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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Super lottery fever grips Italy | Super lottery fever grips Italy |
| (1 day later) | |
| Italy's record lottery jackpot has climbed to 138.9m euros (£119m), after players who flocked from across Europe were disappointed in Thursday's draw. | Italy's record lottery jackpot has climbed to 138.9m euros (£119m), after players who flocked from across Europe were disappointed in Thursday's draw. |
| Some lotto-tourists flew into Italy for just a few hours to try their luck. | Some lotto-tourists flew into Italy for just a few hours to try their luck. |
| But nobody picked the winning combination. The SuperEnalotto jackpot has now surpassed the previous European record of £107m, set in Spain in May. | But nobody picked the winning combination. The SuperEnalotto jackpot has now surpassed the previous European record of £107m, set in Spain in May. |
| Tickets cost one euro each, and winning numbers are drawn three times a week. The next draw is on Monday evening. | Tickets cost one euro each, and winning numbers are drawn three times a week. The next draw is on Monday evening. |
| It had been scheduled for Saturday, but was delayed by two days because it clashed with the Italian holiday of Ferragosto. | It had been scheduled for Saturday, but was delayed by two days because it clashed with the Italian holiday of Ferragosto. |
| In Germany, a competition was held giving people the chance to win free flights to Italy simply to buy tickets for Thursday's draw. | In Germany, a competition was held giving people the chance to win free flights to Italy simply to buy tickets for Thursday's draw. |
| The 140 "lucky" winners were flown from Berlin to Milan to buy SuperEnalotto tickets from an airport cigarette shop, before returning to Berlin the same afternoon, Germany's Bild newspaper said. | The 140 "lucky" winners were flown from Berlin to Milan to buy SuperEnalotto tickets from an airport cigarette shop, before returning to Berlin the same afternoon, Germany's Bild newspaper said. |
| But while they may not have gone home millionaires, they were at least treated to a plate of pasta and an espresso. | But while they may not have gone home millionaires, they were at least treated to a plate of pasta and an espresso. |
| Idol worship? | Idol worship? |
| Frontier checkpoints with neighbouring Slovenia, France and Austria have seen brisk business in recent days as hopeful lottery players pop across the border for a ticket. | Frontier checkpoints with neighbouring Slovenia, France and Austria have seen brisk business in recent days as hopeful lottery players pop across the border for a ticket. |
| Mathematicians say that the chances of guessing the correct six numbers needed to win the jackpot are 622m-1, and no-one has correctly guessed the winning combination since January. | |
| SuperEnalotto's previous record jackpot was £85m, won last October in the Sicilian town of Catania. | SuperEnalotto's previous record jackpot was £85m, won last October in the Sicilian town of Catania. |
| But not everyone is excited at the prospect of Italy's record payout. | But not everyone is excited at the prospect of Italy's record payout. |
| The Italian Catholic bishops' conference said this week the draw was "immoral and continues to feed a desperate initiative of hope". | The Italian Catholic bishops' conference said this week the draw was "immoral and continues to feed a desperate initiative of hope". |
| Bishop Domenico Sigalini of Palestrina told Vatican Radio: "It really has become a form of idol worship as here man really is worshipping money instead of God." | Bishop Domenico Sigalini of Palestrina told Vatican Radio: "It really has become a form of idol worship as here man really is worshipping money instead of God." |