Turk wins 10 mln euros in German lottery with ‘forgotten ticket’

BERLIN

A Turkish man, identified only with his name, Kürşat Y., has won nearly 10 million euros in the latest German lottery, with a ticket he forgot he had.

“Millions will not change me. I remember where I came from,” Kürşat, who is nicknamed “Chico” by his friends, told the German daily Bild.

Kürşat moved to Dortmund, the third-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne and Düsseldorf, and the eighth-largest city in Germany with a population of nearly 600,000, with his family when he was 12 years old.

Starting work life as an apprentice at an auto mechanic shop, he then became a crane operator and has been working at the German company ThyssenKrupp since then.

“I saddened my family many times. But now, they can live in comfort with no financial worries,” Kürşat said, highlighting that the first thing he did after becoming a millionaire was running to his family in no time flat.

According to the Bild, “Chico” was a regular “lotto-player.” However, the highest prize he earned until today was 3,000 euros in years.

His life changed in Sept. 24, when he won a total of 9.927 million euros in the lottery, with a ticket he paid 139 euros for two days before the draw.

Leaving the ticket in a drawer and forgetting the draw, Kürşat moved on with his life. He remembered the existence of the ticket when he learnt from his friends that the lottery winner was from Dortmund.

Running to his house to look at the ticket and the winning numbers, he found out that he was a millionaire from then.

“I directly called my boss and said, ‘I am rich,’ and quit the job,” he said and went to say: “Then I bought a Ferrari and a Porsche.”

When asked if his surroundings changed, he quickly replied, “Yes.”

“I had many friends around me abruptly. Many ask for money from me. However, I remember exactly the ones who were near me in bad times. Money won’t change me,” he promised.

The former employee, today’s well-to-do, is confident about himself. His family advised him to be silent about the lottery, but he did not listen to them.

“I want everyone to know I am rich. That’s why I accepted this interview,” he told the Bild and added: “I don’t care. The money is in safe hands. I can handle the new me.”