A record lottery win will bring the winner almost 3 billion crowns, placing them among the wealthiest Czechs.
At the end of May, a lottery player won a record prize when they received 2.911 billion crowns in the Eurojackpot game. This is about half a billion more than over 10 years ago, when one lucky player won 2.466 billion in the same game.
The Czech Republic can now boast three winners who have won an amount exceeding one billion crowns in the Eurojackpot lottery.
The lowest amount among them was won by the individual who, on June 14, 2019, won 1.412 billion crowns. He placed his bet online through the lottery company's website. Before him, on May 15, 2015, another bettor claimed an unbelievable 2.466 billion crowns.
New Billionaire Hit
On Tuesday, May 26, however, he met his conqueror. Information appeared on the lottery company's website, Allwyn, in the evening that a new winner can look forward to 2.911 billion crowns in the Eurojackpot game!
"We are thrilled that this record prize of almost 3 billion is being claimed by a winner from Czechia,"
said Martin Babec, the lottery category manager of Allwyn, in a press release.
Are you asking who the next billionaire is? We don't know the answer yet; the lottery company reportedly knows but hasn't provided any details. The previous winner reportedly claimed their prize 26 days after the announcement. And if the new one happens to "forget," they have plenty of time. They just need to claim the astronomical sum within a year of the announcement. They will then become one of the wealthiest Czechs.
Once it happens, they will be welcomed into the so-called Millionaire's Room. In addition to essential administrative tasks, Allwyn will offer them psychological support, financial consultations, and legal advice, as they do in similar cases.
The fact that the unknown winner managed to achieve an extraordinary success in any case is evidenced by the fact that the guaranteed prize for hitting the main jackpot is at least 10 million euros. However, the maximum possible amount is exactly 120 million euros, which is approximately 3 billion crowns. This amount has been won five times so far. At the end of 2024, for the first time, it happened that the jackpot was simultaneously hit by two people. Coincidentally, both were from Germany. As a result, each of them received "only" half of the total sum.
Winning is certainly no easy feat. The aim of Eurojackpot is to guess 5 numbers out of 50 and an additional 2 supplementary numbers (Euro numbers) out of 12. The chances of winning are therefore only one in 139.839 million!
The multi-million tax will be a welcome income for the state
It's not just those who placed bets that benefit from the payout. The state also takes a relatively large share. The lucky winner must account for a 15% withholding tax, making the state the biggest "co-winner" in history. This amounts to nearly 437 million crowns.
Economic Daily has noted an interesting fact in this regard. Although the new winner grossed 445 million more, due to the mandatory state levy, a similar sum will be credited to their account as the record holder from 2015, who was still exempt from tax at the time. Moreover, due to inflation, the real value of today's winnings is lower than in 2015.
Powerball Leads
Compared to the success achieved last Christmas by one American bettor, the May Jackpot still represents mere "pocket change." For a ticket costing no more than 2 dollars, the Powerball lottery winner claimed 1.8 billion dollars. How much is that in crowns? An almost unimaginable 37 billion! The odds of winning the jackpot were reportedly one in 292.2 million.
Powerball can also boast the highest payout ever awarded in lottery history. This happened four years ago in November. The winning hit amounted to 2.04 billion dollars, which is over 42.5 billion crowns.
What to do with the winnings?
But back to reality: previous experiences from betting companies reportedly show that most winners use the money mainly for securing their family, investments, paying off a mortgage, or acquiring property. Others prefer traveling to exotic destinations or supporting charitable projects.
And thanks to the May lottery, one of the other Czechs will also manage to get a new apartment.
"During Tuesday's draw, the Eurojackpot offered not only cash prizes but also interesting bonuses. One of the bettors secured an apartment in Prague worth 20 million crowns with the correct guess,"
added Brabec from Allwyn.
Sources: author's article, ČTK, Allwyn, Seznam Zprávy
