Lotto booths will have a busy day today as people try their luck to win the Super Five jackpot, which will exceed €1 million. It is still not a record, as there was an occasion when the prize money went up to a staggering €1.3 million (December 2007), but it is still a substantial amount that everyone would want to win.

In nearby Italy, the jackpot of the Super Enalotto has reached record proportions. There, people have to guess six numbers out of 90 – a far more difficult attempt to five numbers from 42, as we play here – and nobody has managed the feat since January. People of nearby countries are crossing the border to have a chance while others have organised one-day flights to Italy to be able to tempt fate.

As reported in another section of this newspaper today, millions of euros have been spent in Italy, and the more the prize money grows, the more people spend to try their luck. In August, the amount of money the Italians have spent is nearly double what they spent only last month.

In Malta, the amount of money that is spent on Super Five tickets also grows each time the jackpot increases. People who do not normally visit lotto booths are also tempted when they realise that e1.50 could net them e1 million.

Here, the Super Five frenzy may not have reached the same level as that in Italy, but there is surely a great anticipation for tonight’s draw. It is everyone’s dream that he or she could get rich overnight, and every punter will already be dreaming of what to do with the money, if they had to win.

Some would quit their job immediately, while others would prefer to buy a house or a boat, and many might plan a round-the-world journey. There will be those who will just sit and relax and enjoy the money.

There was a time when there was a capping of the top prize, but since the Lotto Department is no more and the Super Five draw has become a private venture, if there is no winner the jackpot continues to rise.

This has led to protests from several quarters. Businessmen, for example, complain that people have reduced their spending just to be able to have more money to buy Super Five lottery tickets. There have also been occasions when organisers of fund-raising events also raised their voices since the lottery was affecting the money they were collecting for people in need.

Well, it is quite natural for people to be tempted into trying their luck to win such a prize. Who would not want to find e1 million in his bank account?

But it is wrong when people become so obsessed with the idea of becoming rich that they neglect their duties and responsibilities, towards themselves and their loved ones, in particular children.

It is not right that children are deprived of their daily nourishment just because their mother wants to try her luck. It has been reported that some people stop buying milk and food for their children just to have that something extra to spend at the lotto office. Neither is it right for a father to use a good chunk of his earnings on the Super Five lottery.

There are much bigger priorities in life than trying to win the Super Five – and being responsible towards one’s children is one of them.