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WHEN it comes to Hungry Ghost Festival dinners organised by this dragon and lion dance centre, it is as if lightning does strike twice.
Three years ago, a man won $2.2 million after getting a Singapore Sweep ticket from a dinner organised by the Seventh Month committee of the Nam Sieng Dragon and Lion Dance Activity Centre in Balestier.
Then last week, there was another strike, this time for $250,000.
But this time the tale comes with a twist - the ticket was badly torn so the organising committee held on to it and did not give it to the diners.
It turned out to be the winning ticket, and despite its condition, Singapore Pools honoured it.
The money will now be used to benefit the elderly and kept in reserve for future dinners.
The head of the committee, who gave his name only as Mr Lim, said they had bought 500 tickets to give out during an annual dinner to celebrate the Hungry Ghost Festival.
They usually give out between two and 12 Singapore Sweep tickets as a sign of appreciation to each person who successfully bids for items at the dinner.
Mr Lim, said in Mandarin: "The tickets we bought came in booklets.
"A committee member was tearing them out from the booklets before the dinner. He wasn't paying attention and accidentally tore four tickets.
"We couldn't give out the torn tickets so we kept them."
The dinner, attended by close to 900 people, was held at Jalan Bukit Merah View on Aug 23.
Mr Lim, 45, an events planner, said he forgot about the tickets until last Wednesday's draw.
While checking his own tickets against the Singapore Sweep results on the Singapore Pools website that evening, he remembered the torn tickets and took them out to check.
"I checked and realised we had won the third prize," said Mr Lim.
"I didn't believe it, so I shut down the computer and restarted it. Then I checked again."
Winning number
The winning ticket had the numbers 3613630.
It was only when an evening newspaper carried the same result later that day that he was convinced of the win.
But whether or not he could claim the prize money was still a question.
Said Mr Lim: "Initially, I thought, 'Die, it's torn. Don't know whether can claim.'
"It was 2cm from splitting into two, though the ticket number and the barcode were still intact."
When he informed the rest of the committee, they too did not believe him.
"Initially, they thought I was pulling their leg," said Mr Lim.
It was too late for him to claim the prize that day, so he put the ticket in a sealed envelope, which he kept near him in his bedroom cupboard.
The excitement caused him to sleep later than usual.
The next day, he went with two other committee members to Singapore Pools' main branch at Selegie Road to claim the prize.
Because of the large amount involved, they were told by a staff member at Singapore Pools to return in an hour so that the company could run some checks.
The three of them then left for lunch, before returning about 45 minutes later to find the $250,000 cheque waiting for them.
A Singapore Pools spokesman confirmed that Mr Lim had claimed the prize on Thursday afternoon. She said: "Our validation machines were able to verify that it was a valid winning ticket."
A grateful Mr Lim said the committee would be using a part of the money to invite some senior citizens to dinner later this year and also give out hongbao to them at the dinner.
He added: "I'm happy for the Seventh Month committee. Now we don't have to worry about the lack of funds when we want to organise anything in the future."
The rest of the money would be kept in reserve for future Hungry Ghost Festival dinners, he said, adding that it cost them about $100,000 each year to organise it.
"I checked and realised we had won the third prize. I didn't believe it, so I shut down the computer and restarted it. Then I checked again."
Member won $2.2 million
THIS was not the first time that the committee has bought a winning ticket.
Mr Lim said that in 2007, another member of the Nam Sieng Dragon and Lion Dance Activity Centre won $2.2million from a Singapore Sweep ticket given out at the Hungry Ghost Festival dinner.
When contacted, the lucky winner, who gave his name as Mr Ah Teck, said he had received one Singapore Sweep ticket after winning a $100 bid for cakes used as offerings.
Mr Ah Teck, 38, was then working as a manager in a cleaning company, drawing a monthly salary of $3,000.
He said that more than a week after the dinner, Mr Lim called while he was at work to ask if he was the winner as one of the tickets given out at the dinner had won the top prize.
"I thought it couldn't be me," said Ah Teck in Mandarin.
He called his wife, who was then at home after giving birth, for the ticket number. She told him it was 1530233, which he later verified against the results printed in a newspaper.
"I was happy, nervous and a little surprised," recalled Mr Ah Teck, who had never won the lottery before.
He was doubly lucky because just months earlier, in May that year, he had been fighting for his life in the open sea.
He was on a regular fishing trip to Malaysia with his colleagues when the boat they were in hit something and capsized.
The incident happened after 10pm, just 40 minutes after they left Singapore, said Mr Ah Teck, who has two children aged 3 and 9.
They were left floating in the middle of the sea for about an hour before they were rescued.
He said: "It was very dark at sea. Many big ships passed by but no one saw us. Then a wooden boat passed by, saw us and saved us."
Quit job
After striking the lottery, Mr Ah Teck left his job and used a portion of the money to set up his own cleaning company, which currently has 60 employees.
Aside from that, life has not changed much for Mr Ah Teck and his family - they still live in the executive flat he bought about seven years ago.
He said he has no intention of moving because of the convenient location of the flat and the ample space it gives them.
But he was able to pay off his mortgage with his prize money and he also bought himself a brand new Lexus.
He said: "My life is more stable. I don't worry about money any more.
"Work is still a must to pass the time and to make money but I can go at a slower pace."
