Woman In Germany Carried Around Lottery Ticket Worth $39 Million In Her Purse For Weeks Before Realizing It

Aug 04, 2021 by apost team

Have you ever dreamed about what you would do if you won the lottery? One woman from Germany saw that dream become a reality but almost misplaced the winning ticket when it was left in her purse for weeks. German lottery company Lotto Bayern announced that a 45-year-old woman, who was not named, was the winner of a drawing that took place in June 2021. The winning ticket was worth 33 million euros, which converts to a little more than 39 million dollars.

The mother of one said she still gets dizzy at the fact that she carelessly carried something worth such an incredible amount of money in her purse for several weeks. Fortunately, she did not lose the ticket or accidentally throw it in the trash before she could claim her prize. The ticket only cost the woman 1.20 euros, but she said she does not plan on playing the lottery again as the amount she won is more than enough to support herself, her husband, and her daughter.  

The lucky winner added that she plans to use the money to live a happy and healthy life and wishes to use the jackpot to help the environment as well. There are many stories of lottery winners who can’t cope with the amount of pressure that comes from winning so much money and end up going bankrupt. For this reason, many winners wish to remain anonymous like the woman in Germany.

However, in America, there are only 11 states that allow lottery winners to keep their identities unknown. The states that currently allow lottery winners to remain anonymous after purchasing a winning ticket are Arizona, Delaware, Georgia, Kansas, Maryland, New Jersey, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, Virginia, and Texas. Fortunately for the winner from Germany, she gets to keep her identity and winnings to herself. 

The story of the woman from Germany who had a winning lottery ticket in her purse for weeks is reminiscent of another lottery winner who accidentally washed her winning ticket in the laundry. The washed ticket was purchased at an Arco AM/PM convenience store in Norwalk, California. The ticket was for the November 2021 drawing. The winning numbers were 23, 36, 12, 31, 13, and the Mega number was 10.

The Los Angeles Times reported that in California if winning tickets don’t get claimed, the money goes to the state’s public school system. “There’s no confirmed winner at this moment,” said Jorge De La Cruz, a spokesperson for the California Lottery. “The ticket is still unclaimed,” and the Norwalk store where the ticket was sold received a $130,000 bonus.

“For jackpots to not be claimed is uncommon,” De La Cruz added. “It’s actually very uncommon.” After the woman heard about the unclaimed ticket, she reached out to the California Lottery, and they have her claim under investigation. ABC News has said that there is security footage of the woman purchasing the lottery ticket at the store. 

Even though unclaimed lottery wins are uncommon, they still happen. According to De La Cruz, the winner of a 63 million dollar SuperLotto Plus jackpot from 2015 never showed up to claim their prize. Missing out on such a win would feel devastating. The woman in Germany who nearly lost her winning lottery ticket is very fortunate to have found it in her purse, and we wish her all the best with her chance at a new life. 

apost.com

What would you do if you won the lottery? Would you donate any of the money? Let us know, and be sure to send this along to your friends and family.