French lottery winner donates 50 million euros to charity

A lucky French lottery winner is to donate 50 million euros to charity after scooping a 72-million-euro prize in the Euro Millions draw.

Reuters/files

The money will go to 10 major French charities, the anonymous winner told RTL radio.

The winner, who is single and has no children, is "a generous donor" the French Lottery (FDJ) commented.

The only stipulation is that he or she will be informed how the donations are used. 

On 31 January 2014 the anonymous winner from Haute-Garonne in south-west France won the 72,149,579-euro jackpot, the seventh largest win by a French person in Euro Millions history.

Other Euro Millions winners have also proved generous:

• November 2012 the winner of the all-time record for France - 169 million euros - set up a 10-million-euro foundation for charitable projects.
• In 2008 Michel,  who won 50 million euros, gave 400,000 euros to his town, Saint-Michel in northern France, to build a cultural centre and to pay off the debts of the local old people's home and has since paid for the village children's school meals.
• In April 2013 a woman from Boulogne-sur-Mer in northern France won 26 million euros announced that she would make donations to the Red Cross, which had helped her when she was in financial difficulties.
• In 2010 "Monique" shared her five-million-euros winnings with the Restos du Coeur anti-poverty campaign, which had helped her in the past.