He tried to cash a €10M scratch-off. There was just one problem

Imagine walking into a lottery office with a scratch-off ticket worth more than €10 million. You'd probably be pretty excited to collect your winnings. But what if the ticket wasn't actually a winner?

That's the situation at the center of a criminal trial in Italy, where a 50-year-old man is accused of trying to turn two losing scratch-off tickets into one massive payday. According to prosecutors, the man used sticky tape to piece together parts of two different tickets, making it appear as though he had won more than €10 million. There was just one problem. Actually, there were several.

A €10 million lottery claim raises questions

The man, who is from the southern Italian province of Cosenza, allegedly visited the Lotterie Nazionali prize office in Rome on August 22, 2019. He presented an Il Miliardario Maxi scratch-off ticket and claimed he had won €10 million.

At first glance, the ticket appeared to have the right combination of numbers to support his claim. The "maxi bonus" section showed the number 20, while the winning numbers included 56 and 19. Those numbers matched entries in the player's numbers section.

An "X5" multiplier also appeared on the ticket, seemingly boosting the prize amount. However, lottery officials noticed something unusual. The ticket had been torn horizontally, and pieces were being held together with adhesive tape.

That was enough to raise questions about whether the ticket was legitimate. Further checks revealed that the scratch-off had not been a winner in its original form. Prosecutors allege the man had combined two separate losing tickets to create the appearance of a winning one.

The jackpot didn't even exist

The tape wasn't the only thing that made the lottery claim suspicious. The Il Miliardario Maxi scratch-off costs €20 and offers a top prize of €5 million. Its second-largest prize is €2 million. That means the man's claimed winnings of more than €10 million were over twice the game's maximum payout.

In other words, even a legitimate ticket couldn't have delivered the amount he was trying to collect. Lottery officials ultimately rejected the claim, and the altered ticket was seized.

Now the case is in court

More than seven years after the alleged incident, the man is facing trial in Rome. According to Italian newspaper Il Messaggero, proceedings opened on Wednesday before a single judge at Rome's criminal court.

The first witnesses answered questions from prosecutors and a lawyer representing Lotterie Nazionali, the company responsible for operating the lottery. Prosecutors argue that the man deliberately attempted to obtain money he wasn't entitled to receive.

The next hearing is scheduled for January 11, when additional witnesses are expected to testify, and prosecutors are due to present their closing arguments.

The man has not been convicted in this case.

This also isn't the first time Italy's lottery operator has encountered an alleged "cut and stitch" scheme involving pieces of losing tickets. But this particular attempt stands out for its size. The man allegedly tried to collect a jackpot that was impossible to win, using a ticket that couldn't even stay together without tape.

Enjoy playing the lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.