Yes, my friends, you are talking to a Euromillions winner, but don't worry - I won't let it change my life, and I'll still be here blogging away. Well, to be honest, it would take more than the 9.20 Euro I just picked up from the Tabac in Quesada to change my life, but at least I don't have to worry about anyone kidnapping my grandchildren and holding them to ransom. And our tiny mailbox won't be overflowing with begging letters. Everything has its good points, doesn't it?
One thing that I've noticed before is that, although the tickets are cheaper here in Spain than in the UK - 2 Euro as opposed to £2 - the prizes are always higher here as well. Tony tried to explain that there are heck of a lot more tickets sold across Europe than in the UK, so it stands to reason that the prize fund is higher, therefore there's more to pay out and everyone gets a bigger share. I get that - even though he could have sounded a little bit less superior when he was explaining it. However, it doesn't alter the fact that here in Spain we pay less for our tickets but pick up more at the Tabac.
Once I have something in my head, I have to follow it through, so I looked through the prize money to see how it compared further up the scale. My modest win equated to a profit of the equivalent of £6.40, taking into account the difference in ticket price, as opposed to £4.40 if I'd bought the ticket in the UK. Okay, £2 isn't a lot in the scheme of things - although on a small win, it's quite a high percentage.
It's when the numbers get bigger that the real differences emerge. If I'd matched 4 numbers and 2 stars, I'd have been doing cartwheels around the apartment and kissing the cat - if I could actually do cartwheels, and if we actually had a cat, that is. I would have bagged a prize of 6,802.40 Euro, or £5,759.30 at today's exchange rates. Still not life-changing stuff, but useful nevertheless.
If I'd bought the winning ticket in the UK, I'd have ended up with £4,671.60 - almost £1,000 less, and my ticket would have cost £2 as opposed to 2 Euro. I'm not going to talk about 'Rip Off Britain,' although that was my first instinct, because I know it all depends on the money coming into the prize pool, and it's more convenient to have the tickets priced in the exact monetary units of the country concerned.
One thing is certain though - I won't be buying any Euromillions tickets when we go back to the UK next week. At least, not unless there's a huge rollover. I don't begrudge the extra 30 cents or so to be in with a chance of the big one. After all, you have to be in it to win it, don't you?
