A lottery player in Bitonto, southern Italy, accidentally disposed of a winning ticket worth €1 million at a shop after being informed it was “non-payable.” The confusion arose because shops display this message when prize amounts exceed their payment capacity rather than indicating a losing ticket. The player did not immediately realize the error.
The situation became apparent only after family members pointed out that the player’s regular numbers—2, 4, 8, 10, and 51—had been drawn in the lottery. Upon this realization, the player and relatives returned to the shop to investigate and discovered the ticket had already been collected by a waste management vehicle. The player then contacted the refuse collection company that services the area, SANB, to request assistance in locating the discarded slip.
Truck operators managed to locate the vehicle before its contents were compacted and sent to landfill, a fortunate timing since the collection had occurred on a Sunday. The waste was transported to a dedicated facility where a systematic search commenced through the accumulated garbage. After approximately two days of searching through what company officials described as a mountain of waste, a worker reportedly discovered the ticket on Tuesday morning. The winning slip was found within a damaged bag alongside other discarded tickets, notable as one of the few items remaining intact.
The recovery operation incurred costs that the player agreed to cover under a prior declaration signed at the shop. Roberto Nicola Toscano, head of the refuse company, characterized the recovery as miraculous and declined to disclose the winner’s identity to media outlets. In an additional turn of fortune, Toscano and colleagues purchased a scratch card as a celebratory gesture following the successful recovery and won €50.
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