Belgium Village Receives $151 Million from EuroMillions Lottery

A sizable population of nearly millionaires can be found in a small Belgian town. Olmen became a wealthy town overnight thanks to a recent EuroMillions lottery win worth €143 million (US$159.6 million), according to Euro News.

Locals joined forces to play the lottery, each contributing €15 (US$15.80). 165 people jumped into the pool in total, and when their numbers were called, their lives changed in an instant.

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In a community of about 4,000 people, rumors spread quickly. Everyone in Olmen, bemoaning Belgium’s World Cup elimination, didn’t have to wait long to find out that each winner was now looking down at a windfall of €870,000 (US$916,458), just in time for the holidays.

Early Christmas present
In the northern region of Belgium, the town of Olmen is primarily rural and agricultural. Other than perhaps taking part in or watching its yearly medieval Carnival, there isn’t much to do there.

The most common word being used in the town to describe what has happened is shock. The unexpected windfall will make it much simpler to travel somewhere warm for a vacation, and some people have already stated that they are prepared to pack their bags.

Some people will continue to celebrate Christmas in its true spirit. They intend to give the money to friends and family rather than spending it all on themselves.

When everyone in the town of Pinos Puente unexpectedly became wealthy in 2016, the pot was €2.31 billion (US$2.43 billion). There has never been a jackpot winner at El Gordo. Instead, players purchase pre-determined numbers, which are frequently offered in the same towns or cities.

In the case of Pinos Puentes, this was true. The winning numbers that year were those that were being advertised in the town of 13K, where many people had bought a ticket. As a result, each winner received €100,000 (US$105,340).

Four years earlier, a similar situation occurred, but it had a negative outcome. Each of the 250 residents of the farming community of Sodesto in northern Spain received about €494,000 (US$520,000) that Christmas when the El Gordo lottery came to their front yard.

One resident, though, wasn’t as fortunate. He had been residing in the town since his arrival from Greece, but he had not purchased a ticket. It was a regrettable outcome that exemplified the proverb “you have to be in it to win it.”