Social welfare winner: CHF 100,000-what now?

Social welfare winner: CHF 100,000-what now?

Kanton Jura, Schweiz - A tragic case of happiness and misfortune recently occurred in the canton of Jura, Switzerland. A man and a woman bought scratch cards together in March 2022 and won CHF 100,000, which corresponds to around 105,000 euros. The exciting moment of the profit took place in a café, where both planned to share the profit evenly. But the profit was not given to them.

When the man, who has received social assistance since 2019 and is burdened with debts of around 90,000 euros, wrote his name and bank details on the back of the winning, the legal dilemma opened. After the review by the social authority Loro, it turned out that the profits could not be paid for due to his social welfare train. According to applicable law, social assistance has priority to profit, which means that the man is not entitled to the amount. However, he accepted this, regretted that his partner also goes away empty -handed.

income regulation for lottery wins

The fate of the man throws a light on the legal provisions around lottery gain and social assistance. The Situation is similar in Germany. A judgment by the North Rhine-Westphalia State Social Court meant that lottery winnings are considered income and can therefore be counted towards basic security according to SGB II. It is also decided that the costs for lottery pieces are not taken into account as deductions for the profit.

It is important to underline that the chances of winning when buying loose are considered economically unreasonable. The Social Court of Detmold confirmed that gambling is generally qualified as income, which means that profits remain income beyond the month of retention. Another affected plaintiff, who received running SGB II services since 2005 and achieved 500 euros in profits, was faced with a recovery because his profit had reduced his need for help.

The legal consequences for those affected

The dilemma shows how complex and often unfair the regulations in relation to lottery wins and social benefits can be. The man's profit from the canton of Jura was counted towards social assistance, while his partner, who also hoped for a shared payment, did not receive anything. If the lot had borne both names, only the man's profit share would have been taken into account. This makes it clear how crucial the individual legal approach can be when it comes to profits in this form.

In these situations, those affected are not only confronted with high expectations, but also with the hard reality that legal and economic framework conditions can restrict them in their quality of life. Future discussions could therefore focus on the fair treatment of gambling profits and the sensitization for the associated social implications.

Kosmo reports on this tragic history, while the further legal details in the analysis of rabro and the explanations on lawyer Kiel .