Brandon Nikiforuk From Mississauga Wins $1000/Week Payday For The Rest Of His Life From OLG

There's two really great things about winning OLG's Payday Lottery:

1. It's tax free. All lottery wins in Canada are tax free.

2. Payday pays $1000/week for the rest of your life. And, life doesn't mean a twenty year annuity. It really means for the rest of your life. So, if you live another 50 years, you get $1000 a week for 50 years!

Brandon Nikiforuk of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada won the Payday jackpot from OLG (Ontario Lottery And Gaming) in January of 2009.

When he found out that he was a winner, he was excited. He didn't get much sleep that night. He doesn't have any immediate plans for his new riches.

Congratulations to Brandon Nikiforuk on his nice win!

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Mike McGivern Buys Winning Montana Millionaire Lotto Ticket From Gas Station

Mike McGivern's friend bought 20 Montana Millionaire tickets from the same gas station in Butte, Montana that Mike bought just one ticket from. Then he heard on the news that the winning ticket was sold in Butte. Mike that that his friend, the one that bought twenty tickets, was the winner for sure. Mike was so wrong. His friend didn't win. Mike won!

$1 million in the Montana Millionaire lottery in January of 2009!

Mike McGivern bought the winning ticket at Town Pump on Harrison Avenue in Butte, Montana.

Mike is 42 years old and married to Carole. He is a safety manager at Montana Resources Inc. The lottery win wasn't enough to have him quit his job, though. He plans to keep working. And, he doesn't plan anything extravagant with his new-found wealth. He wants to pay off his mortgage and save for his kids' college educations.

Congratulations to Mike McGivern on becoming Montana's newest millionaire!

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Paul Rosenau - Largest Minnesota Powerball Winners Says Money Not As Important As Friendship

What would you rather have: $180 million or good friends. It seems that Paul Rosenau would rather have good friends. That's because he thinks that money is not as important as friendship. But it doesn't matter because Paul now has both.

Paul Rosenau snagged the biggest Powerball jackpot ever in Minnesota when he won it in May of 2008.

$180 million!

Paul was 54 years old when he won the lottery. He lives in Waseca, Minnesota with his wife, Sue. In regards to Paul's win, Sue exclaimed, "It's very emotional to know that there's a reason for this." Here's the reason Sue: It was good old fashion luck; that's all.

Not much is known on what Paul Rosenau plans to do with the money. He picked up his winnings with a bodyguard, got an unlisted number and went into seclusion until the big fuss over him dies down.

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Rachel Mazuch Of Monteregie Quebec Buys Winning Banco Special Ticket From Marche Lachambre Et Fils

Banco Special is lottery game from Loto-Quebec. Players must choose 20 out of 70 numbers. They win the top prize if they match 15 out of their 20 numbers. Each ticket costs $5 to play.

Rachel Mazuch decided to play Banco Special in January of 2009 by Quick Pick. Lucky for her that she played because that ticket won her $1 million!

Rachel, from the Monteregie region in Quebec, said that she had never won anything before and that she couldn't believe her luck. Believe it, Rachel; it's true!

The winning loto ticket was purchased at Marché Lachambre Et Fils in Saint-Denis-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, Canada.

Congratulations to Rachel Mazuch on her big jackpot win!

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Irvin C. Hunt Sr Wins Powerball Prize With Quick Pick Number

Question: If you are 79 years old and you win the lottery, do you put it in the bank?

Answer: NO! You spend, spend, spend... and have some fun; time is clicking down.

Irvin C. Hunt Sr was 79 years old when he won a $200,000 Powerball prize from Louisiana Lottery Corporation in 2007. He chose his numbers by quick pick, meaning the lottery terminal printed a random set of numbers. At the time, he said he planned to put the money into a savings account. He sure knows how to have fun!

Hunt bought his winning Powerball ticket at Saab's Corner Stop in Youngsville, Louisiana. The store owner received a $2000 commission for selling the winning ticket.

Congratulations to Irvin C. Hunt Sr. on his big win!

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Angelina Haglund Wins The Lottery Every 13 Years

Poor Angelina Haglund; she has to wait thirteen years between lottery wins. That's because she wins the lottery every 13 years. But, wouldn't it be better if she one every 12 months? Oh well, some people just don't have the luck.

All kidding aside, Angelina Haglund is pretty lucky. In 1993, she won $50,000 on an instant scratch lottery game. Then in 2006, she purchased a $1 Million Players Club ticket from CT Lottery. This is a lotto ticket that costs $30. And, it's a good thing she bought it because it turned out to be another winner! $1 million!

CT Lottery's $1 Million Players Club instant scratch game had 4 prizes of $1 million, of which Angelina claimed one. It also had smaller prizes, including $10,000 and $500.

With her winnings, Angelina Haglund said she would pay off some bills, buy a car, help her kids, and put the rest in the bank.

It's a good thing she planned to bank some of it because based on her luck, she won't win the lottery again until 2019.

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Maria Murray Won £1 million On Christmas Eve But Still Went To Work On Boxing Day

If you won the lottery on Christmas Eve, would you go to work on Boxing Day (Boxing Day is a national holiday celebrated on December 26)? Maria Murray did.

Maria Murray finished her Christmas shopping on Christmas Eve. It was about 4 pm and she had just £5 left in her purse. So, she purchased a Merry Millions Scratchcrad from UK's National Lottery. And, it was a winner! £1 million ($1,426,113 USD)! Not bad, but she still went to work on Boxing Day.

