Debt-ridden Greeks rush to buy lottery tickets

Thousands of Greeks have flocked to lottery stations to buy tickets for a record jackpot.

The "Joker" lottery has accumulated the 19 million euro prize after being rolled over since February.

Lottery terminals were brimming with people rushing to fill out tickets and try their luck. "We are in the middle of a crisis, and this is 19 million euros! Although, I would be happy with one million, I don't need 19, I don't need all of it!" said motorcycle courier George Lambrakis.

"Its a lot of money, I don't need all of it, even 50 thousand would be good enough," said night watchman Thomas Apergiou.

The lottery mania comes as Greece asked for official talks with European authorities and the International Monetary Fund, a step toward Athens obtaining billions of euros in emergency loans.

In a letter to the European Union, the European Central Bank and the IMF, Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou proposed discussions on "a multi-year programme of economic policies."

Greece is struggling to finance a national debt greater than its annual economic output.