French Thieves Win Lottery, Robbery Victim Pledges to Share Windfall

Posted on: February 25, 2025, 06:54h. 

Last updated on: February 26, 2025, 10:07h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.
  • French thieves who won the lottery with stolen money are on the run
  • The robbery victim is willing to share the winnings
  • Police might seize the cash should the ticket be redeemed

French thieves who stole a man’s backpack with his wallet inside later won a lottery jackpot. They haven’t yet tried to redeem the scratch-off, as they’re considered fugitives, but the man whose money was used to purchase the lucky play has an offer for the lawbreakers on the lam.

French thieves lottery scratch-off
A closeup of a French Lotto ticket for Euro Millions. Thieves who allegedly stole a man’s wallet to buy scratch-off lottery tickets won more than $500K but they can’t redeem the ticket without risking arrest. (Image: Shutterstock)

La Française des Jeux, or FDJ, operates France’s lottery known as France Loto. The France-based lottery firm announced recently that a winning scratch-off ticket is likely in the hands of criminals who stole a wallet to make the instant lottery purchase.

The victim, a man identified in police documents only as Jean-David E., says he noticed his backpack was missing from his vehicle. The resident of Toulouse, the fourth-largest city in France located in the southern region near the Spanish border, tipped off police about the theft.

Jean-David also notified his bank to freeze the stolen credit and debit cards. That was when he was informed that there had been suspicious activity, including the purchase of lottery tickets, on the plastic involved.

Lottery Loot

Police tracked down the card spending to a local shop in Toulouse.

Detectives spoke with a cashier who told them two seemingly homeless men had used a card in question to purchase several scratch-offs. One of the tickets hit the game’s grand jackpot of €500K (US$526,224).

They were so totally happy that they forgot their cigarettes and their belongings and walked out like crazy people,” Pierre Debuisson, Jean-David’s attorney, told the Associated Press. “It’s an incredible story, but it’s all true.”

It wasn’t made known which game the thieves had won. France Loto offers several games with top prizes of €500K.

The alleged crooks have a problem at hand — if they come forward, they will likely be detained and possibly charged with robbery. Debuisson has a more attractive option.

The attorney is asking the individuals to come to his office and make a deal to share the proceeds with his client.

“You risk nothing. We will share with you, and you will be able to change your lives,” he declared.

Debuisson’s risk-free pledge might not necessarily be true, as law enforcement could seize the lottery winnings for being ill-gotten financial gains.

The French Lotto was formed as the French National Lottery in 1933. Last fall, FDJ completed its €2.45 billion acquisition of Malta-based online gaming and sports betting firm Kindred Group. 

Lottery Laws

Edwin Castro, the winner of the $2.04 billion Powerball prize won in February 2023 — the largest jackpot in US lottery history — was sued in court on allegations that he stole the ticket. The evidence was weak, as the plaintiff conceded he did not know Castro nor provided a claim on how Castro might have come into possession of the ticket.

A judge in Los Angeles County’s Superior Court eventually ruled that lottery players are responsible for safeguarding their physical lottery tickets and winning scratchers for redemption.

“The person in possession of a … winning lottery ticket … is the presumptive owner/winner,” Judge Donna Hollingsworth ruled. “Players are solely responsible for securing their tickets against theft, loss, damage, or destruction.”