Maria is from Avonmouth, Bristol, UK. She works in a cafe in the same town. She is 41 years old with kids. She told her kids of the win immediately upon coming home from Christmas shopping on that wonderful day.

What does she plan to do with the money? For starters, she plans to buy the house that she had lived in for the past eighteen years. Next, she always wanted to get a new car. And, a brand new Mini Cooper tops the list. Lastly, she wants to get away and go on vacation with her family. Whatever Maria now wants to do, she could afford to do so!

Congratulations to Maria Murray on her spectacular win!

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Todd Moitz - Youngest Californian To Ever Win Mega Millions Lottery Jackpot

Here's a quick quiz: Who is the youngest Californian to ever win the Mega Millions lottery jackpot?

Answer: Todd Moitz.

Todd Moitz was just 24 years old when he won California's Mega Millions jackpot of $47 million.

Todd just recently graduated from the University of Delaware with a finance degree and moved to San Diego, California just a few months ago. He flew his family in from New Jersey to accompany him to the prize center to pick up his winnings.

Oh, wait a second... Todd has a finance degree... shouldn't he know that playing the lottery is a waste of money. What are the odds of an actual win? Ahh, never mind.

Young, single, good looking, and rich. It might just make him California's newest most eligible bachelor.

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Convicted Child Molester Alec Ahsoak Wins Alaskan Lottery To Benefit Sex Crimes Victims

Consider this: You're a convicted child molester. You sexually assaulted two young girls and spent many years in jail for you crime. While a free man, you come across a lottery to benefit STAR (Standing Together Against Rape), an organization in Alaska that helps victims of sexual assault, child abuse, and incest. Do you buy a ticket? Alec Ahsoak did. And, he won. $500,000.

You can imagine the outrage in the community after hearing about Alec's win. It's ironic, isn't it? However, he did win and he did get the money.

But that's not the end of the story. In January of 2009, Brandon Hughes, a 20 year old California man, was temporarily in Anchorage, Alaska, when he spotted Alec Ahsoak coming out of a bank. He went up to him, and asked if he was that lottery winner. Alec replied that he was. Then, Brandon beat him with a tire iron. Alec was treated in hospital and survived. But he may not have if a passerby didn't stop the fight. It is not known yet what Brandon's motivation for the attack was.

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Jane Surtees Ate Prawn Cocktail Crisps And Pickled Eggs Prior To UK National Lottery Win

A week before winning UK's National Lottery jackpot Jane Surtees attended a family wedding. She was so broke the she could only afford to eat prawn cocktail crisps and pickled eggs. Now, instead of eating crab sticks, she might just go with lobster!

Jane Surtees won a jackpot of £7,544,200 ($10,797,428 USD) in UK's National Lottery in December of 2008. Now, she plans on ditching her old Ford Fiesta with a VW People Carrier and will buy her son a new Porsche! That's all in addition to dining on lobster! That's the way to live, Jane!

Jane is an actress and met her partner, Mark Lisbon, on the set of the TV show Heartbeat. Mark is a stunt coordinator. Mark performed stunts in movies such as Batman Returns, Interview With A Vampire, Bridget Jones's Diary, and Tomb Raider. The two have a total of seven children from previous marriages.

Jane planned on taking the kids on a Christmas vacation to Disneyland, followed by a romantic getaway with Mark to the Maldives.

Congratulations to Jane Surtees on winning The National Lottery. She sure seems to know how to have some fun with her new riches!

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What Would You Do With An Extra $500 A Week? Kris K Davis Of Brenham Texas Might Know

What would you do with an extra $500 a week. That is, $500 more every week than you currently make. That could by you a few extra vacations every year, maybe a new car, or maybe just extra money for entertainment. An extra $500 a week seems quite appealing.

Try asking Kris K. Davis of Brenham, Texas what she would do. I'm sure she has an answer. That's because she actually won $500 a week for 20 years from Texas Lottery in December of 2008. She won it on a "weekly Bonus" instant scratch ticket.

On the day that she won, Kris bought two tickets. She scratched the first one and won $1. Then she scratched the second and it was also a winner. For a moment, she thought that she had won another $1. Then she took a closer look and found it was much more. 500 times more. To be paid every week for twenty years. That's much better than a dollar!

Kris was very excited. Friends kept asking her if she'd keep working. Kris says that she will. She says the money is a blessing from God, but it is only temporary.

*** Check out the complete list of black lottery winners.

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You're Never Too Old To Win The Lottery - Confirmed By Camile Anthony Kelley

In Louisiana, you have to be at least 21 years old to play the lottery. There's no maximum age. This was confirmed by Camile Anthony Kelley. The 85 year old man won $200,000 in Powerball through Louisiana Lottery Corporation on March 31, 2007. This proves that you're never too old to win the lottery!

Kelley was stunned and said that he doesn't have any immediate plans for the money. He should hurry up, though. Time is ticking down.

Camile Anthony Kelley bought his winning Powerball ticket at Murphy Discount Store on Transcontinental Drive in Metairie, Louisiana.

Congratulations to Camile Anthony Kelley on his superb win!

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Jorma Hogbacka Gives 5 Tim Horton's Employees $30,000 Each After 6/49 Jackpot Win

There are 5 former Tim Horton's employees that should soon be having a nice pay day thanks to Jorma Hogbacka. That is because he vowed to give them $30,000 each when (not if) he won the lottery. That's because they always got his coffee order right at his local Tim Horton's coffee shop. Now, all he needs to do is find them because they no longer work there.

