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$52.7M jackpot winner doles $1.5M to charity

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-10-28 21:20

ZHENGZHOU: Winner of China's biggest lottery prize donated 10 million yuan (US$1.46 million) to charity, according to a press conference held by the provincial Welfare Lottery center on Wednesday.

The unidentified buyer from Anyang city of the central China's Henan Province reaped nearly 360 million yuan (US$52.7 million) after buying 44 identical "Double Color Ball" tickets issued by the China Welfare Lottery at a cost of 176 yuan on October 8.

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The buyer, "wearing facial mask and sunglass", completed the donation procedures "with ease and composure" at the local Welfare Lottery center at 2:10 p.m. Tuesday, said Li Guangyun, the spokesman of the center.

The buyer said it would pay 600,000 yuan as medical expenditure for a 9-year-old girl with uremia in Fugou county in Henan Province.

The winner told the center that besides donation to the local charity foundation, he would use the money to expand his private business.

The Henan provincal Welfare lottery center said it would establish a fund to conduct more charity activities, and it would also accept supervisions from the society over the use of the fund.

This is the largest amount of donation in China's lottery history.

Sales of the Welfare Lottery, administered by the Ministry of Civil Affairs, hit 60.4 billion yuan (US$8.88 billion) in 2008 alone and the sales of all lotteries, including the Welfare and Sports lotteries, are expected to exceed 130 billion yuan this year.