Colombians hope for lucky Obama lottery ticket

BOGOTA (Reuters) - U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama might be betting he can win November's election, but he could really hit the jackpot in Colombia.

A Colombian lottery seller has printed Obama's image on tickets, hoping to snag attention while celebrating Afro-Colombians with a nod to the Democrat's African heritage.

Less than two weeks before the U.S. presidential election between Obama and Republican John McCain, street vendors and stores in steamy Meta province are selling the lottery stubs showing a smiling Obama. The average weekly top prize for the tickets -- just under $300,000.

"We thought he's someone with worldwide recognition," Meta lottery director Magdalena Gonzalez told Reuters. "Hopefully someone so famous helps us sell more, but if we do not sell more then at least it is pays some homage."

Obama, the son of an American mother and an African father, already has had babies named after him in Kenya and a street was renamed "Obama Boulevard" in Uganda. The Japanese city Obama hopes to use its name to draw more tourists.

Obama has opposed a U.S. free trade deal for Colombia, asking President Alvaro Uribe to do more to defend human rights. But McCain backs the deal after Uribe has reduced violence in Colombia by battling guerrillas with billions in U.S. funds.

(Reporting by Patrick Markey, editing by Vicki Allen)