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doner kebab
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A Frenchman owes a lottery prize of more than 4.5 million euros to a waiting break in a kebab shop.
In July, the casual gambler filled out a lottery ticket at his vacation spot while his wife asked for information at the tourist office, the French lottery company said.
The man in his early 60s stuffed the lottery ticket into his wallet without paying any attention to it.
It was only when he was waiting for his doner kebab in a snack bar at home almost two months later that he remembered the lottery ticket – and ran to a lottery acceptance point very close by.
There he found out about his winnings of millions, which he could only have claimed on this very last day.
After that, the profit would have been forfeited.
After a few bites, he rushed home and put the rest of the kebab in the fridge, the lottery company said.
When his wife came home, she was surprised at the leftovers.
"You won't believe me, but that's a gold doner kebab," said the man and told his wife about the win.
"I won everything, but a few hours later everything would have been lost."
jpz/wit/dpa