Jorma Hogbacka held one of three winning tickets in Saturday, January 24th, 2008's $44.4 million Lotto 6/49 jackpot. All three winning tickets were purchased in Ontario. Jorma was the first to claim his share, which amounted to $14.8 million.

To Jorma, this was just another day, but with a big pay check. He wasn't surprised at the win because he says that he always knew that he would win. In fact, a psychic told him five years ago that he would be rich beyond his wildest dreams; so it was always a matter of when, not if.

Jorma Hogbacka is a retired welder at a St Catharines, Ontario metal fabrication company. He immigrated to Canada from his native Finland over 40 years ago. Hobacka is single and doesn't have any children. He does plan to share his fortune with his family, including his brother-in-law, Jarmo Lokko, who drove him to the Toronto prize centre to pick up his winnings.

Hogbacka now wants to find a wife that can help him enjoy his money. Any takers?

UPDATE:Jorma made good on his promise to give $30,000 to a select group of Tim Horton's employees. Here he is presenting checks to two of them, Sithorn Chuon (left) and Melissa Grivich (right)

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Dwayne Pierce Threw His Lunchbox On The Ground And Went Ballistic When He Won Jingle Jumbo Bucks Lottery

Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way! Dwayne Pierce loves Jingle Jumble Bucks and had a very merry Christmas in 2008.

Jingle Jumbo Bucks is Georgia Lottery's instant scratch game that Dwayne Pierce won the $750,000 jackpot on in December of 2008. He bought the scratch lotto game at Patriot Conveniant Center in Senoia, Georgia on his way home from work from a pet food warehouse, where he'd been working 12 hour shifts. He scratched the ticket while driving home and, when he saw that it was a winner, almost piloted the car into a ditch.

When Dwayne arrived home, he threw his lunchbox on the ground and went ballistic! He called his brother to tell him the good news and he called his two sons to let them know that their cars would now be paid off and that their money troubles were over. The family was in shock.

Dwayne's father once won $4,000 in an instant scratch game, but that was ten years ago. This win doesn't even compare!

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Todd Bablinskas Gives Flabbergasted Wife Anniversary Present Of $9 Million

Todd Bablinskas came home one day and told his wife, Lisa, that he had a late anniversary present to give her. He told her that it was in the trunk of the car. She went out, opened the trunk and found an oversized check for $9 million from California Lottery. Lisa was "flabbergasted!"

Todd won $9 million with a quick pick ticket in California Lottery's SuperLOTTO Plus lottery game. The odds of winning are 1 in 41 million. And, he won!

Todd, 47 at the time of the win, lives in Morgan Hill, California and is a regional salesperson for an LCD display company. The new millionaire doesn't even plan to quit working. He even showed up for work the day after winning the lottery.

Todd Bablinskas has a level head on his shoulders and doesn't plan on being extravagant with his money. The only big purchase he has is a new house for his wife. He said he will invest the money because "you never know how long you will have to live."

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Lionel Lepla Does 6/49 Happy Dance With Wife Kim In Winnipeg, Manitoba

Kim And Lionel Lepla of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada are $173,418 richer thanks to Lotto 6/49!

Lionel bought his ticket at Canadian Tire Gas Bar on Regent Avenue in Winnipeg. When he checked the ticket to verify it, he thought the screen showed a $17,000 win. He must've been happy about that. But, imagine his surprise when the clerk told him he won $173,418. That's when he must've done the Lotto 6/49 Happy Dance.

The Lotto 6/49 Happy Dance is a television commercial series showing various people dancing after they find out they won the Lotto 6/49 jackpot.

Here's a video of a girl auditioning for the Happy Dance commercial:

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Tami Senoff Thinks Winning The Superlotto Plus Is Groovy And Must Be A Dream

When Tami Senoff was asked what it was like winning the lottery, she replied, "groovy." Yeah, we agree! She said, "I thought it was a dream." Nice dream!

Tami Senoff won $11 million on California Lottery's Superlotto Plus in August of 2008.

Prior to her win, Tami worked a 65-hour work-week and stopped at a local car wash in Augora Hills, California almost every morning to buy a cup of coffee. This time she bought a Superlotto Plus ticket and won the jackpot! The owner of the car wash also received a $55,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket.

At the time of winning, Tami was 50 years old and was caring for her ailing mother. She plans to use her newfound wealth to share with her family and friends that could use the money, including two brothers. She will also have some fun of her own and invest some of the money for her retirement. Tami plans to keep working, although she will cut back on the amount of hours. She is a technical recruiter with a firm in Westlake Village and says that she is very happy with her job.

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Eddie Nabor From Rocky Face Stops To Buy Coffee And Lottery Tickets And Wins Mega Millions

Eddie Nabor was a 52 year old truck driver from Rocky Face, Georgia in 2007 when he stopped at a conveniance store to buy some coffee and Mega Millions lottery tickets. It's a good thing he had a craving for coffee because that ticket he bought turned out to be a big winner.

Ed Nabor's winning Mega Millions lotto ticket won him $116 million. He was one of two winners from that draw. The other winner, Ed Mikkin, also a truck driver, won $116 million as well.

What does he plan to do now that he's an instant millionaire? Eddie Nabor said that "he just wants to go fishing!" He also said that he will buy a house for his daughter to get her out of her mobile home.

Ed's wife, Doris, said that the whole family was in shock. The family had always had hardships and now they are excited to be able to live in luxury.

