Jackpot winner scoops 61 million yuan

A lottery buyer in Shanghai has won more than 61 million yuan (US$8.9million), the biggest jackpots this year, the Shanghai Welfare Lottery Center announced on Wednesday.

The winner spent 20 yuan in total, and bought the same combination of numbers 10 times, according to the center.

The tickets of the jackpot were sold at a welfare lottery outlet on Gubei Road in Baoshan District. The lottery jackpot was 6,163,816 yuan.

The winning numbers of double-color balls were 01, 03, 06, 09, 19, with 31 for the red ball, and 16 for the blue ball.

The winner has not turned up to claim the prize yet.

The winning pool has 884 million yuan left, according to the center.

Seven Shanghai welfare lottery buyers have won more than 10 million yuan each this year, with 29.8 million yuan the second largest win this year, according to the center.

The biggest jackpot in the Shanghai welfare lottery ever was 259 million yuan, claimed by a city resident, who spent just 200 yuan to land the windfall in 2010.

He donated 10.32 million yuan to welfare causes when he claimed the bonanza.

Welfare lottery funds are mainly used to help and support the elderly, the disabled, orphans and the needy.

It is common for winners to wear bizarre costumes from Garfield the cat to Spider-Man to protect their identities when they turn up to claim their prizes.