80-Year-Old Israeli Woman Finds 200 Shekels, Wins 10 Million

An Israeli woman in her 80s has won 10 million shekels in the Double Lotto — all thanks to a 200-shekel bill she found lying on the sidewalk.

According to the winner, she was walking through her neighborhood when she spotted the bill on the ground. Seeing no one around to return it to, she made a spontaneous decision to use the money to buy a lottery ticket at a nearby Mifal HaPais kiosk — Israel’s official national lottery. She placed the ticket in her wallet and forgot about it.

“Several days later, while out shopping, I suddenly remembered I hadn’t checked the ticket,” she said. “I went to a kiosk and asked the clerk to scan it. He smiled and told me I needed to go to Mifal HaPais headquarters — I’d won big.”

She went with her daughter, who was the first to see the prize amount — 10 million shekels. “We just looked at each other and smiled,” the winner recalled.

Despite the massive win, the woman said she has no plans to keep the money for herself. “I have a peaceful and fulfilling life. I don’t need anything,” she told lottery staff. “The money will be divided between my children. They can do whatever they want with it.”