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Lottery Winner Picks Lucky Numbers Based On Family Birthdays - James W. Edwards

James W. Edwards won $2,969,071 in OLG's Lotto 6/49 in November of 2008. He chose his winning numbers based on family birthdays.

Most lottery number choosing strategists suggest picking numbers above 31 because there's too many people that choose numbers based on birthdays. They say this because if those lottery numbers hit, there will likely be multiple winners because a lot of people use the same strategy to choose numbers. However, Edwards is not complaining. He won!

James W Edwrads is from Oil Springs Ontario and he purchased his winning ticket at V&F Variety store in Petrolia, Ontario. He had been a regular lottery player for three years prior to hitting the jackpot.

Congratulations to James on his lucky win!

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Lottery Winner Doris Murray Murdered By Boyfriend Derrick Lorenzo Stanley

Doris Murray won $5 million in the Georgia Lottery in 2007. A year later, she was murdered by her boyfriend, Derrick Lorenzo Stanley.

When Doris won the lottery in April of 2007, she lived meagerly. She didn't even have a new car. She even planned to start a trust fund for her grandchildren. She wasn't the typical lottery winner that goes on spending extravaganzas.

Derrick was Doris' longtime boyfriend. They had been dating for quite a while. But, she had a change of heart and told him that she wanted to break up, while still remaining friends. Derrick couldn't accept that. He killed her. She died of stab wounds.

Neighbors saw Derrick leave Doris' house with blood on him. They called police and it ended up in a police chase through the streets of Dublin, Georgia. Police arrested him when he crashed his car.

What should have been an easy life for Doris Murray following a lotto win ended in tragedy.

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Bob Fortunato Of Ridgefield, CT Won Lotto - I Almost Died - I Was In Total Shock

"I almost died; I was in total shock" was what Bob Fortunato said he felt like when he won the lotto. That might be because he almost didn't buy his tickets.

Bob had been playing two Classic Lotto Tickets from CT Lottery for every draw since 1999. One evening in 2006, he was on his way home from work and he wanted to buy his usual lottery tickets. But it was raining heavily and he almost didn't do it; he didn't want to get out of the car and get drenched. But he did anyway; he couldn't stop tradition. And, it's a good thing, too, because he bought a winning ticket!

Bob Fortunato won $1.7 million in August of 2006 in CT Lottery's Classic Lotto. He said he would use the money to do a little work on his house and to take a vacation. The rest would be invested to make it grow for the future.

Congratulations to Bob Fortunato on a nice win!

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Jean-Guy Lavigueur Of Quebec Loses Lottery Ticket And Stranger Returns It

What would you do if you lost a your wallet that contained a $7.6 million unclaimed lottery ticket? Do you think it would be returned if someone found it? OF COURSE IT WOULD! William Murphy already set the precedent.

In 1986, William Murphy found a lost wallet belonging to Jean-Guy Lavigueur. In it there were lottery tickets. He checked the tickets and found that one was a winner. So, he returned the wallet, belonging to Jean-Guy Lavigueur, but kept the tickets. The next day, William had a change of heart and went to return the tickets as well.

Jean-Guy Lavigueur couldn't believe that William Murphy returned a lottery ticket that was worth $7.6 million. So, he offered him a beer, as well as $1.27 million for his honesty; that's a one sixth share of the total winnings.

So the next time you lose a lottery ticket worth millions (I know, you have to actually win first), don't worry - The precedent has already been set; it will be returned!

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Random Luck For Edward Nets Him $1 Million Lottery Win with $70 Million Bluckbuster

Talk about random luck! Edward Random won some money. $1 million!

Edward Random, who lives in New Haven Connecticut, has been a truck driver for ten years. He was en route to New York, one day, when he stopped to buy a Mega Money lottery ticket at Rainbow Shop in Milford, CT. But at some point after he went in, he must have said, "Hmmm, I think I'll get a $70 Million Blockbuster scratch ticket instead." That's right, Edward changed his mind, And, it's a good thing too because the $70 Million Blockbuster ticket that he bought was a $1 million winner!

When Random first saw that the ticket was a $1 million winner, he thought something wasn't right; things like that don't happen to him. But this time, it was he who was lucky. He asked the store clerk to verify the ticket and she screamed, "Oh my gosh, you won a million dollars!"

The first thing he plans to do with the money is to buy a new house. He thinks that it will be nice to know that his job doesn't have to pay for his house. He'll decide what to do with the rest of the money once the shock wears off.

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Tahir Mullick Is Afraid To Tell His Brother That He Plays The SuperLotto

Tahir Mullick is happy that he won the lottery but he may have been ashamed of playing. He was afraid to even tell his brother. So, when he won India's SuperLotto jackpot, he had to ask a close friend to go and tell his brother. Wow!

Tahir Mullick won 53,700,000 Indian Rupees in SuperLotto. That is the equivalent to $1,095,694 USD. Indian Lottery's Thursday SuperLotto is a 6/49 game. That is, to win the jackpot, a player must match all six out of a possible forty-nine numbers.

Tahir was 26 years old when he won the lottery. He was born in Kolkata but moved to Mumbai with the hopes of making it in the big city and becoming a millionaire. Boy, did he ever!

With his winnings, Tahir plans to do something for his village and also provide for his family.

Congratulations to Tahir Mullick on his lucky Superlotto win!

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Jim Sensenbrenner - Even Rich Politicians Play The Lottery

You think a man worth more than $11 million would be playing the lottery? Well, Jim Sensenbrenner does. Sensenbrenner is a politician; he has been a member of the Republican Party in The United States House of Representatives since 1979, an American Public figure... and rich.

