Lottery winner keeps 219 million yuan jackpot secret from wife and child

A MAN in southern China is keeping his 219 million yuan (S$42.4 million) lottery jackpot a secret from his wife and child, saying he was worried that the winnings might make them lazy.

The man identified only as Mr Li went alone to the lottery office in Nanning, in the southern region of Guangxi, to claim his prize, the Nanning Evening News reported.

He wore a bright yellow costume that covered his head in photos showing him accepting the prize.

“I didn’t tell my wife and child for fear that they would be too complacent and would not work or work hard in the future,” the man told the newspaper last week. 

He donated five million yuan to charity and said he had not decided what to do with the rest.

He collects some 171.6 million yuan after taxes.

The man bought the winning ticket in a shop in Litang, a town of some 120,000 people just east of the regional capital of Nanning, the Nanning Evening News said.

The day after he realised he won, he drove to the bigger city to present the ticket at the lottery headquarters.

“I only slept in a hotel because I was afraid to go out and lose the lottery ticket,” he said. 

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China’s central government runs lotteries to raise money for welfare and sports. Players in Guangxi pick six numbers on red balls and one on a blue ball. The man said his winning numbers were ones he had been playing for years: 2, 15, 19, 26, 27, and 29. BLOOMBERG