A man in China has won the $30-M (approx. P176-M) jackpot prize in the Lotto but said he’ll keep the money secret from his family out of fear they might get lazy and not work anymore.
A local newspaper identified the lucky father only as ‘Mr. Li’ who won the Guangxi Welfare Lottery jackpot last October 20.
Image from Guangxi Welfare Lottery Center
Mr. Li bought 40 lottery tickets that day and woke the next morning to discover that he had won. He immediately bought a train ticket and traveeled to Nanning.
The man said he stayed in the hotel for three days until October 24 but did not go out for fear he might lose the ticket.
“I did not leave the hotel because I was afraid to go out and lose the lottery ticket,” he told Nanning Evening News.
Image from Guangxi Welfare Lottery Center
Mr. Li admitted he was excited about the unexpected windfall but decided to hide the winning from his family.
“I did not tell my wife and child for fear that they would be too complacent and would not work or work hard in the future,” he was quoted as saying.
He claimed his check wearing the lottery’s mascot Fudou’s bright yellow costume to remain anonymous before his pictures were taken.
Mr. Li shared he had been buying lottery tickets for more than 10 years and would occasionally win small amounts only.
“I regard buying the lottery as a hobby, and my family does not care. Plus, I do not spend much money on it, and the lottery provides a ray of hope for me,” he said.
From his winnings, the lucky man donated 5-M Chinese yuan (approx. $690,000) to charity and took home 171.6-M Chinese yuan (approx. $23.6 million) inclusive of taxes.