Shanghai citizen wins lottery under lockdown, but how?
Someone from Shanghai won about 2.6 million yuan (US$400,000) in a lottery game of the state-run China Welfare Lottery this Tuesday, but it left some people wondering.
Since all lottery ticket sales points in Shanghai have been closed since April 1, in line with a citywide lockdown which aims to curb the community spread of COVID-19, how did the person manage to purchase the lottery ticket?
Some local media made inquiries with the customer service of China Welfare Lottery and was told that the person had laid a bet through SMS.
Currently in China, only people in Shanghai and Liaoning Province can play its lottery games via SMS or phone calls, China News Agency reported on Sunday citing the customer service of the lottery.
Beijing Daily cited a lottery ticket sales point worker in Shanghai's Jiading District, who said people in the city have been able to purchase lottery tickets on the WeChat application of Shanghai Welfare Lottery for some time.
Players need to register with their Shanghai mobile phone number before casting a bet.
The WeChat account is "shflcp."