In the heart of the town of Pelt, a small street is now the subject of admiration — and amazement — among all National Lottery players. With no fewer than twelve big Lotto wins in thirty years, it has established itself as the ‘luckiest’ street in the country.
A street that defies the odds
In Overpelt, in the province of Limburg, lies Dorpsstraat, which in just a few decades has become a symbol of abundance for Lotto players. According to press articles, this street has seen 12 big Lotto wins materialise among its residents and businesses in the space of thirty years.
Media spotlight on Dorpsstraat has revealed some poignant stories. The most recent of these wins: a ticket worth €1.5 million, validated at a local shop, the Duoshop on the street. This shop, a National Lottery outlet, has already seen 11 Lotto winners celebrate there, in addition to three winners of the ‘Win for Life’ game.
These figures are staggering when you consider the odds of such a feat. However, not all of the winners are neighbours: some have come from far away, others are regular visitors, but all of them validated their tickets on this street.
Is it chance or a ‘lucky street’?
Have we started dreaming of some kind of ‘jackpot magnet’? No. Experts at the National Lottery remind us of the purely random nature of the draws. Even if a street has several sales outlets, each ticket is drawn independently, without geographical favouritism.
However, the concentration of winnings on this street is striking, as the law of large numbers is not always enough to explain it immediately: statistically, the more players buy, the more chances there are of winning. But Dorpsstraat is not a particularly densely populated or commercial street: it is, above all, typical of a small Flemish urban centre.
Some people suggest a knock-on effect: knowing that a shop or neighbourhood has already produced winners naturally attracts more players. Everyone hopes to validate their ticket in the same vein of luck. The idea of a “geographical lucky dip” is fuelled by both myth and reality, a prophetic and almost poetic mix.
Overpelt’s Dorpsstraat continues to fuel conversations among lottery enthusiasts, residents and observers: twelve big wins in thirty years is a rare, almost magical snapshot of a place “blessed by the gods of chance”. More than just a number, this street is a symbol: that of an accessible dream, of probability becoming reality, of chance that can change a life.