Lottery Syndicate Leader Tony Dugard And His Wife Win £550,000

The people in the photos are part of a lottery syndicate, part of a group of eight people that won £2.2 million ($3,673,721 USD). In the middle of the photo, you'll see Tony Dugard, the lottery syndicate leader, and his wife, Julie Clark. They're the ones getting wet from all of the champagne.

The group of eight people in the lottery syndicate work at Corus Group, a steel manufacturer headquartered in London, England that processes and distributes steel products. They'd been playing the lottery together since 1994 and finally won it on the July 11, 2009 draw. The jackpot was split between eight people, but since Tony Dugard and his wife were bot part of the group, their share, together, was £550,000 ($918,181 USD).

The lotto win was particularly sweet because Corus Group had just recently announced that 900 jobs would have to be cut due to the worldwide recession. With unemployment worries, Tony Dugard said that the money will, finally, help them relax. He said they will stay grounded, though, and invest the money. Tony and Julie said that they also planned to buy a new house.

For those in North America, the British usually refer to a lottery pool as a lottery syndicate. Playing in a lottery pool is much better than playing the lotto on your own; being able to buy more tickets really helps to increase your odds of winning. You can find many stories in the news about people that win as part of a pool, like this Chubb Insurance lottery pool that won a $216 million Mega Millions jackpot in New Jersey.

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Racecar Builder Robert Patterson Jr Wins Boatloads Of Money

You know what would be a good life? Driving racecars and having boatloads of money. Fast cars and riches - NICE!

Robert Patterson Jr isn't a racecar driver. But he is the next best thing - He's a racecar builder. And, he has boatloads of money. That's because he won $1,298,332 playing Fantasy 5. Robert Patterson Jr now plans to live the good life and do lots of travelling, including taking a trip to Ireland. I just hope he also buys a racecar!

Robert Patterson Jr won the Fantasy 5 jackpot on the July 17th, 2009 draw. He actually won it with a free ticket that he won on a Fantasy 5 draw just days prior to the jackpot win. Let that be a lesson to you, folks. Don't be upset with winning just a free ticket on the lottery.

Robert Patterson Jr bought the winning lottery ticket from Citgo gas station on Hwy 53 in Hoschton, Georgia. The store received a $16,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket.

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Best Friends Kerri Oliver And Rita Stafford Win Lottery

I often play the lottery with my best friend, especially when the jackpot gets big. I just think that it would be nice to win the lotto together. Then we could both retire at the same time and have fun. I'm sure their are many other friends that play the lottery together, as well.

Kerri Oliver and Rita Stafford are best friends that actually won a big lottery prize. They won $1 million playing Powerball in May of 2009. When they won, Kerri was 27-years-old and Rita was 29-years-old. They had been friends since childhood.

They got to playing the lottery together because they say that the two of them are the only people they could trust to be honest enough to split the prize 50-50 and that they knew that the money would never come between their friendship.

Kerri Oliver said she would use the money to take her family on a vacation and would save the rest. Rita Stafford said that she would use the money to buy a house.

Congratulations to the life-long best friends on winning the lotto together!

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Waffle House Waitress Autumn Laney Wins Instant Monopoly

Waffle House is a U.S. chain of restaurants, famous for Bert's Chili and Alice's Iced Tea. But now it's famous for one more thing - an employee lottery winner!

Autumn Laney was a Waffle House waitress in July of 2009 when she won $500,000 playing Georgia Lottery's instant scratch Monopoly game. The game costs $5 to play and offers $500,000 as the top prize, which Autumn won.

At the time of her win, Autumn Laney was 26-years-old, a mother of two children, and living in Austell, Georgia. She said that when she scratched the Monopoly ticket, she had to put her glasses on to double-check all those zeroes. Like most lottery winners, she felt overwhelmed and couldn't believe it.

It looks like Autumn Laney will say good-bye to her waitress job at Waffle House because she said she wanted to use the money to open her own restaurant. Hopefully it will be an establishment that specializes in steak! She also said that she plans to buy a house with the money. Congratulations to Autumn on her lucky win!

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Aubrey Boyce - $133 Million Mega Millions Winner Hates The Limelight

What would you do if you won $133 million in the Mega Millions lottery? I know what I would do... I'd be at the lottery office at 9 am the next morning, waiting for it to open, after a sleepless night. I'd want my money right away. But not Aubrey Boyce. He won $133 million. He waited 3 weeks to make his claim. Why? He hates the limelight.

Aubrey Boyce won the $133 million Mega Millions jackpot on the July 7, 2009 draw. He waited three weeks to claim his money. He came in on July 28, 2009.

Aubrey Boyce doesn't like the limelight and he knew that New York Lottery required that big winners to hold a media conference for newspapers and reporters. He did the media conference, as required, but kept his answers to questions short and sweet. He explained that he wasn't a flashy type of guy and wouldn't be buying anything fancy - That means no Rolls Royces or Mercedes'. He was going to share a lot of it with his family, though.

At the time of his win, Aubrey was living in an apartment in Kew Gardens, Queens, NY. He made a living as collections agent for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, where he earned a salary of $64,000 per year. With his win, he planned to quit his job and relax. Actually, after claiming the money, he said that he wanted to get on a plane to somewhere warm and wanted to do it fast.

Take a look at the video of Aubrey Boyce where he says he hates the limelight:

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Boise Lottery Winner Beverly Owens Was Late For Work

Boise lottery winner, Beverly Owens, wanted to go pick up her $200,000 second prize lottery win, but that would've meant being late for work. She had a tough time convincing her boss in April of 2007 that she won the lottery and needed to go get her money. Her boss might've thought it was an April Fool's joke. But she really did win the lottery. Too bad she didn't win the jackpot; then she could have quit her job working at the mortgage company that she was an assistant manager at.

At the time of her win, Beverly Owens was living in Boise, Idaho with her husband. They were in the process of building their dream house in Kamiah, Idaho, which is about 200 miles north of Boise. The $200,000 win came at a perfect time because building a dream house takes a lot of money!

Beverly Owens said that when she checked the lottery numbers, she couldn't believe what she saw. She had to take off her glasses and double-check them. That's when she realized how much she won and started whooping and hollering!

Congratulations to Beverly Owens on her nice win!

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Bronx Lottery Winner Maximo Laucer

Bronx lottery winner Maximo Laucer won $107,387 playing NY Lottery's Take 5 game. He matched all five numbers in July of 2009 to win the first prize in the game.

The winning ticket was bought at Parkside Mini Supermarket on 106th Street in Manhattan, New York.

Take 5 is a daily lotto game from New York Lottery where players must match 5-out-of-39 numbers. So, the odds of winning the jackpot are approximately 1-in-575,000.

