TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – A foreign couple visiting Taiwan won NT$2 million (US$68,700) after buying a scratch lottery ticket, Taiwan Lottery Co., Ltd. said Sunday.
The Lunar New Year holiday is a peak period for lottery buyers, who expect the new year to bring good luck and also buy tickets for friends and family.
A foreign couple whose names and nationality were not disclosed bought two scratch lottery tickets after a visit to the Longshan Temple, one of Taiwan’s top tourist attractions, located in Taipei City’s Wanhua District.
The visitors asked questions after they saw how many people were inside the temple and how many lined up outside a lottery sales point on Xiyuan Road nearby, the Central News Agency reported.
As they were told that everybody was hoping the new years would bring better times, they also decided to try their hand at the lottery and bought the two tickets, according to CNA.
The first ticket did not bring them any gains, but with the second one they scored the top prize, making them shout and dance with joy.
A similar story came from Taitung, where a family from Kaohsiung spent NT$2,000 (US$68) on a ticket which brought them NT$1 million (US$34,000) in gains, CNA reported. The family had originally planned to spend the holiday in Hualien, but after having donated money for the victims of the deadly February 6 earthquake in that town, they changed their destination to Taitung.