So, what business does Sensenbrenner have playing the lottery? Who knows? But he does. In January of 1998, he won $250,000 from DC Lottery. But it's not like that was a one-time thing. He also won $1000 in the Wisconsin Lottery in spring of 2007 and another $1000 with Wisconsin Lottery in Fall of 2007. I guess you can never have enough money, even if you're rich already.

Jim bought his winning $250,000 ticket at Congressional Liquors store on Capitol Hill. Maybe, he likes to drink as well???

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Ken Schlosser Of Beaverton, Oregon Thought It Was A Dream How Much Money He Won In Lottery

Ken Schlosser bought a $100 Grand Scratch-it lottery ticket from Oregon Lottery and he won! $100,000! He was in disbelief, shocked. He kept looking at it and couldn't believe that it was a winner. He wanted to feel excitement but he didn't until he verified that it was, indeed, a winner.

Ken Schlosser says, "When you win big, you're just really happy but afraid to show it. You could be dreaming." Luckily, it wasn't a dream. It was for real. Ken was a big winner!

Congratulations to Ken Schlosser, of Beaverton, Oregon, for becoming $100,000 richer. The money will sure come in handy.

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Michael Carrol - Convicted Criminal Claims UK National Lottery Prize In Police Ankle Bracelet

Anybody can win the lottery, including convicted criminals. Just ask Michael Carrol the "Lotto Lout," as nicknamed because he's been such a nuisance.

Michael Carrol was a convicted criminal when he won the UK National Lottery in 2002. He showed up to the prize office wearing a police-issued electronic ankle bracelet.

Michael won £9.7 million ($13.5 million USD). But it's good to know that some people don't change after winning the lottery. Michael remained a criminal!

Just consider the following. Since winning the lottery, Michael:

•spent 3 months in jail on drug charges
•paid thousands of dollars in fines for vandalism
•threw ball bearings through shop windows
•has been issued two anti-social behaviour citations
•has been ordered to clean up his filthy yard
•has been ordered to stop throwing raucous house parties
•has engaged in drunken brawls
•has appeared in court dozens of times

And you thought winning the lottery changes people!

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Donald Evans' Future Is So Bright He's Gotta Wear Shades

How many times do you see a lottery winner pick up his winnings in shades. This is a first for me. Donald Evans' future's so bright, he's gotta wear shades!

Donald Evans, a 71 year old man from Cape Coral won $101,129 in Florida's Fantasy 5 lottery. He bought the winning ticket at A To Z Discount Beverage on Del Prado Blvd in Cape Coral, Florida.

Donald is one cool dude with those sunglasses and we wish him a heartfelt congratulations!

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Ihsan Khan - Urdu-Pushto-Speaking Pakistani Taxi Driver Kept Fortune Cookie

Ihsan Khan, an Urdu-Pushto-speaking Pakistani taxi driver, emigrated from Pakistan to the United States in 1977. He often slept in his cab, but one thing that always gave him hope was a fortune cookie message that he kept; it said, "Among winners, you are the chosen one." The fortune was right; he was chosen to win $55.2 million in the lottery in November, 2001.

Ihsan was living in Washington, DC at the time of his win, but ended up moving back to his hometown of Batagram in Pakistan. There, he was elected nazim, the equivalent of a mayor. He was outspoken and a big critic of the government and army.

Following a major earthquake in 2005, his hometown of Batagram was left in ruins. 4500 people died in the earthquake (the quake killed 87,000 people altogether). He used his own money to help rebuild the town. Ihsan Khan was considered a local hero.

This is one case of a lottery winner using his money for the greater good.

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$1 Million Lottery Winner Colonel Barnard Has No Immediate Plans But The Prize Is Awesome

This just in... Colonel Barnard has won $1 million and Has NO IMMEDIATE PLANS!!! I just find that funny; Colonel Barnard told lottery officials he has no immediate plans for his winnings. Normally, people will say something... buying a new car, home renovations, children's education, investments. But, nooooo, not Barnard; he has no plans!

Colonel Barnard won $1 million in Georgia Lottery's 15th Anniversary Millionaire Extravaganza instant scratch game. The game, in celebration of Georgia Lottery's 15th anniversary costs $20 per ticket and offers six $5 million prizes, nine $1 million prizes, and more.

Barnard purchased the winning ticket at City Limits Food Mart in Gray, Georgia. And, it didn't even faze him. He just calmly drove home and told his wife. His wife was a little more emotional; she was in disbelief.

Barnard did, however, say that the prize is awesome!

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Mihkel Lougas Checked His Lotto Super 7 Numbers In The Toronto Sun And Found Out He Won

Mihkel Lougas, a 73 year old man from North York, Ontario, Canada (Toronto) checked his Lotto Super 7 numbers in the Toronto Sun newspaper one morning and found that he won the jackpot. $2.5 million!!!

Mihkel is a married father of two and has three grandchildren. He plans to share with them all, including going on a cruise.

The lottery ticket was a Christmas present (December, 2008). He said it was the best present he ever received. We agrree. That was a good present.

The Super 7 is a lottery where players must match 7 numbers out of 47. The odds of winning are almost 1 in 21 million and it costs $2 per play.

Congratulations to Mihkel Lougas on his amazing win!

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Jeffrey Dampier Wins Lottery Then Is Murdered By Sister-In-Law And Her Boyfriend

Jeffrey Dampier won $20 million in the Illinois Lottery in 1986. He was one of those people that was very generous with his money. He grew up poor, but when he won the lotto, he showered his friends and family with gifts. This included Caribbean cruises, cars, and houses.

