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October 14, 2014

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525m yuan to cover those bear necessities

CHINA’S third biggest lottery winner disguised himself as a cartoon bear to step forward and claim his 525 million yuan (US$85.7 million) in north China’s Shanxi Province yesterday.

The winner — a middle-aged man — opted to wear the costume of a character from popular Chinese cartoon series “Boonie Bears” in order to remain anonymous.

While the disguise ensured that the winner concealed his identity, it also meant that he needed help to walk.

Those attending had to sign a confidentiality agreement before they witnessed him receiving his cheque, China News Service reported.

In China, most big lottery winners opt to remain anonymous. Traditionally, rich Chinese prefer to keep out of the public eye to avoid attracting unwanted attention.

Consequently, lottery presentation photographs often feature people wearing disguising costumes or sci-fi or animal masks.

At the press conference, the winner described himself as a “loyal customer” who spent between 20,000 to 30,000 yuan on lottery tickets every year.

The jackpot was a reward for virtuous deeds, he claimed.

He promised to donate 12 million yuan to charity organizations and 2 million yuan to the earthquake-hit areas in Puer City in southwest China’s Yunnan Province.

He bought two “Double Color Ball” tickets from a lottery booth in Taiyuan City, capital of Shanxi. His numbers came up in the draw on October 5.

The lottery booth that sold the winning ticket shared in some of the good fortune, receiving 50,000 yuan from the Shanxi welfare lottery management center.

China’s biggest lottery win was 570 million yuan in 2012.




 

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