/ 17 August 2005

French family win lottery twice with same numbers

In a feat that will have statisticians shaking their heads, a French family have twice won a national lottery — using the same numbers each time.

The lucky clan, who were not identified, picked up €1,5-million (R11,9-million) in an August 3 lottery using the same selection of numbers they mark down every week, said Beatrice Vandersype, the wife of the tobacconist who sold the winning ticket.

She added that those same numbers netted the family 900 000 French francs back in 1978, a sum equivalent to about €500 000 (R3,9-million) in today’s money, taking into account inflation. — Sapa-AFP