Biggest Lottery Winners
Article by Isla Campell
While some people who play the lottery regularly would be satisfied with a modest win, it’s the promise of striking it rich by claiming the jackpot that keeps many people playing the game of chance. Lotteries exist in many countries, but it was with the introduction of the continent-wide EuroMillions draw that lottery prizes across Europe were taken to a whole new level.The EuroMillions draw offers a minimum jackpot of 15 million euros each week, but its prizes can be significantly greater – especially in the event of a single-ticket winner. The largest prize in this regard was claimed by a British ticket holder in October 2010, who won £113 million and chose to remain anonymous, despite much speculation in the press. As for named winners, British ticket holder Nigel Page and his partner both claimed £56 million in the UK’s single biggest lottery win to date.While single-ticket prizes offer the greatest rewards, players shouldn’t underestimate the amount they can win by playing in syndicates, to split their initial investment. Even in the case that several ticket winners claim prizes independently, their shared total can still be huge. This was the case with the three EuroMillions winners in February 2006 – two from France and one from Portugal – who each won more than 61 million euros when the total was split.It’s not just EuroMillions that pays to play though, as Britain’s own national lottery has been offering substantial prizes for more than 15 years, especially in the event of a rollover jackpot. The biggest lottery winner in the UK lottery was London resident Jordan Banks who received a tax-free £42 million lump sum prize in August 2008. Ireland’s national lottery isn’t to be frowned at either, with one winner in July 2005 scooping over 115 million euros as a tax-free lump sum prize.Surprisingly, some of the biggest wins in history have remained unclaimed, either by forgetful ticket holders or players who are unable to claim their prizes for other reasons. While lottery winners usually have some considerable time to come forward, the UK and EuroMillions lotteries cease offering the prize 180 days after the draw. Some lottery winners are hesitant to come forward due to fears over perceived media attention, but lottery organisations are adept at keeping details under wraps, if players prefer to keep their good fortune to themselves and trusted confidantes.
About the Author
Isla is a part of the digital blogging team at getyourblogsout.com who work with brands like Take That Ltd. For more information about me, or to keep up to date with the latest in entertainment news, check out my posts at getyourblogsout.com or visit my Twitter account, @BlogsOut















