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Man who altered lottery ticket may win jail time
(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-01-15 10:09

An avid lottery player who tried to improve his luck by altering a ticket could instead win a trip to jail.

Cui Songan, of Xuchang, Henan province, was arrested and charged after he falsified the ticket and tried to claim the 250,000 ($36,000) prize money.

Cui, a poor farmer from the city's Shenhou township, was detained last July when lottery staff noticed Cui's ticket had been altered. Cui changed a 3 into an 8 to claim the big prize.

Weidu District People's Court is yet to rule on fraud charges but he could go to prison for up to 10 years. Cui has spent some 50,000 yuan on lottery tickets in recent years.