers.
“Winners come from all walks of life, but anyway, everyone can use this money, especially with the holidays approaching and with the current energy crisis”, commented Wim Van Broekhoven.
Among the winners is a young woman in her twenties who plans to buy a house for herself and her dogs, he said.
EuroMillions is a lottery game from La Française des Jeux. It is also a collaboration between a dozen European lotteries: France, the United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Ireland, Austria, Switzerland and Luxembourg.
(Written by Charlotte Van Campenhout; French version Elena Smirnova, edited by Blandine Hénault)
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