MOSCOW, March 19 (RIA Novosti) - A lucky man from Kolpino, near St. Petersburg, has won 100 million rubles, or nearly $3 million, in Russia's state lottery, a Gosloto spokesman said on Thursday.

The lotto winner has already contacted the Gosloto office by telephone.

"The company has 45 days to verify the ticket," Mikhail Zharkov said. "As soon as we make sure the ticket is authentic, we will transfer the money to the man's bank account."

The winner will have to pay 13% tax on the total amount.

Gosloto, the first state lottery since the Soviet era, was launched in 2005 to help raise funds for the 2014 Winter Olympics in the Black Sea resort Sochi and to promote sport and a healthy lifestyle.

Lottery tickets are sold in mobile retail outlets, stores, kiosks and cafes.