He had to be very patient and… careful! For almost two months, the time of confinement, Patrick (his first name has been changed) , lucky guy who hit the jackpot of 17 million euros on 20 March at EuroMillions, stashed his receipt in the shell of his phone portable. A few days ago, at the time of deconfinement, the man who wanted his anonymity was finally able to leave his home and receive his big check from the hands of employees of the French Games (FDJ).
Because this is the rule: any lucky person, big or small, in the lottery must, after making themselves known to the "winning relations" department, keep their ticket until payment. The wait usually lasts a few days. But there, the Covid-19 epidemic has seriously delayed the deadline. From this new rich man, we know that he has validated his grid at a point of sale located in a village in Côtes-d'Armor called La Vicomté-sur-Rance. Does he live in the area? Motus and mouth sewn on the side of the FDJ.
What is certain is that he did not receive his money at the headquarters of the gaming operator in Boulogne-Billancourt (Hauts-de-Seine) but in a regional payment center located less than 100 km home, in accordance with the new travel rules. It is Isabelle Cesari, responsible for the big winners relations, who handed over the nest egg fallen from the sky and therefore recovered the ticket.
His date of birth on the barcode
"He was in excellent condition, folded in half. Our winner was very careful. He wrapped it in a small white paper to protect it well, ”she reveals. The multimillionaire did not leave his smartphone an inch. "At night, he was placed on the bedside table," says Isabelle Cesari.
With the wallet, the laptop shell has become a hiding place very popular with number checkers when they don't have a safe. There is more original. In the past, Loto, Euro Millions and My Million winners have sheltered their precious piece of paper in the jar of rolling tobacco, the sun visor of the car, under the housewife, in a freezer bag under a grand cru of the wine cellar or… in the dirty laundry basket!
Under the barcode of his receipt, Patrick noticed that his date of birth was written in the identification code, seeing it “as a sign” of a shaken destiny. During the long weeks of confinement, he had plenty of time to think about his plans. The man "with the angels" intends to offer himself "a very good restaurant as soon as possible and a trip".
To "have fun", he already bought himself "a nice car". "He wants to stop his professional activity for some time, then restart another activity later, but in the same field," said the FDJ. "I will take care of myself, get a new life because I have always worked a lot," he told his unexpected benefactors.
Containment dropped bets by 60%
He still believes in his lucky star in Euro Millions and continues "to play in each draw according to his habits", namely five flash grids. It is a bit of an exception: in these times of Covid-19, the French are much less likely to rely on chance.
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During the first month of confinement, the operator recorded, all games combined, a decline in its bets by almost 60%, which impacted, over this period, its turnover to the tune of 100 million euros. . Following the cancellation of most competitions, sports betting has dropped by around 95%!
But the jackpot dropouts, they have not disappeared. Friday, a wager of the Hexagon won 72.9 million euros in the European lottery. It is not known at this time if it has left the wood. The only certainty: he has not yet cashed his treasure. According to the new regulations, he has 90 days, from the date of the draw, to make himself known against 120 days during confinement but 60 days in normal time.
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