A LOTTERY winner who was set to collect €2,000-a-month for five years has died before claiming a penny.
The man died in Lastres, Austrias before collecting his second place EuroDreams prize.
Soon to be married, the man was a business owner from Villaviciosa.
The winner bought his ticket in Loterias La Botica, Lastres, which was only open for three short months.
According to the owner, Otto Gutiérrez, the other prize winner was in France.
The State Lottery and Bets (Loterias y Apuestas del Estado) has a set of procedures for when a winner dies.
In a statement, EuroDreams said: “If the first or second category winner dies before full payment of the prize, the remaining amount will be made in a single payment to his or her heirs, following the current and applicable inheritance law provisions.”
This means the deceased winner’s heirs will receive a one off payment of €120,000, the sum of the EuroDreams original 5-year payout.
If the deceased has multiple heirs, the prize money will be distributed according to the deceased’s wishes.
Although EuroDreams is not a state run lottery, the prize will be distributed in accordance with state procedures.
The lottery is available in many European countries such as France, Belgium and the UK.
Players must choose a selection of six numbers between 1 and 40, among them one ‘dream’ number which must be between 1 and 5.
A EuroDreams ticket costs €2.50 and there are six opportunities to win.
The lowest jackpot is worth the same price as the ticket, €2.50, while the highest is a €20,000 ‘salary’ given out every month for 30 years.
Prizes are taxed in the same way as other lotteries, with tax agencies taking 20% of any winnings worth over €40,000.
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