Five French friends win record-breaking €250m EuroMillions jackpot
The winning ticket was purchased at a Parisian newsagent
France’s highest ever winning lottery jackpot has been split between five friends into equal cheques of €50 million
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Five friends from the Île-de-France region have won a record-breaking €250 million EuroMillions jackpot. This was their first time playing as a group.
The nine-figure jackpot is France’s highest ever lottery win.
The ticket was in play on August 19, with winner information revealed yesterday (November 6).
France’s national lottery operator Française des Jeux (FDJ) cannot disclose identifying details about the winners, who have chosen to remain anonymous.
The new multimillionaires “needed time to digest this incredible news,” the FDJ told FranceInfo.
Winning ticket bought at a Parisian tabac
The lucky ticket and winning combination (24, 31, 34, 41, 43, 6, 8) was purchased at Paris newsagent, Tabac d’Auteuil, in the 16th arrondissement.
The ticket was validated at the same address when the winners had to confirm in writing whether they played alone or as a group.
Isabelle Cesari, head of FDJ’s Accompagnement et Expérience Gagnants (Winners’ Support and Experience) team, told FranceInfo: “It is not that unusual for several people to play on the same ticket, either among family or friends, as in this case.”
A life-changing experience
FDJ defines ‘big winners’ as those having received at least €1 million of prize money. Those who fall into this category are entitled to long-term support and guidance from FDJ.
Support includes workshops enabling winners to share their experiences, and information sessions covering “various topics such as financial investments, notarial administration and managing change...to help winners make informed choices, plan for the future and move forward in line with their values,” reads the FDJ website.
In 2022, a French EuroMillions winner who received €200 million, donated the majority of his winnings to causes working to help tackle climate change and global warming.
