Turkish man wins 10 million euros in the lottery with “forgotten ticket”

A Turkish man identified only by his name, Kürşat Y., won almost 10 million euros in the recent German lottery using a ticket he had forgotten.

“Millions won’t change me. I remember where I come from,” Kürşat, who is called “Chico” by his friends, told German daily Bild.

Kürşat moved with his family at the age of 12 to Dortmund, the third largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne and Düsseldorf and the eighth largest city in Germany with almost 600,000 inhabitants.

He began his professional life as an apprentice in a car mechanic's workshop, then became a crane operator and has been working for the German company ThyssenKrupp ever since.

“I often made my family sad. But now they can live comfortably and without financial worries,” Kürşat said, emphasizing that the first thing he did after becoming a millionaire was to run to his family within the shortest possible time.

According to Bild, “Chico” was a regular “lottery player.” However, the highest price he has earned to date was 3,000 euros in years.

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

Kürşat left the ticket in a drawer and forgot about the draw. He continued to live his life. He remembered the existence of the ticket when he learned from his friends that the lottery winner came from Dortmund.

When he ran to his house to look at the ticket and the winning numbers, he realized that he had been a millionaire ever since.

“I called my boss straight away and said, ‘I’m rich,’ and quit the job,” he said, adding, “Then I bought a Ferrari and a Porsche.”

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

“I suddenly had a lot of friends around me. Many people ask me for money. However, I clearly remember those who were close to me in bad times. “Money won’t change me,” he promised.

The former employee, now wealthy, is self-confident. His family advised him to keep quiet about the lottery, but he didn't listen.

“I want everyone to know that I am rich. That's why I accepted this interview," he told Bild, adding: "I don't care. The money is in safe hands. I’m coping with the new me.”