Man creates environmental charity with €200m lottery win rather than 'buying sports cars'

A huge lottery payout is being used to “protect the living and watch over our own future,” in a move that’s been called exceptionally generous.

The €200m EuroMillions jackpot has been used to set up an environmental foundation which will protect forests and boost biodiversity.

But the man behind the environmental philanthropy doesn’t want any recognition, instead choosing to remain anonymous.

“My dream has never been to acquire boats, castles or other sports cars, it is to be useful and to give meaning to this money, with maximum positive impact,” the man, known as Guy, said in an open letter.

Guy has named the foundation Anyama after a city in Ivory Coast. He is understood to have lived there, though nothing more is known about his connection with the west African country.

Guy, who has been identified by French media as a retiree living in the south of France, won €200m in December 2020.

He said that he only used to buy lottery tickets during “important jackpots,” with the sole aim of devoting the biggest part of any potential victory to the creation of a foundation that would support environmental protection.

After his win, he immediately expressed the desire to use the money for the greater good, as he writes, “The Anyama endowment fund is the result of an imperious desire to act for nature and human beings that I have had for years.

“Above all, it is the expression of a conviction that I want to share with as many people as possible: giving makes people happy, and constitutes a tremendous lever for transforming indignation into concrete and useful actions.

“So that's what I'm doing today by creating Anyama, which acts for the benefit of the common good of all, with one watchword: protect the living.”

Ivory Coast has inspired