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After having tried his luck for a decade, a hawker in India's Silicon Valley (read Bangalore) finally struck gold when he bought a Rs 10/- lottery ticket of the Playwin Sikkim Super Lotto.
Lingappa, who earns a living hawking assorted snacks like chaat and paani-puris, became the first winner of the jackpot from Karnataka.
He had bought the Rs 10/- lottery ticket with the winning numbers (09,10,24,27,35 & 36) just an hour before the draw on Thursday evening last week and won Rs 20.78 million.
Lingappa, who puts up his fast food stall near the famous Cubbon Park in the heart of the city, had been earning about Rs 100 every day while his wife Narayanamma earned about Rs 400 per month working as a housemaid. The couple have three children - two sons and a daughter.
Another 94 lucky persons won over Rs 106,987 each as the second prize.
However, winning the jackpot also made Lingappa a worried man. In fact, he kept the matter a secret for almost three days, sharing the news of his good fortune only with his wife and trusted friend Durga Prasad, a former government employee.
However, Lingappa heaved a sigh of relief when city Police Commissioner H T Sangliana promised him protection. "Only then did he feel relieved," said Durga Prasad.
"It is god's blessings. Lottery is good as even the poor can dream of becoming rich some day," a nervous Lingappa told mediapersons in Bangalore.
It took a lot of prodding for Lingappa to even smile when the organisers of the lottery presented him and his equally nervous wife before the media in Bangalore on Wednesday.
Lingappa's only regret is that he may have to give up his three-decade long business. "It may not be safe to continue with the food joint now," he explained.
Lingappa plans to spend a part of the new-found wealth on building a temple and purchasing a house. "I also want to keep aside some money for my three children," he said.
The online lottery, India's first, was launched in March this year by Playwin Infravest Ltd, a subsidiary of the Rs 45-billion Bombay-based Essel Group.
According to Playwin Infravest CEO Sanjay Das, the company has distributed over Rs 600 million among winners, including a mason from Kerala who pocketed Rs 50.2 million in June.
The company has also bagged licences to launch online lotteries on behalf of the Maharashtra and Karnataka governments too, he said.
"The online lottery has brought about a sweeping change in the prevailing paper lottery scenario by providing a transparent, credible, entertaining and tech-savvy process," Das said.
The company has tied up with the US-based International Lottery & Totalizator Systems Inc. for the technology for online terminals to be located in major cities and towns across the country.
More reports on Karnataka
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