In a village in Belgium, 21 friends jointly won the 123 million euro (about 573 million ringgit) EuroMillions jackpot on January 30, quickly becoming the talk of the town.
According to AFP, these friends all live in the village of Zwijndrecht in the Flanders region. After splitting the prize, each person is expected to receive about 5.8 million euros (about 27 million ringgit).
This jackpot amounted to 123,555,827 euros, making it one of the highest prizes ever in Belgium.
One of the winners, Marianne, a retiree, said during an interview outside the bakery where the winning ticket was sold, “5.8 million euros. Yes, it’s just unbelievable!”
She recalled the moment she realized they’d won, “I cried and trembled, looking at my husband and asked, ‘What’s happening?’”
“We hugged each other and told each other to stay rational and not to do anything foolish.”
She said, “This (winning) will make life a bit easier, and it will be really good for the children and grandchildren. They’ll have a wonderful future, and that’s the most important thing.”
What’s the secret to winning such a huge jackpot? Talvi, the shop owner who sold the winning ticket, said it mostly comes down to luck.
He said: “On Friday morning, they came here and asked to buy a ‘computer pick’ ticket worth about 105 euros.” He added, “Just like that, they won.”