On a seemingly ordinary Saturday, March 4th, a construction worker from Liévin, a small town in Pas-de-Calais, France, struck gold, winning €500,000 (about $500,000) from a scratch-off game.
The local bar-tabac, “Le Pot a Tabac,” was the scene of this life-changing moment. An everyday patron decided to try his luck on “Carré d’Or,” a new scratch game retailing for just €5. As fate would have it, he scratched his way to the game’s maximum prize: a cool half a million euros.
The store owner, Dylan, recounted the moment of disbelief to La Voix du Nord, stating, “I had to check twice that he actually won that amount. When I told him, his reaction was non-existent. He just said, ‘OK, we’ll see,’ and went back to his drink.” Dylan revealed this was the biggest win “Le Pot a Tabac” had seen in six years.
Since that day, the bar has seen an unusual surge in patrons, with many new faces popping in, hoping to catch some of the winner’s extraordinary luck.
According to La Voix du Nord, the fortunate winner is set to meet with the Française des jeux, France’s national lottery operator, to discuss the formalities of his windfall. Remarkably, the winner plans to maintain his daily routine, as evidenced by his return to the game the very next day.
This story isn’t just about luck; it’s a testament to the fact that sometimes, the most extraordinary things happen in the most ordinary places. And for “Le Pot a Tabac,” it’s business as usual, only now with a little more hope in the air and a story that will be told for years to come.