Jeffrey was generous. But there were some that were greedy. His sister-in-law, Victoria Jackson, was one of those greedy ones. Greedy enough to murder Jeffrey Dampier for money. Victoria and her boyfriend kidnapped Jeffrey and demanded money. They bound his hands and forced him into a van, where he ended up being shot in the head and killed.

Victoria Jackson and Nathaniel Jackson (not related) were charged with the murders of Jeffrey Dampier. They were sentenced to life in prison.

This story just goes to show that winning the lottery is sometimes a curse, more than anything else.

*** Check out the complete list of black lottery winners.

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Billie Bob Harrell Jr Wins Texas Lottery Then Kills Himself With Shotgun

Billie Bob Harrell Jr was a religious man. He was struggling to make ends meet while working at a Home Depot store. He had to provide for his wife and three kids. He was told that things would get better. He believed it too. Then, BAM!!! Things got A LOT BETTER!!! Or did they?

You would thing that winning the lottery would solve the types of problems that Billy Bob had, mainly providing for his family. But winning the lottery ultimately cost him his life.

When Billy Bob Harrell Jr won the $31 million jackpot in the Texas Lottery in June of 1997, he was very generous. That was his nature. He gave to family, friends, and his church. He was always there to help if members of his congregation needed it.

But his generosity became a curse. His giving spiraled out of control. It reached the point where it was causing a strain on him financially. So, he took a shotgun and shot himself in the chest.

What was supposed to be a life on Easy Street when he won the lottery ended up being the opposite and cost Billie Bob Harrell Jr his life.

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South Buffalo Lottery Winner Hieu Tran Heading To Vietnam To Help Mother

When Hieu Tran won the lottery, his first thoughts were to help his mother back in Vietnam and to take care of his children's education. The man thinks of helping others before doing anything for himself.

Hieu Tran won $1 million in New York Lottery's "In The Money" instant scratch game. He will receive a payment of $50,000 a year for twenty years.

Hieu purchased the winning ticket at Noco Express Shop on South Park Avenue in Buffalo, NY.

We have just one piece of advice for Tran... GET OUT OF BUFFALO. NOW!

Congratulations to Hieu Tran on his lucky lotto win!

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Fedex Courier Michael Currie Buys Winning Lotto At Shoppers Drug Mart

Michael Currie and his family had an agreement: If any of them win the lottery, they would pay off eachother's mortgages. Michael Currie won the lottery. $12.6 million with OLG's Lotto 6/49 in December of 2008. He intends to honor his agreement. Wouldn't it be nice to be Michael's brother right now?

Michael Currie is a Fedex courier, as well as a hockey coach. He doesn't know if he'll keep his courier job, but he will keep coaching hockey.

Currie recently downsized his home and has worked two-jobs his entire life just to make ends meet. And, now he won the lottery and doesn't have to worry about a mortgage ever again. We think that he should upsize his downsized house, and even get fries with that.

Congratulations to a deserving man on his lucky lotto win!

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Margaret Marshall Is 'Set For Life' With BC Lottery Win

BC Lottery has a game called "Set For Life." It is an instant scratch game where the top prize is $1000 a week for 25 years. In addition players could be "set for a month" with a $4000 win, "set for a week" with a $1000 win, or "set for a day" with a $150 win.

Margaret Marshall bought a ticket from BC Lottery in December 2008 and ended up being SET FOR LIFE!!! She usually buys these tickets as birthday presents. But this time, she actually bought one for herself. And, it's a good thing she did because she picked a winner. And, don't forget, her weekly $1000 payout is tax free; Canadians don't pay tax on lottery winnings.

Margaret bought the ticket at a Shopper's Drug Mart in Esquimalt, BC.

She plans on using the money to go on a golf vacation in Hawaii.

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Janice Johnson - Dream Come True To Spend $5 And Win $100,000

Dreams do come true, right? They did for Janice Johnson. She said that "It's a dream come true to spend $5 and win $100,000." We agree! And, so does her brother, Emmanuel. That's because he knows the feeling of winning money in the lottery. He won $10,000 a year prior to Janice winning.

Janice won her money on Louisiana Lottery's 'Stacks of Cash' instant scratch game. She always lets her mother scratch her lotto tickets because her mother she is good luck. Her mom scratched the winning ticket and jokingly said that she was mad because it wasn't her ticket. However, Janice does plan on buying her mother a car with her winnings.

Janice bought her winning ticket at Racetrac on Harding Blvd in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Congratulations to Janice on her lucky win!

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Jimmie Cramer Wins $250,000 Mega Millions WIth Texas Lottery

On September 30, 2008, Jimmie Cramer won $250,000 in Mega Millions with Texas Lottery. Jim's winning lotto ticket matched the first five numbers, but he missed the big jackpot because he did not match the Mega ball. But hey, $250,000 is not bad at all!

The Mega Millions jackpot has odds of 1-in-175-million. The prize that Jimmie won was the second prize, which has odds of 1-in-3.9-million. With Mega Millions, players must choose five numbers from 1 to 56 and a mega number from 1 to 46. All numbers must match to win the grand prize jackpot. It costs $1 for each ticket played.

Congratulations to Jimmie Cramer on his lucky win!

