A person from the People’s Republic of China has allegedly won a regional lottery and is apparently trying to hide his prize from his family until he decides what he wants to do with it. The Guangxi Welfare Lottery issued a statement via WeChat—a Chinese instant messaging and mobile payment application—that a winner won 219 million yuan from the grand prize, equal to around $30 million, on Oct. 24. Mr. Li is believed to have donned a yellow mascot suit that covered his entire body and face as he claimed his prize. He accepted his prize while wearing a yellow Fudou mascot suit.
Judging is easy when you’re looking from the outside… Who knows the reasons behind his choice? Perhaps they were valid. But who’s to say what drove him to withhold such information from his spouse? Well, the cat’s out of the bag now, isn’t it… What’s a sure thing is, hitting the jackpot, and on such a monumental amount is pretty hard!
Mathematician and Data Analyst at NoDepositQuest, Dr Pauline Lemar shared her expertise on the probability of being the holder of a winning lottery ticket:
‘We’ve all heard of the analogy that you have greater chances of getting struck by lightning than hitting the jackpot. Well, this is actually pretty accurate. To put you in the picture and without going into the mathematical details, the odds of winning any of the Powerball’s prizes (which start at a measly $4) stands at a ratio of 1 in 24.9!’
Why This Winner Is Keeping His Winnings To Himself
Have you ever been so jealous of someone’s good fortune that it made you cringe? Well, that’s exactly how we feel about this lucky chap from China. That’s because he has managed to amass a fortune beyond his wildest dreams. Since learning he had won the lottery on Oct. 21, Mr. Li has said he remained anxious and had difficulty sleeping, as reported by the lottery press release. He drove to Nanning the next day and remained at a hotel to ensure that he didn’t lose his winning tickets, which had the Welfare Lottery of Guangxi’s winning numbers “02, 15, 19, 26, 27, 29+02.”
Welfare Lottery Betting Stations at Litang Department Store reportedly sold Mr. Li three tickets on Oct. 20. Mr. Li reportedly said he had no regrets about keeping the win a secret from his family,
“I didn’t tell them because I was afraid that they might become lazy,” he said, “I have three children and they are all under the age of 30. If they knew about their father’s lottery win, they might stop working and rely on the money they had inherited as their source of income.” Winning the lottery, he added, has been a mistake. “I wish I could go back in time and tear up the lottery ticket.”
Why Would Anyone Be So Stingy And Unkind?
Well, it is possible that this Chinese winner is simply too overwhelmed by his good fortune that he has decided to keep it to himself for the time being. We all know what happens when you tell your family and friends that you have won a lotto jackpot. They will bombard you with advice and suggestions on how to spend the money, and they will want a portion of your winnings too!
This might have been one of the reasons why the man might have chosen to keep his winnings a secret. It is also possible that this winner has decided to keep it a secret so that he can use the money to help others. Some lotto winners set up foundations to help the less privileged, and this might be the reason why this Chinese man has made such a choice.
Surprisingly, This Story isn’t the First of its Kind…
As mentioned earlier, it is not uncommon for Chinese lotto winners to keep their winnings a secret until they are ready to collect their payout. This is because many of these lotto winners are very aware of the fact that they might be targeted by criminals who want a share of their jackpot. This is also the reason why many Chinese lotto winners prefer to claim their jackpots overseas. In fact, it is estimated that 30% of all lottery jackpots that are won by Chinese citizens are collected outside of the country. In addition to this, it is also very common for Chinese lotto winners to share their joy and good fortune with their friends, family, and loved ones. It is likely that the Chinese lotto winner has decided to keep his winnings a secret to protect himself and his family from greed.
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The New Jersey Digest is a new jersey magazine that has chronicled daily life in the Garden State for over 10 years.
