Who could have won?
Lottery officials continue search for owner of £110m ticket
• Madrid shop sold ticket for biggest single lottery prize
• EuroMillions winner may be tourist, says seller
Lottery officials across Europe were searching today for one of the continent's richest people, who may still be unaware that they possess a lottery ticket worth £110m.
The EuroMillions jackpot is the world's biggest ever single lottery prize, but the Madrid lottery shop that sold the ticket has *so far been unable to trace the buyer. If found, he or she would shoot into the club of the richest people in Europe. If the winner were British, it would mean joining the Sunday Times rich list at No 492 — tied with the Bee Gees brothers Barry and Robin Gibb.
A sign pinned to the window of the Black Cat lottery shop, just off Madrid's central Plaza de Cibeles, boasted today that this was the place where the €126m ticket had been sold.
The shop's owner, Paloma Cateleiro, said that she had no idea who had bought the ticket but suspected the chit might be lying at the bottom of a tourist's suitcase in some part of Europe.
"A lot of people come though here," she said. "We might never find out who has won it."
She said that the winner had put down €10 in the game, which let them make five different predictions of a combination of numbers that could land the jackpot.
"It could have gone to a tourist or to someone from outside Madrid, as we are right in the centre," said Ana Maria Rincón, one of the Black Cat's lottery sellers.
The huge jackpot built up after the weekly draw was rolled over six times, with no winner since 20 March.
The chances of landing this jackpot had been estimated at 76m to one.
The previous EuroMillions record was held by Dolores McNamara, from Ireland, who won more than €115m on the game in 2005, though the biggest single lottery win ever was reported to be on Italy's Superenalotto game, which handed out £81m to a winner in October.
Britain's biggest ever lottery winner is Angela Kelly, a postal worker from East Kilbride, who won more than £35m from the EuroMillions jackpot in 2007.
EuroMillions winners do not have to go to the lottery shop where they bought the ticket to draw their prize money. Many opt to have the money sent to them by one of the nine lottery organisations across Europe which jointly run the game.
It was estimated that the £110m would produce some £2,000 a day in interest. The winner would be able to buy up to a dozen Picassos or a couple of Airbus 320 airliners.
They could also cover the $100m dollars that Barack Obama recently said he wanted to shave off the US federal budget and still have $60m to spare.
The Sunday Times rich list rates both the Gibb brothers and the head of the Renault Formula 1 racing team, Flavio Briatore, as being worth £110m. They are several places ahead of such people as retailer George Davies or the singers David Bowie and George Michael.
The EuroMillions jackpot is the world's biggest ever single lottery prize, but the Madrid lottery shop that sold the ticket has *so far been unable to trace the buyer. If found, he or she would shoot into the club of the richest people in Europe. If the winner were British, it would mean joining the Sunday Times rich list at No 492 — tied with the Bee Gees brothers Barry and Robin Gibb.
A sign pinned to the window of the Black Cat lottery shop, just off Madrid's central Plaza de Cibeles, boasted today that this was the place where the €126m ticket had been sold.
The shop's owner, Paloma Cateleiro, said that she had no idea who had bought the ticket but suspected the chit might be lying at the bottom of a tourist's suitcase in some part of Europe.
"A lot of people come though here," she said. "We might never find out who has won it."
She said that the winner had put down €10 in the game, which let them make five different predictions of a combination of numbers that could land the jackpot.
"It could have gone to a tourist or to someone from outside Madrid, as we are right in the centre," said Ana Maria Rincón, one of the Black Cat's lottery sellers.
The huge jackpot built up after the weekly draw was rolled over six times, with no winner since 20 March.
The chances of landing this jackpot had been estimated at 76m to one.
The previous EuroMillions record was held by Dolores McNamara, from Ireland, who won more than €115m on the game in 2005, though the biggest single lottery win ever was reported to be on Italy's Superenalotto game, which handed out £81m to a winner in October.
Britain's biggest ever lottery winner is Angela Kelly, a postal worker from East Kilbride, who won more than £35m from the EuroMillions jackpot in 2007.
EuroMillions winners do not have to go to the lottery shop where they bought the ticket to draw their prize money. Many opt to have the money sent to them by one of the nine lottery organisations across Europe which jointly run the game.
It was estimated that the £110m would produce some £2,000 a day in interest. The winner would be able to buy up to a dozen Picassos or a couple of Airbus 320 airliners.
They could also cover the $100m dollars that Barack Obama recently said he wanted to shave off the US federal budget and still have $60m to spare.
The Sunday Times rich list rates both the Gibb brothers and the head of the Renault Formula 1 racing team, Flavio Briatore, as being worth £110m. They are several places ahead of such people as retailer George Davies or the singers David Bowie and George Michael.
Grammar:
If you had won the 126m, what would be the first thing you would do?
Would you remain anonymous or would you tell the world?
Would you give any money away? Who to?
Do you think it would change you as a person?
Spotlight on vocabulary:
*so far = until this moment
- How has your day been so far?
- I've written 3 e-mails so far and I still have another 2 to write.
- I haven't had any problems so far but I suppose things will get more difficult.
- It's usually very noisy in my neighbourhood but it's been quiet so far this year.
#oldtweets
— English in Madrid (@madteacher72) July 30, 2021
so far = hasta ahora
e.g. I'VE HAD two coffees SO FAR TODAY.
e.g. This is the hottest day SO FAR THIS YEAR.
so far, so good = hasta aquí, todo bien
e.g. How's the new job going? SO FAR, SO GOOD.
to fear the worst = to think sth unpleasant might happen/have happened https://t.co/WP3GEhy4ZO
cepa (origen de una familia o linaje) - stock
— English in Madrid (@madteacher72) February 4, 2022
es un inglés de pura cepa - He's English through and through.
cepa (biol) - strain / variant
How many strains of Covid has there been so far?
un vino de buena cepa - a good quality wine pic.twitter.com/fStxI9m7tM
Comments
I’m not sure whether I would like to win so much money in the lottery. I think my life would be more complicated from that day. Of course, I’d rather to remain anonymous because I don’t like the fame and I believe people look at me in a different way.
What would I do the first? I have no idea. Always my husband and me have talked about it we’ve finally argued, and that without money!…..So I think my life changes a lot with all those millions.
I think I would join some ONG and I would give them away some money. I would stop working, of course, and I would travel around the world.
But 126m are really difficult to manage…. I would be happy with…I don’t know, I have to think about it.
See you tomorrow!
It was so difficult to get to class this morning. It doesn't get any easier. Only 2 more to go! :-)
Of course, I’D RATHER REMAIN anonymous because I WOULDN'T like FAME and I believe people WOULD look at me in a different way.
What would I do FIRST? I have no idea. WHENEVER my husband and I have talked about it we’ve ENDED UP ARGUING, and that IS without money!…..So I think my life WOULD CHANGE a lot with all those millions.
I think I would join some NGO and I would GIVE THEM SOME OF MY MONEY / GIVE AWAY some money. I would stop working, of course, and I would travel around the world.
But 126m WOULD BE really difficult to manage.
I wonder what the person who won the 126m has done with it.