- Title: ITALY: Italians ride their luck in record lottery draw
- Date: 24th July 2009
- Summary: ROME, ITALY (JULY 23, 2009) (REUTERS) TOURISTS AT THE COLOSSEUM
- Embargoed: 8th August 2009 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Italy
- Country: Italy
- Topics: Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
- Reuters ID: LVACIF58Z6XQDRY20IQ0WSJ335YK
- Story Text: Aspiring millionaires have selected six numbers at random to claim the record jackpot in Italy's lottery.
Lottery hopefuls placed their last bets on Thursday (July 23) to claim the Italian lottery prize as it rose to a record 102.5 million euros.
With only a few hours to go until the draw, people were still filling in draw forms in shops and tobacconists.
"If I won first I would buy my house, then I would stop working and I would go for holiday for the rest of my life," Angela Grazia said outside a Lottery shop in Rome.
Some expressed doubts about the morality of handing out such huge sums although were not denying themselves a chance of winning.
"I don't agree with such high prizes. I believe that there should be a limit or that the prize should be divided into smaller parts to give more people the possibility to win," said Maria Zolfo as she bought her ticket.
"The amount is so high that it is almost meaningless, absurd. In this moment of financial crisis I would give the possibility of winning to as many people as possible," she added.
Italian news agency ANSA reported that people drove into Italy to bet from neighbouring countries like France, Austria and Slovenia.
Also many of the five million foreigners who migrated to Italy also play to see if lady luck is on their side.
" If I win I will probably turn crazy because it is too much." said Amid, a Sri-Lankan who migrated to Italy six years ago.
"Anyway the first thing will be my family, to send money back to my country," he added. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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