In France, Lotto or EuroMillions winners have 60 days to collect their winnings. However, it sometimes happens that certain amounts are never recovered by their holder. So what happens to these unclaimed winnings?
Rank 1 Win: Redistribute to players
Out of these woven sums, two categories are distinguished.
The first concerns rank 1 wins, i.e. when the winner has got all the correct numbers in Loto, Euromillions or Mymillion, as well as the associated code.
If these winnings are not claimed, Française des Jeux (FDJ) collects the amount and redistributes it in the form of special jackpots and promotional offers such as free bets on its website.
Millions of Euros at stake per year (and we are not talking about FDJ stock in the stock market). According to ParisianBetween 2020 and 2022, the FDJ will have reintroduced around 10 million euros into circulation.
Hence this represents a significant disadvantage for the players, who can benefit from this amount in various forms.
Rank 2 Win: Returned to State
The second category concerns rank 2 wins, i.e. usually smaller amounts and for which the winner did not get all the correct numbers.
In this case, the FDJ pays this unpaid amount directly to the state. Millions of euros were paid into the public budget. Parisian Thus the amount of 70 million euros donated in 2020, then grows to more than 150 million euros in 2021.
These impressive numbers are mostly due to many distracted players who forget to claim their winnings within the allotted time.
Redistribution that benefits the state
A significant effect of this financial loss involuntarily generated by the French is the indirect support it provides for the financing of the country’s various public policies.
The state benefits from additional resources which it can use freely to finance various projects.
In addition to the direct benefits for certain people or businesses, this redistribution of unclaimed earnings also helps stimulate national and local economies, through the investments and jobs created indirectly because of this “lost” money.
Faced with these unclaimed winnings, FDJ has strengthened its communication efforts to encourage players to check their tickets regularly and be more vigilant about the time frame for reclaiming winnings. Better information for players would actually make it possible to reduce these forgotten amounts and improve the image of the lottery among the public.
Double benefit for players and state
Unclaimed winnings on Française des Jeux represent significant sums of money, sometimes benefiting other players in the form of special jackpots, sometimes the French state.
If this situation highlights the lack of complaints by many winners, it also highlights the importance of checking your tickets carefully so as not to miss an unexpected opportunity.
Every year, tens of millions of euros also share the fate of this forgotten money, which testifies to the enormous financial issues associated with the gambling sector in France.
