Such an unbelievable story can make even a born optimist furrow their brow for a moment. This is precisely the kind of story currently unfolding in Cassis, a small port town on the French Mediterranean coast. Where sailing ships sway, tourists enjoy pastis, and the calanques stand like pictures in the sunlight, suddenly everything is buzzing about millions of euros.
More precisely, it is about around 49 million euros.
At the center of it all is a modest tobacco shop with a typically Southern French name, “La Civette du Port.” Essentially, it is a shop like any other — tobacco, magazines, lottery tickets, and some light chatting at the counter. But in just one week, this place has become like a sanctuary for those seeking luck.
On April 21st, the first EuroMillions ticket was validated here, bringing a share of over 48 million euros to a French winner. Even at this point, it’s natural that the news spread all over France. Since the EuroMillions jackpot is one of the most difficult lotteries in Europe, the odds of winning the first prize are astronomical, almost as unlikely as a sudden snowstorm in midsummer in Marseille.
However, it happened once again.
Just a few days later, Française des Jeux (the French lottery operator) announced another win from the same store. This time it was a 1 million euro prize automatically awarded through “My Million,” an additional EuroMillions game. An unexpected shower of luck rained down on the local couple.
What is particularly strange is that the winning woman had repeatedly dreamed of winning the lottery. Her friends initially laughed at the story, but she herself began regularly purchasing lottery tickets. It was more out of a casual “Why not?” attitude than enthusiasm. In the end, the win came not from a combination of numbers she personally chose but from a code automatically generated by the additional game.
That’s sometimes how life is.
Now almost everyone in Cassis is talking about this story. There is always a crowd in front of the small shop. Tourists take photos of the entrance, and locals who hadn’t bought lottery tickets for years suddenly started buying them frequently. This town has always been a treasure trove of stories—the fishermen’s gossip, harbor rumors, summer love stories. And now, more than any of those, this story is sweeping through the town.
The shopkeeper is truly experiencing an extraordinary situation. Between the cigarette shelves and postcards, they have been extremely busy these past few days, and customers come in with a solemn expression as if luck is stuck to the wall.
France loves stories like this.
In times of economic uncertainty, the existence of people who became billionaires through the lottery almost has the effect of a fairy tale. Ordinary people whose lives change completely in just seconds—many are moved by these stories because perhaps they find in them a quiet hope that life sometimes opens the door to surprises.
And Cassis is exactly providing that perfect stage. This small port town is originally admired as a dream spot between Provence and the Mediterranean. Narrow alleys, colorful facades, cafes by the water—a place as beautiful as a dream. Now, it has gained a new reputation as the “harbor of luck.”
Whether this miracle in Cassis continues is unknown to anyone. Statistically, it is probably negative. However, if somewhere someone wins millions of euros, statistics will no longer be a matter of concern for people.
This small tobacco shop by the harbor has already become legendary.
A French person says this—it is the famous “bureau de tabac porte-bonheur (lucky tobacco shop).”
Author: C. Hatty