Belgium lottery ticket sales have plummeted as the coronavirus pandemic has stopped people from going out to put their favourite numbers on at lottery outlets.
In this time of uncertainty and a drop in ticket sales which are down by roughly 30% lottery officials have come up with a few ways to keep ticket sales going while keeping players safe from the viral outbreak.
The fundamental rules of playing the Belgium lottery are still the same, but players now have an extended period in which to claim winnings.
Anyone in possession of a winning ticket now has 30 weeks to claim the cash prize instead of 20 weeks.
Winning the lottery is one of the most important – and enjoyable – parts of playing. For the duration of the crisis, big winners will no longer be required to present their winning ticket at the headquarters of the National Lottery.
Instead, they will be contacted by the lottery who will send someone to pick up the ticket for verification.
And since players are being advised to stay inside as much as possible, lottery officials have agreed to allow players to purchase tickets for the next ten draws all at once.
“We want to do everything we can to ensure that players are not obliged to go into a newspaper shop to collect their winnings in these times of a health crisis,” Lottery spokesperson Joke Vermoere said.
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