Congratulations to Maximo Laucer on his lucky win!

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$20 Million Lotto Super 7 Winner Lydia Nono Should Change Her Name To Lydia YesYes

This is how $20 million Lotto Super 7 winner Lydia Nono found out that she won the jackpot from the Friday July 24, 2009 draw: Lydia was at a friend's house and she called her son to read her the lottery numbers. She matched the first three and she was quite happy (Three numbers wins a free ticket). Then she matched the fourth number and started to jump (4 numbers is $10). Then she matched the fifth number and jumped some more (That would have won her $101). Then she matched the sixth number and guess what she did? She jumped some more (6 numbers would have won her $1809). The she matched the seventh and final number and won $20 million. She jumped!

I could just picture the phone conversation:
Son: And the numbers are... 1
Lydia: Nice!
Son: 5
Lydia: Nice!
Son: 18
Lydia: Nice!
Son: 27
Lydia: great!
Son: 29
Lydia Excellent!
Son: 30
Lydia: YES!!!
Son: 34
Lydia: YES, YES!!!

Lydia Nono. She just has to change her name to Lydia YesYes!

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Hank Robinson - 81 Year Old Life Long Bachelor And The Problem With Old Lottery Winners

I love reading stories about lottery winners, especially what they plan to do with their money when they suddenly become rich. The problem is that when old people win the lottery, they're usually too stuck in their ways to really enjoy the new wealth. Take, Hank Robinson, for example. The 81-year old 'lifelong bachelor' won $9,237,779 in Colorado Lotto in July of 2007. After picking up his check, he said he just wanted to go to his sister's house to play some Scrabble. Fun fun fun!!!

Ok, that probably sounds rude. I'm actually happy for Hank Robinson. I just wish he would do something fun now that he's rich. It's just that when Hank won, he said that he really didn't need anything. He did plan to buy a new van, though. That's all.

When Hank Robinson won the lottery he was 81-years old and lived in Lakewood, Colorado. He was retired after a career at Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad where he worked thirty-six years as a locomotive engineer. Besides that, he also owned a gift shop for twenty-five years.

Hank Robinson, actually, won the lottery after playing the exact same numbers for eighteen years. Congratulation to Hank on his good fortune.

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Mark Stukel - Welland Lottery Winner To Get Married In Fiji

Mark Stukel won $10,772,510 in the July 15, 2009 Lotto 6/49 jackpot. That was a $32 million jackpot that was shared by three winning tickets. These Filipina lottery winners held one of the other winning tickets. Mark must love winning the lottery because he vowed to keep playing. Two days after winning the Lotto 6/49 jackpot, he kept true to his word and played Super 7. And, guess what? He won some more. Mark Stukel matched 6-out-of-7 numbers to win $1675. OK, that doesn't compare to the $10 million that he won, but at least he keeps on winning.

Mark Stukel is shown in the photo here with his fiance, Karen Lyttle. The couple live in Welland, Ontario, Canada with a daughter and have been planning a wedding in Fiji for quite some time. Fiji's expensive and they were saving up. But now, with the lottery win, they plan to get married in Fiji much sooner.

Back to Mark Stukel and the lottery. I suspect that Mark might be slightly addicted to the lottery. He'd been playing the same set of numbers for nineteen years before they finally hit on July 15, 2009. And, every draw night at 10 pm, he checks the winning numbers on the internet. He can't even wait until the next day. I'm not saying that's bad - I do the same thing, actually. And, I think I'm slightly addicted too.

Mark Stukel and Karen Lyttle say that they don't plan on any drastic changes. Mark said he wants to continue working at his job installing artificial turf fields. Karen works at an agency that supports women and children with mental disabilities. She even went to work the day after Mark won the lottery. Aside from that, and getting married in Fiji, they plan on also buying a house and giving to family members.

One thing that Karen mentioned was that winning the lottery was an eerie feeling and she hopes that people don't treat her differently because of it.

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Jerry Kanady Wins $500 Per Week Weekly Bonus

Jerry Kanady was driving with his wife, Nancy, in June of 2009. That's when she urgently had to stop to buy a Coke. So, he pulled into a gas station. While there, he purchased three of Weekly Bonus instant scratch lotto tickets. Weekly Bonus is a $1 scratch-off game from Texas Lottery that offers a top prize of $500 per week for twenty years. Anyway, he won $10 on one ticket and nothing on the other two.

At least Jerry Kanady won $10. So he decided to buy some more Weekly Bonus tickets. And, that's when he won the top prize. He won $500 per week for twenty years. And all thanks to Nancy needing a Coke!

Jerry's wife, Nancy, had just survived a bout of cancer and Jerry was having health issues, himself. So, he had just recently taken an early retirement from his job with the city of Abilene, Texas. He had to take a penalty for early retirement and, because of that, there were financial issues. The $500 per week lottery win suddenly changed all of that for him and he and his family will be able to live comfortably now.

When asked what they planned to do with the money, they said that they didn't plan to do anything crazy; they would probably just buy a house.

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Tom McArdle - Freight Train Conductor Wins Cash 5 Lottery

Tom McArdle always plays Powerball. He never misses a draw. Who could blame home. Most of us dream of winning the Powerball jackpot. Back in October of 2006, it was a Saturday and Tom bought his regular Powerball tickets. But this time, he also decided to go with a Cash 5 ticket. The next morning, he went to check his Powerball tickets. They were all losers. Again. But then he remembered that he had the Cash 5 ticket too. He might as well check that one also. And, what do you know - Cash 5 came through. He held a winning $100,000 ticket!

At the time of his win, Tom McArdle lived in New Milford, Connecticut, USA. He made his living as a freight train conductor.

When asked what he planned to do with the money, Tom McArdle replied that his wife had already picked out a new car. Aside from that, he said that he would also use the money to pay off some credit card bills and fix up a few things around the house.

Maybe one day, Tom will get to win a Powerball jackpot. But, hey, $100,000 is good too!

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Degli Martinez - Paraguay Lottery Winner's Tale Of A Lost Ticket

Have you ever lost $20? Sucks doesn't it? Try losing $65 million. How would you feel then? Ask Degli Martinez. The man, originally from Paraguay, had been living in New York and buying lottery tickets there since 1978. He finally hit the jackpot, in a big way, in June of 2007 when he bought some New York Lotto tickets. One of the tickets was a $65 million winner. But the tale doesn't end there. He lost the winning ticket. Degli lost $65 million.

Degli Martinez was checking his tickets at the store when he found out that he was the big winner. He got the print-out from the lottery terminal that showed he won. But somewhere in all of the excitement, Degli lost the actual ticket. All he had was the print-out that showed him to be the winner. All he could do was try to claim the money with the print-out. And so, that's what he did.

