The winner of the country's third largest lottery jackpot, 258 million yuan (US$38.5 million), had yet to come forward by late Wednesday.

The draw for Henan Province's welfare lottery was made on Tuesday night and officials say there is only one lucky ticket.

According to China News Service reports, the winner paid 100 yuan for 50 seven-number rows for the "Double Color Ball" game at a booth in Wenming Road, Zhumadian.

Calls to the provincial lottery center went unanswered on Wednesday, although officials have assured the privacy of the winner as he or she requires.

The jackpot is 1 million yuan less than China's second largest lottery prize drawn in Shanghai in August. The biggest one was 359 million yuan, drawn in October 2009, also in Henan.

Under Chinese taxation regulations, the winner will have to pay about 51 million yuan in tax. However, a charitable donation could reduce that amount.

The Shanghai winner, surnamed Shen, paid about 50 million yuan in tax and donated 10 million yuan to a charitable foundation. Of that, 5 million yuan was given to Zhouqu in Gansu Province, where mudslides killed at least 1,471 in August.

The biggest winner, who was from Anyang, paid about 68 million yuan in tax and donated 10 million yuan.

China Welfare Lottery Center, which falls under the Ministry of Civil Affairs, started the "Double Color Ball" game in 2003. It is drawn every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday.

Following several large jackpots, sales of tickets have increased.

Chen Erjuan, a lottery seller at a booth in Beijing's Chaoyang district, said she has witnessed more people playing since Spring Festival in February.

(China Daily October 7, 2010)