Buy Scratch Lottery at Gas Station, Ukrainian Refugees Win IDR 82 Billion

JAKARTA - A Ukrainian war refugee won a prize of 500.000 euros (IDR 82.029.889.950) using a scratch card, Belgium's national lottery revealed Monday.

The man bought a scratch card for 5 euros last month at a gas station, which means the stakes have increased a hundred thousand times.

The winner, whose identity will remain unknown as will all winners of the Belgian lottery, is aged between 18 and 24 and has been living in Brussels for the past 12 months.

"His feelings are mixed (about his win). It's a difficult period to be happy with everything that's going on in his home country," said Joke Vermoere, a spokesman for the National Lottery, alluding to Russia's devastating invasion of Ukraine.

Vermoere further explained, the winner wanted to hold a celebration with the prize he won, to thank everyone who had helped him integrate in Belgium.

Next, he also wants to do something for his compatriots and for the reconstruction of Ukraine.

Vermoere added that although the man is happy in Belgium and has found work, he wants to return to Ukraine as soon as the war is over.

"His mind is clearly on Ukraine," said Vermoere, quoted by The Guardian.

As was the case with others whose winnings amounted to more than 100.000 euros, the man was invited to the national lottery headquarters in Brussels, to receive his prize.

"We see a lot of winners here, but in this case, we see that it means a lot to the winners," he concluded as quoted by The Sun.

As you know, lottery winners in Belgium are tax-free.