All signs pointed to Degli Martinez being the rightful owner of the money. But there was a problem. Lottery tickets are owned by the bearer, so if someone else showed up with the actual ticket there would be a problem. So New York Lottery wanted to give Degli the money, but they had to wait one year to see if anybody else showed up with the winning ticket. Nobody did. Thank goodness.

One year later, New York Lottery awarded Degli Martinez the $65 million. See the video below:

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DC Lottery Winner Quentin Peters Wins With 25 DC-4 Tickets

There have been people in the that have won the lottery twice on the same draw. Some of these people buy two tickets with the same numbers on purpose. Some do it by accident. Quentin Peters bought 25 DC-4 tickets from DC Lottery.

25 tickets! All with the same numbers. Why did Quentin Peters do that? Because he said he had a hunch. What the...? A hunch? Well, whadaya know - He won!

DC-4 is a pick-4 type of lottery game offered by DC Lottery. The top prize, by matching the numbers straight pays out $5,000. The odds of winning the jackpot are 1-in-10,000. So, with 25 tickets that Quentin bought, he won a grand total of $125,000. Damn, I wish I had a hunch!

At the time of his win, Quentin Peters was an electrician that worked in Washington, DC. He actually always played the same numbers on the DC-4 game. I wonder if he will keep on playing the same numbers now that he has had a big win. Or will he decide that it's time to choose new numbers?

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Wilberto Pastrana - NY Plumber Wins $250,000 In Lotto

If you won $250,000 in the lotto, would you be happy? I know I would be. But what if you won $250,000, but were just one number away from winning a $133 million jackpot instead? Would you still be happy? Sure, the $250,000 would be great, but I just don't know how I would feel, being so close to hitting the big one.

It happened to Wilberto Pastrana, a NY plumber. He won $250,000, the second prize in the July 7, 2009 Mega Millions drawing. Winning the second prize in Mega Millions is nothing to scoff at. The odds are almost 1-in-4-million. But still, being one number away from $133 million sucks.

Nevertheless, William Pastrana was shocked when he found out how much money he won. He checked the ticket at the same sore that he bought it at, a 7-11 gas station.

At the time of his win, Wilberto Pastrana lived in Kings Park, Suffolk County, NY. He made a living working as a plumber.

Congratulations to Wilberto on his lucky win!

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William H Greer Claimed Winning Powerball Ticket The Day It Was Set To Expire

I don't know how things like this can happen because I, as I assume most people do, check my lottery tickets the day after the draw. Not William H Greer, though. He must stash them somewhere and forgot about them because he cashed in a $200,000 Powerball ticket on the very day it was set to expire.

William H Greer is from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. PA Lottery allows one year for winning tickets to be cashed. William bought a Powerball ticket for the June 18, 2008 draw. He cashed it in on June 18, 2009.

William H Greer's mother saw on the news that someone had bought a winning Powerball ticket at Choi Food & Beer in Philadelphia that was about to expire and she knew that her son buys tickets there. So she asked William to check his old tickets. William did just that, found the winner, and cashed it in just in time.

Wouldn't it suck if William checked his ticket one day too late and it had already expired?

Let that be a lesson to you, folks: Check your lottery tickets right away; you just never know.

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Donald Hand Gets Standing Ovation For Winning The Lottery

Don't you just wish that one day in your life you would get a standing ovation? Most people will never get one, but Donald Hand did. He got a standing ovation for winning the lottery.

Donald Hand, the Arizona native, was standing in line at the store getting his Powerball tickets checked. He won something and the clerks behind the counter were trying to figure out he much he won. By this time, there were five people in line behind him. When they finally found out how much Donald won, they told him. $200,000. That's when everybody in line behind him cheered. OK, so it's not like they got out of their seats to cheer. They were already standing. Nevertheless, it was a standing ovation.

Donald Hand's wife was waiting for him outside in the car while he was checking his Powerball tickets. He went back to her, gave her the winning lottery ticket and told her it was an early anniversary present. She went into shock when she found out how much the ticket was worth.

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New Mexico Lottery Winner Mark Burton Wins Roadrunner Cash Jackpot

In March of 2009, Mark Burton was the winner of $230,000 in New Mexico Lottery, hitting the jackpot in the Roadrunner Cash game.

Mark Burton said that he wanted to use the money to remodel a mid-century ranch house, especially the bathrooms. That's because Mark claims to have the ugliest bathrooms in the world. $230,000 could actually turn them into the nicest bathrooms in the world! But we're sure there's other areas of the ranch house that he'd like to fix up too.

At the time of his win, Mark Burton was 54 years old and living in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He had a career as a state auditor.

The $230,000 win came via New Mexico Lottery's Roadrunner Cash game. Roadrunner Cash is a 5/34 lotto game, meaning the odds of winning the jackpot are approximately 1-in-280,000. The jackpot in the game starts at $20,000 and increases until someone wins it.

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Bad Luck - 6/49 Winner Barry Shell Arrested By Police Outside Toronto Lottery Headquarters

Barry Shell had some bad luck on Monday July 21st, 2009. He was arrested by police for an outstanding warrant of failing to appear (He failed to show up for a 2003 court date), theft under $5000, and possession of property obtained by crime. He spent the night in jail and was, then, released on $1500 bail. Talk about bad luck!

But how did he get caught six years later? Well, Barry Shell won $4,377,298 in the Lotto 6/49 jackpot in the July 18, 2009 draw. He was at the Toronto lottery headquarters of OLG first thing on Monday to claim his money. Little did he know, the lottery corporation does a thorough investigation before they pay out big money. Flags were raised and lottery officials called the police. They arrested Barry right outside Toronto's lottery prize office after he got his money.

Oh well, at least he got his money. Sure, Barry Shell might be a criminal, but at least he's not too bad; he didn't kill anybody.

Anyway, when he picked up his millions, Barry Shell said that he didn't have any immediate plans. It's quite ironic that the police, though, had immediate plans for him.

Congratulations to Barry Shell on his good lu... I mean... bad luck. Whatever. Congratulations.

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Belfast Lottery Winner Unveils Danny Boy Premium Blend Whiskey

What would you do if you won the lottery? Would you retire? Or perhaps you would become an entrepreneur and start up a business venture. I know what I would do. I would retire and travel the world. Starting up a business venture takes a lot of time and that means less time to travel the world. But who knows, maybe I'd become bored with traveling and start a business venture a few years down the road.

