Winning British EuroMillions lottery ticket worth £56 million claimed

February 14, 2010

A winning British EuroMillions lottery ticket, worth approximately £56,008,113 (US$87,893,534, €64,565,882), has been claimed. The value of the prize breaks the record for the largest amount of money won in a lottery in the United Kingdom. The previous record, which was approximately £45 million (US$70.5 million, €52 million), was claimed in November 2009. That amount was given to both of the two lottery ticket winners of the draw, both of which happened to live in the United Kingdom.

The £56 million win, which occurred as a result of the EuroMillions lottery draw on Friday, was actually a share of the jackpot total of approximately £113 million (US$177 million, €130 million). The prize was shared between the UK winner and another winning ticket holder in Spain. At present, neither of the two winners have been publicly identified.

A spokesperson for the Camelot Group, who runs the EuroMillions lottery in the United Kingdom, said: "We have got the champagne ready and we're just waiting for the lucky winner to come forward. It's the biggest win that we have ever had in this country and whoever it is, wherever they are, their life is about to change dramatically. Subject to validation, the prize could be paid out when the banks open on Monday."

The EuroMillions lottery draw takes place in nine European countries including the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Austria, Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg, Portugal and Switzerland. The biggest ever prize given out in the EuroMillions draw overall was approximately £113.2 million (US$177.7 million, €130.5 million). The prize was given to a solitary winner in Spain in May 2009.