He gives her a "Scratch and Win," she wins 500 thousand euros and runs away: thus the dispute ended up in court.

In Carsoli, a small town in the Upper Aniene Valley, a 5 euro scratch card purchased on March 8 has become the center of a media and legal controversy between ex-partners.

The prize at stake is 500,000 euros, a life-changing amount that, at the moment, has only resulted in the collapse of the relationship.

According to reports, the partner of the worker who physically bought the ticket went to the bank to start the cashing process and, that same evening, disappeared. Later located in Modena, at her sister's house, she dismissed the matter over the phone with a few words: "I will return in April, I left for work".

The man, feeling defrauded, filed a complaint to block the collection of the prize and, through lawyers and television appeals on "La Vita in Diretta", claims the existence of a verbal agreement to split the winnings exactly in half.

However, the issue is primarily legal. Article 783 of the Civil Code states that the donation of a movable good of modest value — such as a 5 euro lottery ticket — is perfected with simple delivery, without the need for a notarial deed. The person receiving the ticket becomes the exclusive owner and, consequently, the holder of the right to the entire prize.

To assert the alleged "50% agreement" in court, the partner will need to provide concrete and traceable evidence, such as written messages or reliable testimonies. In the absence of such elements, taking away a good of which one is the legitimate owner does not constitute any criminal offense, rather it configures a civil and property dispute between ex-partners.

Even the visit to the bank does not represent an anomaly or an attempt to withhold: for winnings over 10,000 euros, it is mandatory to deposit the ticket at an authorized branch, such as Intesa Sanpaolo, or at the National Lottery Prize Office.

It should also be noted that the actual amount cashed will not be 500,000 euros: since March 2020, a 20% tax withholding is applied to the portion exceeding 500 euros, resulting in a net amount of around 400,100 euros.