A SHENZHEN resident has finally stepped forward to claim his lottery prize of 18 million yuan (US$2.45 million) Thursday morning, Shenzhen Evening News reported.

The man had been holding the winning ticket for quite some time. When questioned about the delay in claiming his prize, he explained that he had been aware of the extensive media coverage surrounding the search for the lottery winner. In an attempt to avoid excessive attention, he opted to bide his time before coming forward.

On Sept. 2, China Sports Lottery’s Super Lotto unveiled the latest winning numbers: “06, 14, 16, 17, 28,” along with the supplementary numbers “07” and “10.” The draw produced four first-prize winners across the country, with one coming from Shenzhen.

According to the News report, the winning ticket was sold at a store in Mabu Community, Bao’an District. The Shenzhen winner won some 18.07 million yuan and was subject to a tax of 3.6 million yuan. However, the lottery winner was slow in coming forward to claim his prize.

Under China’s sports lottery regulations, winners are required to present their winning tickets and claim their prizes at designated locations within 60 days following the draw.

Just six days before the end of the claim period, which is Nov. 1, 2023, the “calm” lottery winner finally showed up at the Shenzhen Sports Lottery Administration Center. He arrived in plain clothes and without any disguises like a mask, sunglasses, or a cap.

It is reported that the man has been buying sports lottery tickets for a long time. He enjoys studying the numbers and usually buys more tickets when he feels good.

The winner believes that the prize is a small surprise in life, so there is no special plan about it. “I will continue to purchase sports lottery tickets in the future and support public welfare initiatives,” he was quoted as saying.

(Zhang Yu)