Perhaps Peter Lavery felt the same way as me. The man from Belfast, Northern Ireland won £10.2 million ($16,773,430 USD) in May of 1996. He hadn't been in the news until recently, when he unveiled his new whiskey, Danny Boy Premium Blend Whiskey. That's Peter in the photo with Noel Sweeney, head distiller with Cooley, a company that won the "world distiller of the year" award. The Danny Boy Premium Blend whiskey will be distilled at Cooley.

Commenting on Danny Boy Premium Whiskey, Peter Lavery said, "As one who enjoys a fine Irish whiskey, I believe this product will have a place among Ireland's finest whiskey brands. For the discerning whiskey drinker I know it will have all Irish eyes smiling."

Danny Boy Premium Whiskey will be available at bars across Northern Ireland in July of 2009.

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LOTTO MAX, MAXMILLIONS - Canada's New Lottery Game To Replace Super 7

LOTTO MAX and MAXMILLIONS are Canada's new lottery game (games), with the first draw set for September 25, 2009. The draws will take place every Friday night and it will replace Lotto Super 7.

Do you plan on playing? Do you want to be like one of THESE BIG WINNERS?

In it's press release, The Interprovincial Lottery Corporation (ILC) presented the LOTTO MAX game and rules very well, but was quite vague, in my opinion, as to how MAXMILLIONS will play out. In general, the LOTTO MAX game will feature jackpots starting at $10 million and can reach up to $50, depending on if anybody wins the jackpots and sales figures. It is a 7/49 type of game, meaning that the odds of winning on any one set of numbers ire 1-in-85,900,584. Tickets will cost $5 and, with that $5 purchase, you will get three lines. Since you get three lines per ticket, the odds of winning the jackpot on any one ticket purchased will drop to 1-in-28,633,528. Compare that with Super 7, which has odds of winning the jackpot on any one ticket at 1-in-20,963,833.

OK, so LOTTO MAX will cost more than Super 7 and will be harder to win. Other than the bigger jackpots, what are the advantages? LOTTO MAX will feature a supplemental game called MAXMILLIONS where it will offer additional jackpots of $1 million when, and only when, the LOTTO MAX jackpot reaches $50 million. Now, this game will have much better odds as the press release promises more millionaires. You can't have more millionaires without better odds. But the press release doesn't explain how the MAXMILLIONS game will be played, only that it is an additional game. And, it doesn't say exactly what the odds of winning the million dollar jackpot will be.

LOTTO MAX starts on September 25th, 2009. Good luck to all you Canadian lottery players!

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Filipina Lottery Winners - Linda Lagman, Carmelita Aquino-Smith, Lani Bonifacio

Do you believe in psychics? What if a psychic told you you would win the lottery? Would you believe that? At what point after she tells you would you stop believing? 5 years? 10 years? 20 years? Linda Lagman was told by a psychic in 1978, more than thirty years ago that she had the luck to win the lottery. I guess she kept believing because she kept playing. She won in July of 2009. Finally!

Linda Lagman won the Lotto 6/49 jackpot, playing as a group with two of her friends, Carmelita Aquino-Smith, and Lani Bonifacio. The three woman are Filipina immigrants and work together at a company called Kromar Printing in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The co-workers play the lottery together when the jackpots get big and played the July 15, 2009 $32 million jackpot. There were three winning tickets sold for that draw, each worth $10,772,510. So, each of the three Filipina women received $3,590,836. Not bad!

At the time of their win, Linda Lagman, Carmelita Aquino-Smith, and Lani Bonifacio didn't have plans for any big purchases. They didn't even know if they would keep working at their jobs at Kromar printing. All they did know was that they would take a a few days off work, a four-day weekend, and then decide later what to do with their futures.

Congratulations to Linda Lagman, Carmelita Aquino-Smith, Lani Bonifacio on their lucky Lotto 6/49 win!

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William L Martin Jr Wanted To Quit The Lottery - But Quitters Never Win

You know how the saying goes, "quitters never win." It's so true and applies to everything, even the lottery. Just ask Wilbert L. Martin Jr. He was just about to quit the lottery, but was drawn back in. And, good thing too. That's because the very next ticket that he bought won him a little bit of money. $100,000. Let that be a lesson to you kids... Keep on gambling!

Wilbert L. Martin Jr won $100,000 playing Maryland Lottery's Big Bucks Party Pack set of instant scratch-off tickets.

As soon as he won, Wilbert L. Martin Jr called his wife to tell her the amazing news. Then he drove home, called his mom, and immediately rushed over to Maryland Lottery headquarters to claim his prize. He just couldn't wait!

The man that wouldn't quit won his money in July of 2009. At the time of his win, Wilbert L. Martin was fifty-one years old and making a living as a landscaper and delivery driver. He plans to use the money to take a trip to Las Vegas, Nevada where he will, undoubtedly, keep gambling without quitting. He said that he would use the remainder of the money to pay off some bills. Let's just hope there's some left over after Vegas is finished with him!

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

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Albuquerque Nursing Student Joshua Murphy Wins $250,000 Money Match Lotto

Joshua Murphy is a nursing student at Central New Mexico Community College in Albuquerque. One day in May of 2009, he finished his shift working as a patient care transfer assistant at Presbyterian Hospital and then went to buy a $250,000 Money Match instant scratch lotto ticket offered by New Mexico Lottery. Judging from the name of the game, you'd probably bet that $250,000 is the top prize. You'd be right, and Joshua Murphy won it!

$250,000 Money Match is a game offered by New Mexico Lottery. The game costs $20 to play and you could win up to twenty times on one ticket. The odds of winning any prize in the game are 1-in-2.91 and the odds of winning the jackpot are 1-in-120,000. Aside from the $250,000 top prize there are also other smaller prizes, ranging from $20 to $20,000.

Joshua Murphy, the 22-year old nursing student, said he freaked out when he scratched the lotto ticket and saw how much he won. He probably didn't even believe it since the first thing he did was run to his brother to have him double check it. Sure enough, he was a big winner!

Joshua Murphy said that he would use the money to buy a new car and, also, something nice for his parents. What about something nice for your brother too, Joshua?

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Dick Sandlin - Lottery Addict Wins 15 Million Dollars

You know you're a lottery addict when... You go on a road trip and you have to stop in every state you visit to buy a ticket.

Dick Sandlin knows all about that. He lives in South Carolina and has a summer house in Florida. On his road trip from Florida to South Carolina with his wife, Colleen, in March of 2007, Dick had to stop in every state to buy a lottery ticket. So he bought a ticket in Florida, Georgia, and finally, South Carolina. He bought a Powerball ticket in South Carolina and, what do you know, he won. $15 million dollars.

Now, I'm not really saying that Dick Sandlin is, in fact, a lottery addict, but buying a ticket in every state on a road trip might just be a sign. But addict or no addict, if you win then who cares?

