January 29th, 2023: Who could have thought that a barking dog could bring good fortune to those who listen? In Taiwan, a local couple hit the jackpot in one of the nation’s top scratchcard games thanks to a barking dog! According to reports, the couple spent time outdoors and heard the lottery shop owner’s dog barking. They took it as a sign to enter the lottery shop, buy and play the Super Red Envelope scratchcard, and win NT$1 million (US$33,132)!
A barking dog and a winning ticket
According to Taiwan Lottery Co, the unidentified couple from New Taipei City walked passed a lottery shop and heard the barking of a shiba inu. For some people, the dog’s barking can be a nuisance, but it was deemed an invitation for the local couple.
In Mandarin Chinese, the dog barking ‘woof’ (汪in Chinese) is a close homophone for the word ‘wang,’ which means prosperous or flourishing.’ Thanks to the timely barking, the couple scratched off the “NT$20 million Super Red Envelope” lottery ticket and discovered that they had won the top prize worth NT$1 million.
NT$20 million Super Red Envelope to celebrate the Lunar New Year
The Super Red Envelope is a special edition lottery scratchcard in Taiwan designed to celebrate the January 20 to 29 Lunar New Year holiday. As part of the celebrations, Taiwan Lottery introduced a few limited-time scratch lottery cards, including the NT$20 million Super Red Envelope, which costs NT$2,000 per ticket. The top prize for this special edition lottery ticket is NT$20 million each.
In addition, there are ten-second prizes worth NT$2 million, a Mercedez Benz sports utility vehicle, and 850 third prizes at NT$1 million each. According to reports, winning players have already claimed one of the first, two of the second, and over 170 of the third prizes.
Caregiver wins US$65,859 and a Mercedez Benz.
In addition to the lucky couple, a migrant caregiver has won NT$2 million (US$65,859) and a Mercedez Benz, according to a Taiwan Lottery official. According to the reports, the woman purchased the winning ticket in Hsinchu County’s Jhudong Township.
The woman shared that when she entered the store, she noticed the vendor had his smartphone lying face down on the glass counter where the tickets were on display. Then, as she was browsing the available tickets, she noticed again that the phone was lit with a text message and shining a light on one of the cards below, which she had purchased.
In many Asian countries, people find different inspirations and motivations to participate in the lottery or play casino games. Some players rely on luck and lucky charms; as we have covered here, they can get inspiration from a barking dog or a light from a smartphone!
