Striking big in the lottery remains a pipedream for many but not one man in Southern China who won just under S$42.5 million (220 million yuan) in a recent lottery.
But instead of sharing the joy of his newly found wealth, the man, who goes by the pseudonym Li, is hiding it from his wife and child.
He was worried that the money will make them “arrogant and lazy”, reported South China Morning Post (SCMP).
Dressed in a cartoon costume to protect his identity, Li collected his S$42.5 million (220 million yuan) prize money at the Guangxi Welfare Lottery Distribution Centre in Nanning on Monday (24 Oct).
He had apparently bought 40 lottery tickets of the same seven numbers for S$15 (80 yuan) each. In a stroke of luck, all seven of his chosen numbers hit.
According to SCMP, each ticket equalled a payout of S$1.06 million (5.48 million yuan), bringing his total winnings to the grand sum of S$42.5 million (220 million yuan).
Li shared that he was thrilled about the win but had contained his excitement and kept it a secret, including from his wife and child.
He said,
I am concerned that they might feel superior to other people and will not work or study hard in future.
After receiving the prize money, Li chose to donate S$967,000 (5 million yuan) to charity.
With that, he took home S$33 million (171 million yuan) after the S$8.3 million (43 million yuan) tax.
Li is a loyal fan of the lottery and has been buying tickets for over ten years, reported Sohu.
After buying tickets and not winning for four to five years, he decided to switch tactics.
He chose a set of numbers he favoured and stuck to it every time he bought tickets.
However, he still failed to win the jackpot, that is, until now.
Li shared that in the past years of buying the same set of numbers, he had only won “a few dozen yuan”.
But this time, his loyalty to the numbers paid off massively.
When he first found out he hit the jackpot on 21 Oct, Li could not sleep the entire night.
In the early hours of 22 Oct, he reportedly headed out and took a train to Nanning. He then stayed in a hotel for the weekend before collecting his prize money on 24 Oct.
Li shared that he did not even go out on those two days out of fear of losing his tickets.
He has not decided how to use his prize money yet, reported SCMP.
And although he did not tell his wife, the money will be their joint asset.
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Featured image adapted from Sohu.
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