I think that Dick Sandlin might also have a pretty cool sense of humor. When asked what he would do with his winnings, he replied that he would buy an RC Cola and a Moon Pie. For those that don't know, a Moon Pie is the official cybersnack of the 21st century and the RC in RC cola stands for 'Royal Crown.' Mmm, cybersnacks! What a joker.

When they won the lottery in March of 2007, Dick and Colleen Sandlin had been married for fifty years. They had two daughters and two grandchildren.

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Arizona Lottery Winner Karen Petrasek Wins The Pick

Karen Petrasek won $1.3 million playing Arizona Lottery's The Pick game.

The Pick is a $1 game from Arizona Lottery with jackpots starting at $1 million and growing until someone wins it. It is a 6/44 game, meaning that the odds of winning the jackpot are approximately 1-in-7-million.

Karen Petrasek actually didn't know how much she won until she visited Arizona Lottery's office to claim her money. That's where she found out that her winning ticket was worth $1.3 million. When she found out she commented that it sure takes the stress out of the future. Smart lady!

At the time of her win in June of 2008, Karen Petrasek lived in Dessert Hills, Arizona and had a career as an accountant. She also owned two thoroughbred horses. She claimed to be a regular lottery player. As an accountant, she should have known not to play the lottery because the odds of her ever winning are so astronomical... Actually, never mind that last statement.

With the money that she won playing The Pick, Karen Petrasek planned to buy a new truck and then go to her financial advisor to discuss what to do with the rest.

Congratulations to Karen on her lucky win!

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Teen Student Wins Lottery Instant Scratch-Off Ticket ($1 Million)

Louis Jay has all the luck. The teen student won $100 on an instant scratch-off lottery ticket on his 18th birthday. Pretty cool, eh? But wait, one year later, he was still a teen and still a student; on his 19th birthday, he won $1 million on another instant scratch lottery ticket. It keeps getting better and better. At the rate he's going, he he's due to win $100 billion on his 20th birthday. Ok, maybe not.

Louis Jay won $1 million in the Mega Bucks Jackpot instant scratch off lottery ticket from Maryland Lottery in July of 2007. at the time, he was a Towson University sophomore student and planned to use the money to pay for his and his brother's tuition. His brother was also a student. Aside from that, he also planned to buy a car and invest the rest.

Check out this video of Louis Jay:

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Patrick Haggerty Buys Winning Lottery Ticket At Newsstand

I love those outdoor newsstands. We don't have them where I live in Canada, but I love seeing them in Manhattan when I visit there. It's very convenient being able to buy a newspaper, magazine, snack, drink, or lottery ticket from them. In fact, I purchased a Powerball ticket from one of the newsstands once (Yes, Canadians can win the lottery in the United States and, no, I didn't win).

Patrick Haggerty must like those newsstands too because he bought a winning Cash 5 ticket from one in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Patrick's winning Cash 5 ticket won him $112,500. Nice!

Patrick Haggerty says he plays both Cash 5 and Powerball. He usually plays Powerball when the jackpots are big and Cash 5 when they are not. He said he has had some luck in the past, but nothing like this win!

The newsstand that he bought the winning ticket from in Philadelphia also receives a $500 bonus for selling it.

the odds of winning the jackpot in Cash 5 are approximately 1-in-690,000.

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Phylis Edgar Chooses Lump Sum Lottery Payment Instead Of Weekly Paycheck

Usually people play the cash for life type of games where you win $1000 a week for the rest of your life because that $1000 every week is appealing to them. They might consider it an extra paycheck or even just quit their job and live off of it. For that reason, it's very rare that someone opts for a lump-sum payment instead, but Phylis Edgar did. She chose a lump sum payment of $675,000 instead of a $1000 per week paycheck.

More on Phylis in a bit. But first, I've always found this quite strange and it's probably the reason that not many people even pay attention to lottery odds. The cash for life type of games usually have better odds than most other lottery games; it's usually about 1-in-1.3-million for the $1000 per week games and usually has an option of a $675,000 lump-sum. Take, for example, Lottario lottery in Ontario, Canada. The odds of winning on a single ticket is approximately 1-in-4-million, but the jackpot is usually just $250,000. Lottario tickets cost $1 and the cash for life game, PayDay, costs $2. Even after taking the price difference into account, PayDay has better odds. So, why do people put down money on Lottario when PayDay is better in Ontario? I'm sure they don't even pay attention to odds.

Back to Phylis Edgar. She was so excited that she won that she didn't even sleep. She waited all night for the first ferry to take her to mainland BC to claim her prize. That first ferry left at 5am. That's how excited she was!

Phylis Edgar plans to use the money to pay off bills, get a new car, and go on a vacation!

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Stephen Newton Survived Avalanche That Killed Four Friends Then Won The Lottery

Frane Selak isn't the only person that had a bout of bad luck and then went on to win the lottery. Stephen Newton did too. He and his family just won £8 million ($13,132,485 USD) in the National Lottery, but he has had a brush with danger in the past.

On December 12, 1998, Stephen Newton was mountain climbing with his friends in Scotland when an avalanche suddenly buried them. He says that they just couldn't move. He and his girlfriend spent 15 hours trapped. They were rescued and survived. However, four of his friends were not so lucky and perished that day. He will remember his friends, Emma Ray, Paul Hopkins, Matthew Lewis, and Ian Edwards by donating some of his windfall to mountain rescue services.

The winning ticket was a Lucky Dip ticket (Equivalent to a quick pick) and was bought at Costcutter store. The family is overjoyed by the win.

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Pocket Change Investment Turns Into Hundreds Of Thousands Of Dollars For Mike Commander

It happens to most of us - We find change in our pocket and unload it on lottery tickets. But for Mike Commander, of Pennsylvania, that pocket change that he spent on Fantasy 5 tickets was considered an investment.

Listen up kids, lottery tickets should not be considered an investment; it should just be a form of entertainment.

Anyway, Mike's investment strategy worked because he won $350,000 playing Fantasy 5 from PA Lottery. Actually, Mike is engaged to Nilda Gonzalez and, like most young couples, really watch what they spend on. They are cautious about all spending after the mortgage and bills are paid. But Mike Commander is a regular lottery player and probably just needed to play.

Of course, all the experts would tell you that you shouldn't be spending money on lottery if finances are tight. But, even if I were in Mike Commander's shoes, I'd still pay my dollar a week to buy a ticket, although I wouldn't consider it an investment; it would be just a dream.

With the winnings, Mike Commander plans to pay off his mortgage and then buy a Jeep Commander. Fitting!

