A holiday in Croatia turned into a life-changing event for one lucky Italian tourist. While enjoying her visit, she decided to try her luck with the lottery and unexpectedly hit the Eurojackpot—taking home over €170,000.
A spontaneous ticket purchase in Zagreb
During her recent family trip, the Italian tourist came across the opportunity at a Croatian Lottery kiosk and decided to purchase a Eurojackpot ticket—a habit she’d picked up back home.
She quickly forgot about the lottery ticket as they continued traveling through “Lijepa Naša”, unaware that fate had something extraordinary in store.
Winning numbers, but no immediate claimant
Soon after, the winning numbers were drawn—and her ticket turned out to be a winner worth just over €170,000.
Employees at the Croatian Lottery, a state-owned company, waited each day for someone to come forward and claim the prize. As days passed without a claimant, concern started to build.
A surprise return to the kiosk
Eventually, the mystery winner returned to the same lottery kiosk—accompanied by her daughter and son. The children communicated in English with the staff, confirming their mother as the rightful winner.
The lottery winnings were quickly transferred to the winner’s account.
‘Croatia is a beautiful country’
Understandably thrilled, the tourist was all smiles. “Croatia is a beautiful country, it feels like home,” she said with joy.
With her bank account now pleasantly boosted by the lottery win, she decided to extend her stay in Croatia and visit even more destinations than originally planned.
‘Bella Croazia, bella fortuna’
Before departing, she couldn’t resist saying in Italian: “Bella Croazia, bella fortuna” (Beautiful Croatia, beautiful fortune). Her Croatian adventure, already memorable, would now be forever cherished as both a delightful and profitable experience.
Winners remain anonymous by tradition
As is standard practice, the identity of the lottery winner remains confidential. However, one can imagine she may be returning to Croatia for years to come—even if luck doesn’t strike again.
Italian tourism to Croatia on the rebound
Italian tourists are beginning to return to Croatia in greater numbers compared to recent years. About a decade ago, August was their peak travel month—during Ferragosto, their traditional summer holiday—especially when prices in Croatia were significantly lower.
They would arrive by ferry from Ancona and Bari, or by car via Trieste. Loud and lively, they enjoyed indulging in Croatian delicacies at local restaurants.
Changing fortunes and shifting trends
In recent years, however, rising Croatian prices and economic difficulties in Italy, along with government incentives to holiday domestically, led to a dip in visits.
But with Italy’s economy gradually improving, Italian tourist numbers in Croatia are climbing again. While not quite what they once were, there’s a visible upward trend.
Currently, Italians rank fourth among Croatian tourists by spending—behind the leading Germans.
A lucky visitor among many
This Italian family’s story is one of many, but certainly one of the most fortunate. Croatia, for them, is clearly a land of lottery luck—and they’re likely to return again, jackpot or not.