A lottery punter has won about 48.5 million yuan (US$6 million) from the lottery tickets he bought for 200 yuan (US$24) at a Shanghai lottery outlet, China News Service reported.

The lucky buyer was yet to claim his winnings, the Shanghai-based Xinmin Evening News said Thursday, quoting Ma Shaohua, of Shanghai's welfare lottery center.

The winner, said to be the luckiest lottery buyer in China, would get about 38.5 million yuan after tax.

The winner bought 10 lottery tickets with a total of 100 numbers from a lottery outlet on No. 635 East Nanjing Road, at about 6 p.m. Tuesday. It turned out that 10 numbers won the first prize. The deal cost him only 200 yuan.

The win had almost drained the Shanghai welfare lottery center fund, said China News Service.

The lucky buyer has 35 days to claim the prize. The lottery tickets' validity would expire after 35 days.

(Shenzhen Daily February 6, 2004)