An Italian woman who won a one-million-euro lottery prize narrowly avoided losing her jackpot after garbage collectors recovered her discarded ticket.
The incident took place in Italy's Puglia region, where the winner initially failed to realize she had won the big prize. After checking her ticket at a local shop, the machine indicated it was "non-payable" because smaller retailers can only redeem minor wins.
Believing she had lost, the woman inadvertently threw the ticket away. However, upon learning from a family member that her usual numbers had actually won, she rushed back to the shop only to find the ticket had already been collected as trash.
She then contacted Roberto Nicola Toscano, administrator of the SANB waste management company, who coordinated a search.
Recovery Efforts
- The team identified the specific garbage truck that had collected the ticket.
- The truck was taken to a specialized facility to safely sift through the waste, considering possible hazards.
- After over a day of searching, the workers found various ticket stubs, including the intact winning ticket.
When informed of the discovery, the winner was overcome with emotion. Toscano shared that although he couldn't embrace her over the phone, the moment was deeply moving.
Costs and Responsibility
SANB is a public agency, so the search expenses would typically fall on taxpayers. To address this, the winner agreed to cover all additional costs incurred during the recovery operation.
This fortunate outcome prevented a potential loss of approximately Ksh142 million (one million euros) and highlighted the dedication of the waste management team.
