A forgotten €6 million Loto ticket
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1 Jun 2026 •
Reading time: 2 minutes
A winning ticket from the special Loto draw on 31 December 2025, validated in Blankenberge, was worth €6 million. Its owner never came forward before the deadline. The National Lottery has confirmed that this sum will be reinvested into the game.
A fortune won, then left unclaimed
It is one of those stories that seems almost impossible: a player wins six million euros in the Lotto, but never comes forward to claim their prize. The winning ticket had been purchased in Blankenberge, as part of the special draw on 31 December 2025. For several months, the National Lottery waited for the winner to come forward. It even launched a public appeal to track down the person concerned. However, no winner came forward before the deadline.
The National Lottery had stated that the player had until 20 May to claim their prize. Once this date had passed, the amount could no longer be paid to the ticket holder. On 27 May 2026, the news broke: the six million euros would not be paid to the original winner. They would be returned to the National Lottery fund.
The draw in question was the New Year’s Special Lotto draw. According to the information provided, the entry was recorded on Monday 30 December 2025, the day before the draw. The winning numbers were: 5, 7, 13, 19, 29, 39, with the bonus number 15.
The National Lottery had asked players who took part in this draw and had purchased their ticket in Blankenberge to check their ticket carefully. However, this check apparently failed to identify the winner. The ticket holder did not contact the National Lottery within the specified timeframe.
A very rare occurrence for such a large jackpot
Unclaimed winnings are nothing new for the National Lottery. Every year, small sums remain unclaimed. According to the National Lottery, these amounts total around four million euros annually. In most cases, these are modest winnings that players forget to claim or do not consider a priority.
But the Blankenberge case stands out clearly. An unclaimed jackpot of six million euros is a highly exceptional situation.