Spain's missing €162M lottery winner has finally been found
The huge jackpot was sold through a sweet shop in the north of Spain
For months now, the tiny town of Derio in northern Spain has been gripped by a thrilling mystery: who had won the jaw-dropping 162 million EuroMillions jackpot, and why hadn’t they claimed it?
The winning ticket was purchased for the October 4 draw, making it the second-largest EuroMillions win in Spain’s history. But as the January 4 deadline to collect the prize loomed closer, panic set in. If the money wasn’t claimed within three months, it would be lost to the lucky winner forever.
With no sign of a new multi-millionaire marching into a bank to cash in the ticket, speculation ran wild. Had they lost their ticket? Did they not realise they’d won such a huge prize?
As it turns out, there was no mystery at all - the winner had already claimed their fortune, just not in the way everyone expected.
In a surprising twist, the lucky player cashed in just five days after the draw, but did it all online. While there’s usually lots of press coverage at these events, this winner shied away from the spotlight and instead, with a few clicks, secured their 162 million euro jackpot from the comfort of their own home.
But then, how did the small sweet shop in the Basque Country become linked to the prize? Well, here’s where things get interesting.
According to sources, when players sign up on Spain’s official lottery website (SELAE), they have the option to assign a local lottery retailer as their ‘friendly’ point of sale. This allows a physical shop to get credit for the ticket purchase, even though the game is played online.
And just like that, Derio’s unassuming candy store became famous overnight.
Image: Freepik
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