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The Lottery Winners Player Photo Collage

I created the collage of photos of lucky people for one reason... to show you what lottery winners look like. Have a look at the collage. Now, what do lottery winners look like? They look like normal everyday folk, the people you pass on the street or in the malls, they look like your neighbors, they look like YOU. I mean, they look like average people.

People dream of winning the lottery and it could happen to you. The player photo collage is proof. Take a look. It could be you in that list.

The collage represents lottery winners from around the world, including The United States, Britain, Canada, and India.

The collage also has a running total of the winnings represented by the lottery winners. The winnings are a running total. As I add more winners, the total increases. To calculate the total, I used the advertised jackpot amount, not the after-tax total. For "cash-for-life" type of games, I included the twenty year total. For any annuities, I added the total amount of all the annuities.

I've only included people that have won at least $100,000.

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Sanjay Arora Wins Lots Of Rupees Playing India's Playwin Super Lotto

They Play the lotto in India too, you know. Just ask Sanjay Arora, who won 33 millian Indian Rupees ($675,685 USD) playing India's Super Lotto. India's Super Lotto is the traditional 6/49 type of game, meaning the odds of winning the jackpot are almost 1 in 14 million. The Super Lotto draw is every Thursday night in India.

Sanjay credits his good luck to Trisha, his 9 month old daughter because he's had a string of luck ever since she was born. But, you know what? He didn't even check his ticket. He didn't even know that he won until a representative of Playwin called him on his cell phone to tell him.

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J.R. Triplett Wins MegaMillions Jackpot But That Doesn't Excite Him Very Much

Look at all that emotion on the face of J.R. Triplett... Doesn't he look excited? Well... no. J.R. won the MegaMillions jackpot of $239 million in March of 2004 and when he showed up at the prize office to claim his winnings, he told the staff, "It didn't excite me too much and to be honest, to this day it doesn't excite me too much." But, those same feelings don't extend to his wife, Peggy. She promised to "shop 'till I drop." That's every girl's dream isn't it.

What do you think Triplett's first purchase with the money was? A new car? Nope. A big house? Nope. A vacation? Nope. His first purchase was a headstone for a childhood friend that passed away 25 years ago. We told you he wasn't that excited, didn't we.

Oh, and by the way, JR Triplett waited six weeks to claim his prize so that he could talk to a lawyer to "get things straight." We know if you won, you'd be at the prize office the next morning, before it even opened, wouldn't you?

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Patricia Nealon Says Yes To Encore And Wins $100,000 From Ontario Lottery And Gaming

Ontario Lottery And Gaming Corporation has an option for an extra game called Encore when you purchase a lottery tickets. If you say "yes" to Encore, the computer will generate a random 7 digit number, each digit being a number 0 to 9. This is in addition to the lottery game you already played and costs an extra dollar. Encore has a maximum jackpot of $1 million if you match all seven numbers and lower prizes ranging from a free ticket to $100,000. The odds of matching all 7 digits are 1 in 10 million.

Patricia Nealon said "yes" to encore in November of 2008. And, it's a good thing too because she won $100,000.

Patricia Nealon is a 50 year old mother of six from Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. She told staff at OLG, "I was in shock. I couldn't believe I won this much!" Patricia purchased her winning ticket at Young's Mini Market on Falconer Drive in Mississauga.

Congratulations to Patricia Nealon for winning $100,000!

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Maya Worsoff Wins Big Wagering On Football In Canada's Pro Picks Lottery

In Canada, people can wager on sports through the lottery. In Ontario, they can do it through ProLine. People can bet on sports like hockey, football, baseball, and soccer. Basketball is not allowed because when the NBA expanded into Canada, one of the conditions was that there would be no betting on NBA games via the lottery system.

In 2007, Maya Worsoff became the biggest winner ever in Canadian lottery sports wagering. She picked the winners in 16 NFL games and won a total of $448,242.

Maya was 38 years old, a stay-at-home-mom, when she won. She told lottery officials that she was "very proud."

But guess what? This wasn't her first win in sports wagering. Prior to this, she won $96,398. Guess what again? She later won again in sports wagering, $100,000 in a game called Point Spread. That brings her total winnings in sports lotteries to $644,640, all tax free because Canada does not tax lottery winnings. May must really know her sports!

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Gloria Mitchum Wins Lottery Jacpot And Goes Into Hiding

Gloria Mitchum, 25 years old when she won the lottery in 1989, hated the limelight that comes with winning the lottery and went into hiding. Gloria won $35 million.

When Gloria first won the lottery, she was excited and all smiles. She quit her low paying job making beds and spoke of helping her family financially. But then the media descended upon her and salespeople hassled her. This really annoyed her and she became a recluse. She valued her privacy and just wanted to be left alone. Within a week of winning the lottery jackpot, her whereabouts became unknown. She even threatened to cut off family members from her fortune if they disclosed her whereabouts, the location of her home, or spoke to the media.

Winning the lottery and gaining newfound wealth can free a lot of people but, as in Gloria's case, it can also bring unanticipated consequences like stress and loss of freedom.

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Bertha Phillips Is A Truck Driver That Bought A Lotto Ticket By Fluke

Bertha Phillips was driving her truck, en route to deliver a load Kentucky, when she stopped at a Pilot Truck Stop to get gas. Bertha has a company fuel card and the manager of the truck stop advised her that they couldn't accept her card. But he suggested she buy a Powerball Lotto ticket while she was there because the draw was in a few hours. And, so she did. Bertha purchased one Powerball ticket by fluke. Good thing she did, too, because the ticket turned out to be a winner of $200,000!

