Jackpot winner in New Taipei City scores NT$2.7 billion

When the lottery prize skyrockets, people can’t help but try their luck and buy a ticket or two. 

One lucky 30-year old bought four packs of lotto cards for a total of NT$3,200 (US$110). Their prize? NT$2.7 billion (US$97 million). The owner of the lottery store says that she had personally selected the four packs of lotto tickets to give to the mystery buyer.

After subtracting 20% of the total for taxes, the winner will still walk away with NT$2.16 billion (US$77.3 million). This is not only the highest jackpot for this year, but also the third highest prize of all time for the Taiwan Lottery. At the top of the chart was NT$3.03 billion (US$108 million) won in Taichung in April 2015, followed by almost $2.87 billion (US$103 million) won in Taipei during September of the same year.

Still, lawyer Li I-chen says winning the lottery can come with its challenges. In a post on Facebook, Li says that this winner may be afraid of being discovered by others and unsure how to approach their new future. Li’s suggestion? Come visit her office! (MORE)

Some netizens have even made a connection between the winning lottery numbers and the late basketball superstar, Kobe Bryant. According to their theory, eight and 23 refer to Bryant’s birthday, and nine is the number of times he was selected for the NBA All-Defensive First Team, which is a league record. Kobe was nominated for the Hall of Fame in 2019, his jersey number was 24, he tore his Achilles tendon at 35, and the final digit, one, refers to the month he died.

These netizens are excited they made the lottery’s connection with Kobe, but disappointed they didn’t pick these numbers beforehand. If the winner reveals their identity, they may have to deal with lots of attention from these online admirers.