Lucky Israelis

News on 14 Apr 2010

It took four months for an Israeli couple to realise they had won Israel’s biggest ever lottery prize and find the ticket, according to widespread reports in local and international media this week.
The couple, masked in order to remain anonymous, collected their GBP 13 million prize Tuesday, revealing that the lucky ticket had been hidden in a pile of old papers in their house for nearly four months.
They noticed the ticket this week and double checked the numbers, discovering it was a winner.
“This win is thanks to my wife, who pushed me to go check the tickets, because otherwise I wouldn’t have found it,” the man said.
After determining they had a winning ticket, the couple made a late-night visit to a store shortly before closing to see how large the prize would be. The husband said a silence fell over the room as they began counting the number of zeros in the winning payout with the clerk.
“How much did we win, for God’s sake?” he recalled thinking. “Everyone there was pretty shocked.”
The couple said they have no idea what to do with their newfound wealth, hinting that some of it may go to charity.
The prize is subject to a 25 percent tax in Israel, the lottery agency said.

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