FRANCE:Police in France are holding two shopkeepers and another person accused of a €22 million EuroMillions lottery scam. Police believe the shopkeepers in Paris realised they had sold the winning EuroMillions ticket on May 11th when a man came in to check whether he had won.
The shopkeepers allegedly lied and told him he had not - and kept the ticket themselves, said judicial officials.
Investigators believe the couple passed the numbers to a third party who claimed to be the winner. Three days after receiving the prize, the accomplice deposited €20 million into the shopkeepers' account, the officials said.
People in Ireland, Britain, France, Spain, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, Portugal, and Switzerland play the EuroMillions lottery. Limerick woman Dolores McNamara won €115 million in the draw in July 2005, the biggest cheque an individual has received.
Thierry Herzog, lawyer for the French lottery authority, said the game operator had two priorities: "Finding the real winner and exposing the people who carried out this scam." Investigators tracked down the true winner and Mr Herzog said everything would be done to ensure he gets the winnings. - (AP)