By A small village there recently got the news of a lifetime. A local lottery “group of 165 people won hundreds of thousands of euros right in time for the holiday season, according to Euronews.
The winners are from the small village of Olmen in the province of Antwerp. And on Tuesday, they learned that they had all won the EuroMillions lottery after each contributing €15.”
The ticket will pay out over $900,000 to every individual—tax free.
The winners all chipped in 15 euros to a pot set up in a local store whose owners regularly organise a EuroMillions group buy, resulting in the occasional win but never a major jackpot,” Reuters wrote.
“Many winning customers were in disbelief at first,” said storekeeper Wim Van Broekhoven who was as stunned as his wife when they heard the winning numbers.
“We have had quite a few new customers since the big win, but no one in the village holds any grudges against the winners,” Van Broekhoven said. “Everyone is genuinely happy for them.”
He continued: “The winners are from all walks of life, but regardless everyone can use the money, especially ahead of the holidays and with the current energy crisis.”
Some of the winners already know what they’re going to be doing with the cash. A report said, “One person already knows what they want to do: fulfill a lifelong dream to spend a few months in America, and hike the Grand Canyon. Another said they will split it among three children and many grandchildren.”
The BBC noted, “The EuroMillions jackpot is organised in nine European countries: Belgium, France, United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal, Ireland, Austria, Switzerland and Luxembourg.
The winning numbers for Tuesday were 12, 20, 25, 26 and 27, with Lucky Stars eight and 12.”
Olmen has a population just over 3,700 and is known for its Carnival, which still follows medieval traditions.
Looks like next year’s festival will be a little bit fancier! Congratulations!
