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What does the Dutch lottery do at First Aid for Luck when winning big cash prize?
What will you do if you have won a lot of money in a Dutch lottery or casino cash prize? Stop working straight away, finally buy that dream car, go on a long distant holiday or have your house thoroughly remodelled... But what does it actually mean when you win such a huge sum of money? "Becoming rich from one day to the next is quite drastic and not everyone thinks about that," he says. Although New Year's Eve lottery ticket buyers play along hoping to win a big sum of money, there is often disbelief when they actually win a big cash prize. For most winners, it is difficult at first to grasp that they are suddenly a millionaire," says Thomas van Vessem prizewinner supervisor of the State Lottery.
First Aid for Lucky winners
To best support winners during this initial period, the State Lottery is offering "First Aid for Luck". The "First Party" starts at the Dutch Lottery office. Van Vessem, "The winners are welcomed here in the awards room. They usually find it hard to believe they are millionaires. The first thing we do is check the winning lottery ticket through our computer. Only then do dreams really come true. We also give the winners some tips so that they can enjoy the cash prize for as long as possible. Besides giving advice, we organise an annual Millionaire Dinner. Here, 'our' new millionaires can exchange experiences and mentor each other."
Advice for new millionaires
It is important to confide in someone about your winnings, such as a partner or loved one. It makes the celebration so much more enjoyable. State lottery maintains the anonymity of all prize winners and it is good to cultivate this anonymity. Of course, you can say you won a nice prize, but that's not even talking about the amount. This way you justify a new car or an extra holiday in your area, but avoid possible bad intentions.
There are a few rules of thumb that can give new millionaires something to stick to. They are listed below:
1. Transfer money to a separate account
This way, you can "park" all your money to give yourself time to get used to your new wealth and figure out what you want to do with it.
2. Buy something nice for yourself
You don't spend millions of euros in one go, at least if you want to enjoy it for as long as possible. You can have fun, of course, so buy a new camera that has been on your wish list for a while, or a car you've been saving for.
3. Draw up a financial plan
With a large fortune, all sorts of questions can arise, for instance about taxes, investing or gifting. As a brand-new millionaire, you would do well to get well informed by a financial planner, wealth manager, tax expert and/or notary, so that you can enjoy all your millions for years to come.
So State Lottery winners always remain anonymous, which is nice if you win 15 or 30 million euros in one go. The State Lottery only announces the name of the place where the winning ticket was sold if that place has more than 10,000 inhabitants. Last year, the top prize was in Doorn, province of Utrecht. In recent years, the top prize of the New Year's Eve draw was won most often - as many as four times - in Overijssel, followed by North Holland and Gelderland; in both voivodeships, the top prize fell twice.
