German father said he found €15.3 million lottery ticket inside old jacket pocket.Jonathan Raa/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Lotto Hessen, the state lottery company, confirmed the prize on Monday in a public statement.
The winning ticket was purchased six months ago but remained unclaimed throughout spring and summer.
Officials said a poster campaign had been launched in Germany to locate the unidentified winner.
The father, who lives in the Frankfurt area, only discovered the folded ticket when temperatures dropped in September.
Forgotten lottery ticket found after six months
The man said he reached for a coat he had not worn since March and found the winning slip inside.
“It wasn’t until the weekend that I found the ticket again, folded up in the inside pocket of my jacket,” he was quoted as saying by Lotto Hessen.
He checked the numbers on his phone and described being “completely shocked” by the discovery.
“Luckily I was sitting down, otherwise my knees would have given way,” the man added in the company statement.
Lotto Hessen confirms €15.3 million jackpot
Lotto Hessen said the man had been unaware of the ongoing search campaign for the winner.
The company reported that posters, radio announcements, and media coverage had been used to locate the missing claimant.
The winner admitted he had even heard a radio announcement about the unclaimed jackpot but never suspected himself.
“I heard about it on the radio at the time and thought to myself, ‘How stupid can you be not to collect it?’” he said.
“It never occurred to me that I could be the person they were looking for,” the man continued.
Family plans for €15.3 million lottery winnings
The winner explained that his first purchase will be a new living room sofa.
Beyond this, he and his wife intend to use most of the money for their children’s future.
Both have also decided not to reveal the win to friends or extended family, Lotto Hessen confirmed.
According to the Lotto Hessen website, large prizes sometimes remain unclaimed when winners misplace or forget their tickets.
Unclaimed lottery winnings in Germany
German lottery authorities said that millions of euros in winnings go uncollected each year.
In this case, the man came forward before the statutory deadline expired, allowing him to secure the full amount.
The prize equals approximately $18 million, making it one of the year’s largest Lotto Hessen payouts.
The company said that the unusual discovery was a reminder for players to check tickets promptly after each draw.