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Allen Passmore Buys Lottery Tickets From Camelback Corner

When I buy lottery tickets, I don't really care where or which store I buy them from. Some people, though, have superstitions and routines when they buy their tickets, and Allen Passmore is one of them. He always buys his tickets from Camelback Corner. Camelback Corner's address is 4001 N. 81, Duncan, Oklahoma and Allen buys his tickets nowhere else, but there.

Maybe Allen Passmore is on to something, though because a Quickpick Powerball Powerplay ticket that he purchased at Camelback corner won him $1 million! Without Powerplay, that cost him an extra dollar, Allen would have won just $200,000. But he played Powerplay and he doesn't always do that. Lucky guy!

Allen Passmore's girlfriend heard on the news that someone from Duncan, Oklahoma won a million dollars and asked him if he checked his tickets. That's when Allen checked his tickets and found out that he was a new millionaire. He said that when he found out, he hit the floor and his girlfriend thought he was acting. But no, Allen is not an actor - he's a pilot.

Allen said that he would use his money to invest wisely.

Camelback Corner also received a $5000 bonus for selling the winning ticket.

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Steven Masseria - NYC Sanitation Department Employee Wins Lotto

Steven Masseria works for the NYC Sanitation Department and now has received a big pay-day. New York Lottery gave him a check for $125,662. That's because he matched 5-out-of-6 numbers, plus the bonus on Lotto.

The New York Lottery Lotto game is a 6/59 game, meaning the odds of winning the jackpot are approximately 1-in-45-million. Those are pretty bad odds for a state-run lottery game, if you ask me. Nevertheless, Steven Masseria won the second prize. I'm sure he's not complaining.

Steven Masseria won $125,662 in Lotto on the July 1st, 2009 drawing. At the time of his win, Steven was living in Staten Island, Richmond County with his four kids and was an employee of the NYC Sanitation Department.

Steven Masseria's win came via a Quick Pick purchased from Tae Young Deli in Brooklyn. When players play by Quick Pick, it means that the lottery terminal selects a random set of numbers for them. Steven found out that he was a big winner while looking up the numbers in the New York Post.

Congratulations to Steven on his lucky win!

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Sarah Mabee - Sports Simpleton Wins $444,186 Wagering On NFL Football

Sarah Mabee isn't a simpleton, but she is when it comes to NFL Football. The sports simpleton has never even watched a game of football. But one day, she did bet on it, though. That was in October of 2006 when she won $444,186.

Sarah Mabee bet on Pro Pools, a Proline lottery betting game from Ontario Lottery And Gaming Corporation. It is a sport pool type of game where thousands of people across the province of Ontario bet on a set of sports games. Whoever gets the most correct wins the pool. Sarah's $444,186 win was, at the time, the biggest Proline win ever. Since then, Maya Worsoff beat her with a $448,242 win.

But how does a sports simpleton beat out thousands of so-called experts betting on the same games? It must just be luck, although that's no consolation to the losers that she beat.

The day that she made her bet and won, Sarah Mabee, from Newcastle, Ontario was having quite a bad day. She was a waitress and on her way to work, when the old beater of a car that she drove at the time couldn't even get into drive. On top of that she forgot her workbag that contained her uniform. Later, she went to the beer store and dropped the contents of her wallet all over the beer store floor (Note to Americans: Ontarian get their beer from The Beer Store and not from the corner store). If she only knew how much she would win that day, her wallet and everthing else wouldn't have mattered.

Let that be a lesson to all you sports bettors out there... Sometimes it's better to just close your eyes and make your picks at Random. It worked for Sarah!

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RI Lottery Winner Rafael Ozuna Wins The Numbers Game

RI Lottery winner Rafael Ozuna won $150,000 in The Numbers game. The man from Providence, Rhode Island, USA bought the winning ticket from Sanchez Liquors store.

The Numbers Game from RI Lottery draws seven times per week and gives players many different options to play. Players can play a variety of games, including a four-digit play, three-digit play, or two-digit play and the goal is to match them straight or box, depending on which game they choose to play. Players can also vary their bets; they can bet either 50 cents, $1, $2, or $5 and the more you bet, the more you can win.

The numbers game also lets players play their numbers for an entire week's worth of drawings. That's seven draws with one slip, so if this is the game you like to play, you never have to miss a draw.

Congratulations to Rafael Ozuna on his lucky win!

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

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Ziylon Allawerdi Wins $2 Million - Chosen From A Pool Of 680 People

I love it when lotteries give you a second chance with a bonus draw. I've seen lotteries, from time-to-time, hold a contest where people with losing lottery tickets send them in for some type of bonus draw. But Michigan Lottery did something different. They had a bonus where anybody that won $1000 in instant scratch-off lotto games Casino Royale, Casino Fortune, Lucky Game Book, Multi-Millions, and $2,000,000 Diamond Dazzler were entered to appear on a live television drawing to win $2 million.

Michigan Lottery ended up with a pool of 680 people that won $1000 on those instant scratch games. From those 680 people, they chose five finalists to appear in the live TV drawing (The five finalists are pictured in the photo with the bright t-shirts). Ziylon Allawerdi was the one that won the $2 million prize.

Ziylon Allawerdi said he had no immediate plans for the money, except that he would take a trip to Disney World.

The other four finalists didn't live empty handed, though. The finalists - Paul Sherzer, Nicole McElligatt-Collins, Jacklin Hazim, and Robert Culver - all received $5000 as a consolation prize. Not bad at all!

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Teresa Kraft Sells Joe Claffy A Winning Mega Millions Ticket

That's Joe Claffy in the picture hugging Teresa Kraft. He must really love her, but I'm sure Joe's wife, Sue, doesn't mind - That's because Teresa sold Joe a winning Mega Millions lottery ticket worth $19 million.

In May of 2009, Joe and Sue Claffy just paid for their groceries at Martin's Food Market in Front Royal, Virginia. Included in that purchase were a few Virginia Lottery tickets. They were ready to leave, when the cashier, Teresa Kraft, asked, "Would you like to play Mega Millions?" That's when Joe Claffy decided to go for it; he bought $6 worth. One of those tickets ended up winning $19 million. He won because of a simple question from Teresa. So, you see, he must really love her. I'm sure Sue Claffy loves her to; they're rich because of her!

At the time of their win, Joe and Sue Claffy lived in Flint Hill in Rappahannock County, Virginia. The two both retired in 1999. Joe was a construction worker and Sue had a career in law enforcement. They said they would use the winnings to take care of family, make a few purchases, and do some investing. I hope they also give Teresa Kraft a nice gift.