Bertha checked her ticket the next morning and found that she had all of the whiteball numbers. She said that she "cried and cried." Must be very emotional finding out that you won so much money!

So, she got into her truck and drove to Kentucky lottery headquarters in Louisville to get her winnings. That day, there was a huge winter storm and officials urged businesses to shut down early. And, so Kentucky Lottery did so. They closed at 12 pm. Bertha arrived at 12:28 pm and a security guard told her that they closed early. Nevertheless, Bertha was the first one there the next morning. She was waiting as lottery employees arrived to work and she got her money!

Congratulations to Bertha on her fluke win!

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Lottery Winner Brad Duke Wants To Be A Billionaire

You would think that an $85 million lottery win would be enough, right? Not for Brad Duke. He wants to turn his $85 million into a billion. Yes, that's right, Brad wants to be a billionaire!

The man, from Star, Idaho won a $220,000 million Powerball jackpot in 2007. He received it in an $85 million lump-sum payment. He first checked his tickets online, and then read the disclosure that the numbers are not 100% verifiable. Then he drove to a gas station in a rental car and verified the numbers there. That's when he knew that he won. So, he drove to the lottery claims office and found it that it was closed for memorial day. Gee, this guy just has so much bad luck!

But Brad is not satisfied with his $85 million in cash. He wants to turn it into a billion dollars. So, he assembled a team of financial advisers. His team of advisers tell him his goal will be achievable in 12-15 years with the right investments.

Do you know what was one of the first things that Duke bought with his new-found wealth? A "used black VW Jetta with black interior." He could afford a Bentley but he goes with the Volkswagen! Atta' boy, Brad!

Brad used a lottery system to win big. He had a certain methodology to picking his numbers and it worked!

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Robert C. Gatt Wins Billion Dollar Bonanza In Massachusetts State Lottery

Robert C. Gatt is $10 million richer after winning the jackpot of $10,000,000 in the Billion Dollar Bonanza instant scratch game in Massachusetts State Lottery. Robert will receive a $500,000 annuity check every year for twenty years. He bought the ticket at JD variety store in Abington, Massachusetts. The store owner, Vinny Patel, also receives a $50,000 commission for selling the winning ticket.

The Billion Dollar Bonanza is an instant scratch game from the Massachusetts State Lottery. Just over 65 million tickets were printed and there are 10 jackpot winning tickets in the batch. That gives overall odds of winning the jackpot of 1 in 6,552,000. Luckily, Robert purchased one of those winning tickets!

The scratch game also provides other smaller prizes, including $1 million, $50,000, and $10,000. The odds of winning any of the smaller prizes are better, including odds of 1 in 436,800 to win the $1 million prize.

We congratulate Robert C. Gatt on his big win!

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Hannah Muckell & Lee Hallsworth Of Barnsley Win £7,649,917 In National Lottery

Hannah Muckell & Lee Hallsworth, won £7,649,917 ($11,355,540 USD) in the UK National Lottery. Hannah and Lee are from Barnsley, which is a small town in South Yorkshire, England.

Hannah is a performing arts student at DeMontfort University and Lee is studying accounting at Sheffield Hallam (at least we know he'll be able to count the money!). Even with the big win, they both have a level head on their shoulders and plan to continue with their school studies.

When Hannah was called by Lee to tell her that they won, her reaction was silence. She was with her best friend and just sat there in silence.

It's funny, all the different reactions people have when they find out they win. There's silence, screaming, pacing back and forth, trembling... Everybody's different!

We congratulate Hannah Muckell & Lee Hallsworth on their huge jackpot win with the U.K. National Lottery!

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David Caulfield - OLG's Millionaire Life Winner

Ontario Lottery And Gaming Corporation (OLG) has a unique once-a-tear game called Millionaire Life where the grand prize winner wins $1 million a year for 25 years. This is a unique lottery game because, in Canada, prizes are normally paid out in one lump-sum, tax free. Millionaire Life is a raffle type of game where there is one guaranteed winner out of all the tickets purchased. So, the odds are based on the number of winning tickets sold. There are also four $1 million prizes, and twenty $100,000 prizes and the odds of winning these prizes, as well, depend on the number of tickets sold. In the game, you can buy one ticket for $5, three tickets for $10, or seven tickets for $20.

David Caulfield, of Scarborough (Toronto), Ontario was one of the winners from the 2008 Millionaire Life raffle. He won $100,000. He said that he went to two different stores to verify his winning ticket and was so excited that all he could do was pace back and forth outside. We don't blame him; $100,000 is a lot of money!

See the list of 2009 Millionaire Life Winners

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Win Lottery Jackpot In Canada Tax Free Like Jason Rinaldi And His $35 Millions

Do you know what's the difference between lotteries in Canada and lotteries in The United States. First, unlike in the U.S., Canadian lottery winnings are tax free. Second, the payout is a lump sum, it doesn't get amortized over a number of years. So, a $1 million win, for example, is a $1 million win.

Jason Rinaldi must be thanking his lucky charms because the Guelph, Ontario man won the $35.3 million jackpot from OLG's 6/49 lottery. And, he gets to keep all $35.3 million of it, tax-free and in one lump-sum payment!

But Jason almost didn't buy his tickets. He was spending $20/week on lottery and it was beginning to be too much money. He almost quit playing, but decided to give it one more shot. And, good thing he did, otherwise he'd still be struggling to make ends meet.

At the time of his lottery win in October of 2008, Jason was single. That would make him one of Canada's most sought-after bachelors!

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