Superstitions make people act crazy sometimes but the latest move of one Chinese player has left many people scratching their heads. Mr. C. a player of Chinese origin recently won a £4,444 jackpot at Jackpot City Online Casino. Initially delighted to see that he hit the jackpot Mr. C. later refused to accept the prize money saying that it was an inauspicious amount and a portentous signifier of death.

According to Chinese culture the number 4 is very unlucky. In Chinese the word for the number four, pinyin sì, is almost homophonous to their word for "death" pinyin sǐ which explains why Mr. C. has a problem accepting the prize money. This is taken quite seriously as you can see in the picture to the right. The elevator in a residential apartment building in Shanghai is missing all "unlucky" floors including four.

"The player contacted our customer services department, quite concerned about the winning amount. He was obviously keen not to lose out on the money, but at the same time wary of bringing bad luck on himself or his family. It is a first for us, where a player refuses to accept the cheque for their winnings," said Terry Maverick, a spokes person for Jackpot City.com. "We're still talking to the player and working out the best approach to handle this, which is sensitive to the player's beliefs and concerns, but ensures that he does not lose out on his winnings."

While gamblers are known for being notoriously superstitious £4,444 is certainly a lot of money to turn down. I'm not sure many people would be willing to refuse a check for that amount even if they were a little uneasy about the number. Hopefully Mr. C. can work something out with the site. Eight is considered an extremely lucky number in Chinese culture. Perhaps he could settle for £888 instead.