Winner picked in Italy's record lotto jackpot

Player will pocket what has been billed as Europe's biggest jackpot

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updated 5:18 p.m. ET Aug. 23, 2009

ROME - A lucky lotto player in Tuscany won Italy's record $211.8 million state lottery Saturday, pocketing what has been billed as Europe's biggest jackpot.

The winning ticket was purchased in the Sisal Biffi coffee shop in Bagnone, a town of about 2,000 in the province of Massa Carrara near the Tuscan coast, lottery officials said. In Italy, lotto winners rarely come forward.

The winning combination — 11, 27, 10, 79, 45, 88 — was selected after weeks of mounting lotto fever that prompted tourists from around Europe to visit and play the Suprenalotto game. No one had won the top prize since January 31.

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The biggest winner has been the Italian state, as players have spent more than $2.8 billion since the start of the year, and half of all the money played goes into state coffers.

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