A man in the French territory of La Reunion has won £859,040 (€1m) on a EuroMillions ticket he discovered behind his phone while cleaning its case. The ticket, bought for a draw on July 31, had been forgotten until the cleaning session in the town of Sainte-Marie revealed it. He then checked the numbers using the FDJ app and learned of his win.
Ticket found just in time
Under FDJ rules, a winning ticket remains valid for up to 60 days, giving players a window to claim their prize. The anonymous winner, who has chosen not to be identified, said in a statement that he intends to share some of the money with family members.
Speaking to La Française des Jeux, he said: "I understand what is happening to us, but it still feels unreal. 100 percent of winners tried their luck."
Not the largest win in the region
The prize is not the biggest ever won in the French island territory. In May 2022, another person won €50.6m (£43.4m) after buying a ticket in Saint-Pierre.
Similar stories have occurred elsewhere. A father from Frankfurt, Germany, found his winning lottery ticket in a jacket pocket six months after the draw. He had been unaware of his €15.3m (£13m) win despite a campaign by Lotto Hessen to locate him.
The man only found the ticket when colder weather prompted him to put on the jacket. He told The Mirror: "It wasn't until the weekend that I found the ticket again, folded up in the inside pocket of my jacket. When I checked the numbers on my phone and saw the winning amount, I was completely shocked – luckily I was sitting down, otherwise my knees would have given way."
The unnamed German man said he and his wife plan to use the money to help their children and also to buy a new sofa for their living room.
