One of Italy's main consumer protection associations warned Tuesday that Italy was in the grip of ''lotto fever'' with the world's biggest jackpot up for grabs.
The Codacons association said people were betting beyond their means in the hope of landing the Superenalotto prize which has risen to over 80 million euros in the last few months.
Codacons called for a cap on the amount each punter could place ''to prevent dangerous excesses and safeguard citizens from lotto fever''.
It said betting shops should be allowed to check IDs to make sure players stay within the proposed limit.
The total of bets doubled in the week up to the last draw on Saturday, amounting to almost the same figure as in the jackpot, 83 million euros.
