(aFTER 10) Displaced Georgian woman wins lottery jackpot on Christmas

TBILISI - For this displaced woman who ekes out a humble existence in a dormitory in this Georgian capital, Christmas brought her a sweet surprise — a $2.4 million lottery jackpot!

Zamira Tordinava couldn’t believe herself when the Georgian National Lottery announced she was the winner of 4.4 million Georgian laris ($2.5 million) on Christmas eve Friday.

Tordinava, who lives in a dormitory for refugees, is thrilled by the sudden change in her fortune, although she couldn’t tell how she would spend the money, Georgia’s first million-dollar jackpot winner.

She said it was a lucky day for her.

Though small compared with $390 million, the world’s largest jackpot, the $2.5 million can last her long in this South Caucasus country where the average monthly expenditure for ordinary people is well below 1,000 laris ($571), xinhua.net reported Saturday.