25 Oct 2008

Italian scoops monster lottery prize

11:19 am on 25 October 2008

One of the world's biggest ever lottery jackpots has finally been won in Italy.

The winning ticket was bought in the city of Catania in Sicily, and is worth 100 million euros, equating to $227 million.

Catania is one of Italy's poorest cities, and when the news broke residents took to the streets singing, dancing and waving flags.

The city mayor, Raffaele Stancanelli, says he is delighted and hopes the unknown winner does something for the community.

The jackpot has rolled over since April.

One consumer rights group this week said the lottery was ruining families who spent all their money on tickets, and it had called for the jackpot to be seized and redistributed.