Belgium National Lottery makes drastic changes as sales fall

Operator reacts to 30% drop in ticket sales due to Coronavirus by introducing new measures such as increasing prize claim periods.

Belgium.- New changes are being implemented by the Belgium National Lottery due to a huge drop in sales since the Coronavirus outbreak.

According to The Brussels Times, the lottery reported a 30% drop in sales with people not leaving their homes due to an atmosphere of “anxiety and uncertainty”.

New changes are to be implemented immediately in the hope of balancing out the decrease in ticket sales, including allowing players more time to claim their prizes and more location-specific assistance.

Winning tickets will now be available to claim 30 weeks after purchase, giving players an additional 10 weeks to claim their prize. This change was implemented due to potential further lockdown or hospital-bound winners being prevented from claiming their prize in time.

The lottery will now send someone to verify winning tickets of €100,000 or more. This marks a drastic change from the original regulation that a winning ticket had to be presented at the National Lottery headquarters in Rue Belliard in the European quarter.

It is also now possible to play for the next 10 draws all at once, which the operator hopes will encourage players to remain indoors while still entering its draws.