{
  "id": 144304,
  "title": "Lost US$1.15 million lottery ticket dug out of trash by Italian binmen",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/04/lost-us-1-15-million-lottery-ticket-dug-out-of-trash-by-italian-binmen",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-04T19:56:21.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "South China Morning Post",
    "slug": "south-china-morning-post",
    "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3362981/lost-us115-million-lottery-ticket-dug-out-trash-italian-garbagemen"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In an extraordinary turn of events, a €1 million (US$1.15 million) lottery ticket was discovered by waste management workers in Italy, after the ticket's winner tragically discarded it in the trash. Roberto Nicola Toscano, administrator of the SANB company in Italy's Puglia region, recounted how the fortunate woman, who consistently played the same numbers associated with a loved one, found herself perplexed when her local store informed her that her ticket was deemed non-payable. The woman's family then contacted her, revealing that she had indeed won the jackpot. Upon returning to the store, it was too late – the ticket had already been discarded and collected by the garbage truck.\n\nFaced with the daunting task of finding the ticket, Toscano and his team painstakingly combed through the truck's contents over the course of a day. Despite the potential hazards of hazardous materials, they managed to locate the winning ticket stub, which remained remarkably intact. Toscano explained that the employee's discovery brought both joy and tears to the unwitting winner, who signed a promise to cover all additional expenses incurred by the search. The successful recovery of the ticket ultimately proved to be a safe investment for the taxpayers.",
  "summary": "A €1 million (US$1.15 million) lottery ticket was recovered from the trash in Italy after the frantic winner called on binmen to help her retrieve it, the waste management company said. The instant win ticket was “miraculously still in one piece” after rubbish workers combed through mounds of trash on their truck, said Roberto Nicola Toscano, the administrator of the SANB company in Italy’s…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}