After lucky discovery, Israel couple claims $20 million _ country’s biggest-ever lottery prize

Israeli couple finds $20 million lottery ticket

JERUSALEM — A couple who won Israel’s biggest-ever lottery prize came forward to claim the $20 million payout on Tuesday, saying they had no idea they had been holding the lucky ticket for nearly four months.

The couple appeared at a news conference wearing masks to protect their identities, and told reporters the winning ticket had been languishing near the bottom of a pile of papers and old lottery forms at their home.

They noticed the ticket this week and double checked the numbers, discovering it was a winner.

“This win is thanks to my wife who pushed me to go check the tickets because otherwise I wouldn’t have found it,” the man said.

After determining they had a winning ticket, the couple made a late-night visit to a store shortly before closing to see how large the prize would be. The husband said a silence fell over the room as they began counting the number of zeros in the winning payout with the clerk.

“How much did we win, for God’s sake?” he said he recalled thinking. “Everyone there was pretty shocked.”

Israel often conceals the identities of lottery winners to protect their privacy. The couple wore red masks with the lottery agency’s logo at Tuesday’s press conference. The woman also wore a wide-brimmed black sun hat.

The two said they have no idea what to do with their newfound fortune, hinting that some of it may go to charity.

The $20 million prize is subject to a 25 percent tax in Israel, the lottery agency said.