Lottery winner wins second chance at lucky dip

17 March 2005

MADRID-For one Spaniard it was enough to push him close to a nervous breakdown after he discovered his prize-winning lottery ticket had been torn to shreds in the wash.

But now it appears the lucky winner´s ordeal is over, after a court ruled the lottery ticket which was torn apart after it took a spin in the washing machine by accident still stands.

The relieved owner of the ticket now stand to win EUR 36,000 from ticket number 42,169.

Their six year battle to claim their winnings now appears finally over after a court in Madrid overruled a lower court which said ONCE, which runs the biggest lottery in Spain, claimed the ticket could not stand.

The winner, named only as MCC, had originally challenged ONCE´s claim that the ticket could not be accepted after he accidentally left it in his trousers and put them in the washing machine to be cleaned.

Despite presenting the pieces to ONCE, the company refused to pay-out.

Now the Supreme Court of Madrid has ruled that ONCE must come up with the cash after it was proved that the owner had bought the ticket.

[Copyright EFE with Expatica]

Subject: Spanish news