Here's a video of the press conference held at Martin's Food Market:

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Calgary Lottery Winner Joe Jalali Played Same Numbers For 10 Years

A lot of lottery players play the same numbers for every draw. Usually, it's their lucky set of numbers or numbers that represent family birthdays, or such. That's fine, but the problem is that if they ever missed a draw because they were late buying tickets or something and their numbers came up, they'd probably feel pretty crappy. Oh well, they still do it.

Joe Jalali, of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, is one such person that plays the same lottery numbers. Lucky for him, he bought a ticket when his numbers came up. Joe Jalali had been playing the same numbers for 10 years and he finally won in 2009. He won $145,436 playing Lotto 6/49. That was the second prize and he won by matching 5-out-of-6 numbers, plus the bonus number.

Joe Jalali bought his winning ticket at Shopper's Drug Mart on 14th Avenue in Calgary. He said that he was numb and overjoyed when he found out hat he won.

I actually used to play the same numbers on Lotto 6/49. I did it for about five years and then I stopped and decided to go with QuickPicks. About six months after the switch, 5-out-of-the-6 numbers came up. I would've won about $1500. Oh well.

Congratulations to Calgary lottery winner Joe Jalali for his lucky win!

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April Fool's Day Lottery Winner Daniel Stretton (Video)

Imagine if you got a phone call from a family member on April 1st and they told you that hey won the lottery. What would you think? April Fool's? Ya, of course. But people do win the lottery every day, including April Fool's Day. Daniel Stretton did. Twice. And, he called family members to tell them. They didn't believe him.

Daniel Stretton won £967 ($1,568 USD) on the National Lottery draw on April 1, 2009. He also won £130,000 ($210,799 USD) on the same day on Lotto Hot-Picks. Talk about luck, and on April Fool's Day, nonetheless! Daniel then called his son Alexei that lives in Sydney, Australia to tell him the good news. And, what do you know - Alexei didn't believe him; he must have thought that it was a prank.

Many lottery winners say that winning the lottery won't change their lives. Daniel Stretton didn't say this, though. He said that it's absolutely wonderful and that every day is like a summer's day. The money changed his life. That's what I would feel like if I won the lottery!

Daniel Stretton said he planned do use the money to buy a new Ford Ka and to travel. He wants to go to Rome, Venice, Florence, and the Vatican.

See more of Daniel in the video below:

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PA Lottery Winner Annah Cross

Like most lottery winners, Annah Cross couldn't believe her eyes when she saw that she was a jackpot winner in PA Lottery's $100,000 Wild Number Bingo instant scratch lotto game. There's something about winning a lot of money that usually comes as a shock to people. Maybe it's because it's so unexpected. Nevertheless, Annah Cross won $100,000 from PA Lottery in July of 2009.

Annah Cross says that she enjoys playing a variety of lotto games, but particularly enjoys $100,000 Wild Number Bingo. That's because there's a lot of scratching to do and she usually scratches it on her way to work.

$100,000 Wild Number Bingo is a game offered by PA Lottery and Annah Cross is right - There's a lot of scratching to do; The game, which costs $5 to play, has 10 bingo boards to scratch, so it does take some time to play. The game's top prize is $100,000, which Annah won. In addition, there are many more smaller prizes, ranging from $5 to $10,000. The odds of winning any prize in the game are approximately 1-in-4.14.

Annah bought the winning ticket at Joanie's in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The store received a $500 bonus for selling the winning ticket. With her winnings, she said that she planned to spend some on her family and save the rest.

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Georgia Lottery Weekly WinFall Winner Charles Jones

Charles Jones, from Powder Springs, Georgia, won Georgia Lottery's Weekly Winfall grand prize of $1 million.

Weekly Winfall was a limited-time game introduced by Georgia Lottery. It ran from April 18 to June 29, 2009. The game costed $10 per play and was a raffle type of game. Each week that the Weekly WinFall game ran, Georgia Lottery chose ten random tickets to win a prize of $5000 from that week's ticket sales. At the end of the game period, Georgia Lottery chose 1500 random tickets from all of the tickets played to win $500 and one final grand prize of $1 million. Charles Jones won the grand prize.

As with many people that win the lottery, Charles Jones had to double check his ticket when he found out that he won. That was to make sure his eyes weren't blurred.

With his winnings, Charles said that he planned to pay off some bills, put some of it away for retirement, share with his parents, in-laws, and children (He and his wife have three kids and one is a student at Kennesaw State University), put the rest away for savings. He's a million dollar winner, yet he didn't plan on buying anything fancy.

Charles Jones bought his winning Weekly WinFall ticket at a Shell gas station located on Sweetwater Road in Lithia Springs, Georgia.

Congratulations to Charles Jones on his lucky winfall!

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Richie Randazzo Gets Swedish Model Girlfriend After Winning Lottery

Take a look at the photo of Richie Randazzo and his Swedish model girlfriend. I'd bet there's a bunch of guys out there hoping to win the lottery to be just like Richie.

Richie Randazzo's actually quite hilarious. He really played the media after winning $5 million in a NY Lottery instant scratch-off game in May of 2008. You can see how funny he is in the video below.

Richie Rich... I mean, Richie Randazzo did a lot of things to play the media after he won the lottery. He got fired from his job as a NYC doorman, but then skipped out on work to go to Atlantic City with his Swedish model girlfriend, Sabin Johansson. But when he got back, he found that he was fired. He made a big deal about it to the media, saying he was sticking up for the 'little guy.' I think he even said he would take his employer to court. Aside from that, his Swedish model girlfriend worked at Big Daddy Lou's Hot Lapdance Club in New York, a place that got busted for prostitution. He played the media in the hopes of landing some kind of reality TV role or something.

Richie Randazzo said he would continue playing the lottery, even after his $5 million win. He said that he was a gambling type of guy and loves games of chance.

Here's the video. Have a look, he's pretty funny:

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Nicky Cusack - Breast Cancer Patient Wins National Lottery

Nicky Cusack is a breast cancer patient. Her cancer is in remission, but she's still completing the last bit of her chemotherapy. Actually, her bad luck started at the beginning of 2009. In January of 2009, the single mom was savagely attacked by a group of six dogs while trying to protect her children. Two months later she was diagnosed with breast cancer and that's when the grueling chemo treatments began.

Talk about a bad year. Or is it? What could make up for such a bad first half of 2009? The answer is... a lottery win! Nicky Cusack won £2.49 million ($3,997,718 USD) in UK's National Lottery in July of 2009 with a Lucky Dip ticket (A Lucky Dip is akin to a Quickpick where the lottery terminal randomly chooses a set of numbers).

Of course, there's no price-tag you could put on a person's health. Without health, you wouldn't be able to enjoy your money. But Nicky Cusack will get better and she will enjoy her money.

