Lucky Austrian scores EuroMillions jackpot

ONE incredibly lucky person woke up on Saturday morning with a bit more cash to spare – £201 million more to be exact. The winner of one of the largest EuroMillions jackpots in history is somewhere in Austria, lottery officials have said, while the second-highest prize, a mere £1,191,020, may have as many as five winners. 

National Lottery officials told The Mirror on December 8 that three of those winners are located in the UK. The remaining two could be in any of the participating countries, which include Ireland, Spain, France, Belgium, Austria, Luxembourg, Portugal, or Switzerland. To win the second prize, players must match all five numbers and one Lucky Star. Tickets must be purchased before 7.30pm, and players can still take home cash even if they don’t win the top prizes. 

More Ways to Play

The jackpot is won, true, but in the UK, a ticket purchase will also enter you into the national Millionaire Maker raffle. If your code is picked, you’ll become a millionaire overnight. Yesterday’s winning code was VQDM43160.

Richer Than Rod Stewart

Such a jackpot is life changing, especially when you consider that hit songwriters Ed Sheeran and Rod Stewart have net fortunes of just £200 million, less than this weekend’s lucky winner. With £201 million in your pocket the possibilities are endless. Maybe it’s 500 Rolls Royce Phantoms that tickles your fancy. Or perhaps you’d rather bag a handful of Caribbean islands instead. With such a fortune you could spend lavishly and still have some cash left to invest. 

Biggest Jackpot in History 

Friday’s £201 million prize is among the largest payouts in history. The UK’s past highest jackpots include £170,221,000 in October 2019, whose winner was kept anonymous. Some winners have used their newfound fortunes to invest in their communities. In 2011 Largs, North Ayrshire couple Colin and Chris Weir took home a whopping £161,653,000 prize, at the time the biggest jackpot in UK history. Colin Weir used part of his prize to invest in his favourite football club, Patrick Thistle. He ultimately acquired 55 per cent of the club’s shares, whose ownership was passed directly into the hands of the community upon Mr. Weir’s passing in 2019.