Syrian refugee wins €1 million in French lottery

A Syrian refugee has won €1 million (NZ$1.69m) in the French lottery.

The anonymous thirty-something man fled the war-torn country in 2011 and settled in Paris, working as a labourer,Le Parisian reports.

The win actually happened in June of 2015, but the news was only recently released by the Federation Francaise, who run the French national lottery.

The lucky scratchcard was bought for €10 (NZ$17) in the Parisian suburb of Sein-Saint-Denis.

He was one of over 200 who received the million-euro jackpot last year.

The unnamed man told Le Parisian he had bought an apartment and planned to open a restaurant. 

He had owned a successful small business in Syria, but had been forced to leave by the brutal civil war.

This is not the first time a refugee has struck luck in a European lottery. 

A Sengalese man who was saved from a sinking boat won €400,000 (NZ$675,000) in the 2015 Spanish Christmas lottery.

     

Author: 
Stuff.co