Lighting Strikes Twice for Lotto Winner

One lucky man has won first prize in an internet lottery two times in the past four months.

Lotto (www.lotto.co.kr), an internet lottery agency, said yesterday that Park (50) from Gyeongnam Province won first prize in an internet housing lottery twice.

Park won the first grand prize of 800 million won in the history of the internet lottery after purchasing keno lottery tickets online in July, and won 100 million won in an internet instant lottery on November 25.

One can receive up to 1 billion won as a Keno lottery prize if he or she guesses 10 out of 21 numbers. An instant lottery is one that provides a 100 million won prize when three 100 million won symbols appear on the screen. The winning odds for Keno and the instant lottery are 1/1.12 million and 1/1.25 million, respectively.

A Lotto spokesperson said that the probability of winning first prize in two lotteries is slimmer than that of being struck by lightening twice.

The spokesperson also noted, “Park spent 20,000 to 30,000 won every week on the lotteries with a view that ‘I can win as well.’”

Suk-Min Hong smhong@donga.com