Male nurse wins record German lottery jackpot

Tuesday, October 10, 2006 posted 12:33 PM EDT

Muenster, Germany- The biggest jackpot in the history of Germany's national lottery went to a 41-year-old hospital nurse who is the father of three children, organizers said Tuesday, three days after the winning number was drawn. The man had phoned the West Lotto company from the hospital in the western Westphalia region during the morning, but asked that his name not be published.

In the city of Muenster, West Lotto spokesman Elmar Bamfaste said the winner of the 37.7-million-euro (47.7-million-dollar) prize planned to change very little in his life and to keep his win secret.

But at hospitals all over Westphalia, nurses were hoping to spot a colleague of the stated age with children aged 12, 9 and 2 and a new spring in his step. Lottery organizers say big winners are often a target for fraudsters and fair-weather friends.

The jackpot, accumulated when the top prize went unclaimed for six weeks in the twice-a-week game known as lotto in Germany, may remain an all-time record. German courts have demanded changes in lottery legislation that would reduce the urge to gamble.

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