McDonald's Worker Claims Mega Millions Prize
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A McDonald's worker who claims to have a winning ticket for the world's biggest lottery prize is insisting she will not share her millions with the colleagues she was in a syndicate with.

Mirlande Wilson, a 37-year-old Haitian immigrant, said she purchased the ticket, now worth more than $100 million (£62 million), with her own money separately to those bought for the 14-strong syndicate at the fast food restaurant in Milford Mill, Maryland.

Her irate co-workers say however that they each contributed $5 (£3.12) before sending her out to buy last minute tickets for the group a few hours before Friday's nationwide Mega Millions draw, and are now demanding she pay up.

CCTV footage shows that the winning ticket was purchased from a nearby 7-Eleven grocery store at 7.15pm – around the time all the McDonald's workers agree Miss Wilson headed off to the shop.

Stephen Martino, director of the Maryland Lottery, said that the prize had yet to be claimed. "We can't wait to greet the winner of this world-record setting jackpot," he added.

In a phone call to the restaurant shortly after the numbers were announced at 11pm, Miss Wilson is said to have shouted: "I won, I won."

Her colleagues, who earn around $7 (£4.36) an hour, noticed that she had not said "we won," and were said to be immediately suspicious. » | Rosa Prince | New York | Monday, April 02, 2012

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Catholic Church Condemns Italy's Record Lottery
Euros. Millions of them! Photo: Google Images
THE TELEGRAPH: Italy is in the grip of lottery fever, with a record £113 million (131.5 million euros) up for grabs in the country's national draw, now the world's richest.

Italy is deep in recession and unemployment is on the rise, but millions of Italians are buying up tickets for the lucky numbers game, despite the odds of winning estimated to be one in 622 million.

Although draws are held three times a week the prize has not been won since January, with people in neighbouring countries making special trips to Italy to try their luck in guessing the six winning numbers.

The size of the jackpot has surged past the previous record of 126 million euros, which was paid out by Euromillions in Spain in May.

But the Roman Catholic Church condemned lotto fever, saying it encouraged greed, false hope for society's poorest families and a worship of money that amounted to idolatry.

"Fever for SuperEnalotto has for many people become a form of idolatry and should be stopped as soon as possible," said the archbishop of Lecce, Cosmo Franceso Ruppi. >>> Nick Squires in Rome | Wednesday, August 12, 2009