You are the one and only winner | France 2 | Envoyé Spécial

“Well done, you’ve won!” “Guaranteed 25,000 Euro pay-out!” “Yes, we can confirm! You will get 25,000 or 50,000 Euros!” Some day or other, you have all received mail promising extravagant winnings. Maybe you even believed it. You have to read the small print of the brochure to realise that the promised sums are linked to lotteries. Hidden behind these very positive adverts lies a formidable marketing strategy, originating in the United States in the 80s and which can cause enormous harm. In France it is employed by the big names in mail order selling. The objective is clear: persuade consumers that they have won the jackpot in order to incite them to place orders from the catalogues. Some people have staked their all on these advertising lotteries, to the point of ruining themselves. Others have decided to make a complaint and go to court in order to get the sums they were promised. What are the chances of winning the jackpot? Do the “big winners” really exist? Who are the people who promise us a fortune? Cyril Chapuis headed an investigation into this sales strategy that flirts with the limits of the law.