Actually, Nicky Cusack can't even wait to return to work. She said that ever since she became sick that the only thing she wanted was to get better and get back to work. She works at Walmart and the lottery win won't change that.

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Leonard Woronishtsc - Surprise, You Won The Lottery!

Surprisingly great news is one of the best things in life. Maybe that's why a lot of people like to throw surprise parties. I know I love surprises. Leonard Woronishtsc does too. Ohio Lottery surprised him with a lottery win of $100,000. And, they had cameras on hand to film it too (the video is below).

Leonard Woronishtsc was a 57-year-old laid off machinist when he won $100,000 with the Ohio Lottery. The video doesn't explain how he won it, but I'm assuming it was some kind of draw and his name was chosen as the winner. With the money, Leonard said that he planned to pay off some bills, buy gifts for his family, help his son with a new home purchase, and throw a big cookout.

Here's the video:

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Donna Echols And Her Close Friend Patricia Taylor Both Won The Lottery

I play the lottery every week. I know that if I win one day, I'll be sharing with family and friends, especially my best friend that I've known for years. But one thing I've never considered is what if my best friend and I both won the lottery. We definitely wouldn't have to share with eachother. What are the odds, though? That can't happen, right?


Actually, it can happen. That's because it happened to close friends in Georgia that both won the lottery. The top picture is of Donna Echols with her husband. The second picture is of Patricia Taylor. The two are close friends that have known eachother for eight years. Patricia won $5 million from Georgia Lottery playing 15th Anniversary Millionaire Extravaganza in December of 2008 and Donna Echols won $1 million in April of 2009 playing Extreme Green, an instant scratch-off lotto game. Now, they don't have to share with eachother!

At the time of her win, Patricia Taylor said that she didn't have any immediate plans for the money, while Donna Echols said that she planned to save it for retirement.

Congratulations to the two close friends on a highly unlikely win!

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Mark Tapley Is Rich For Life

If I found out that I'd just won the lottery, I would keep the ticket in the safest place I know of until I was able to claim the prize - My pocket. I wouldn't leave it in the house because the house could catch fire and burn down. I wouldn't leave it in the car because the car could get stolen. The only way for me to lose a lottery ticket that was in my pocket would be for someone to mug me and take it. And, that wouldn't happen - I would kick their ass!

Mark Tapley won the lottery. $2000 every week for the rest of his life with an instant scratch lotto ticket from Washington Lottery called, Rich For Life. Then he put the ticket in, what he says, was a safe place - locked safely in his car. What?!?! Oh boy, if that car got stolen, that would suck bad. But things worked out well because Mark Tapley got to cash in the winning and is now rich for life.

At the time of his win, Mark Tapley was living in Ferndale, Washington with his wife and twin daughters. He bought the winning Rich For Life Ticket at the Ferndale Mini Market where his wife works. He scratched the ticket in his car before leaving and that's where he found out that he won. He remembers driving home that day, passing things like RV lots and thinking of all of the wonderful things he would be able to buy now that he was rich, including an RV! He also said that his twin daughters' education would now be paid for and that he would take the family on a trip to Hawaii.

Rich For Life is a $10 instant scratch lotto game from Washington Lottery. $2000 per week for life is the top prize, with many smaller prizes, ranging from $10 to $50,000.

Congratulations to Mark Tapley for becoming rich!

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Joe Denette - NASCAR Race Is More Important Than Mega Millions Money

Joe Denette won some money in the Mega Millions lottery. But, he also had free tickets to a NASCAR race at Richmond International Raceway in Richmond, Virginia that he won by answering trivia questions on a radio station. So, he asked his mom to hold the ticket for safekeeping while he went to the race.

I'm trying to think... If I win the lottery, is there anything in the world that could get me to part with my winning ticket? I'm still thinking...

Oh well, Joe Denette must really love NASCAR.

Joe Denette didn't win just anything. He won a lot of money. Joe won $76 million in Mega Millions in May of 2009. He won it by Easy Pick, meaning the computer chose a random set of numbers. Joe said he hated computers in the past, but not anymore because the computer got him the win.

Joe Denette's Mega Millions win came at the perfect time as he had been laid off from his job with a home-building company in January of 2009 and he hadn't had a job since. Now, he won't have to compete in contests to get free NASCAR tickets; he'll be able to buy as many as he wants.

Joe bought the winning ticket at Joyful Convenience Market, which is on Mudd Tavern Road in Woodford, VA. There were actually two other people in the United States that held winning tickets for the same draw. The $228 million jackpot was, thus, split three ways with each winning ticket being worth $76 million. Joyful Convenience Market also received a $50,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket.

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Cal Reykdal Of Winnipeg Beach Wins Crossword Multiplier

Big jackpot wins in games like Powerball or Lotto 6/49 always make the news and help to make those games popular. But, they're so hard to win. The odds are astronomical. Sometimes, it's just better to play instant scratch-off lotto games. All of the major lottery corporations sell them and the odds are a lot more reasonable. Many of them have odds of less than 1-in-1-million, making it easier to win.

I'm sure Cal Reykdal of Winnipeg Beach, Manitoba likes to play instant scratch-off lotto games, especially since he won $100,000 playing Crossword Multiplier! By the way, that's Winnipeg Beach, not Winnipeg. Winnipeg Beach is about an hour's drive from Winnipeg, right on Lake Winnipeg.

Cal Reykdal that he scratched the winning Crossword Multiplier ticket at home. When he found out he was a winner, he got really 'shaky.' Even still, he immediately got into his car and drove to Winnipeg to claim his winnings. Note to new drivers out there: It's not good to drive when you're shaky - Stop shaking then drive.

Congratulations to Cal Reykdal on his lucky win!

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Rose Marks Takes A Chance And Waits In Line For Lottery Ticket

Rose Marks has a motto: Take a chance! That's what she tells others, take a chance, after winning $1 million with her Powerball PowerPlay ticket.

Actually, Rose Marks, almost didn't even win. That's because she almost didn't play. In September of 2008, Rose was waiting in line at the Shaw’s Grocery customer service desk, the grocery store on Black Rock Turnpike in Fairfield, Connecticut. She didn't like the wait and wanted to step away from the line-up. But her feet didn't let her move. She took a chance and waited. Good thing to, because her wait paid off to the tune of one million dollars!

Rose Marks won $1 million in Powerball with a single ticket that cost $2, including PowerPlay. Rose said that she felt overwhelmed when she found out that she won. She said she planned to share the money with her children, grand-children, and great-grand-children. Wow, that's four generations benefiting from Rose standing in line at the grocery store!

So, let that be a lesson for you, folks... 'Take a chance' and play the lottery; you might end up like Rose Marks!

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