Gary Moses Joins Tennessee Millionaires Club

Check out the big red sign behind Larry Moses. It says, "Tennessee Millionaires Club" and there's Gary holding a big million dollar check. Must be nice to be in the millionaires club - I want in too!

Actually, there's no formal Tennessee Millionaires Club. When I searched for it, I found that it was just the name of a new instant scratch game and not a prestigious club for snotty Tennesseans. Oh well.

Nevertheless, Gary Moses won $1 million in Powerball in August of 2009. He matched all of the white ball numbers and that would have won him $200,000. But he bought the Power Play option for an extra dollar, which turned his $200,000 win into a $1 million win. Nice!

At the time of his win, Gary Moses lived in Atoka, Tennessee (About 25 miles from Memphis). He said that he didn't know what he would do with the money, but siad that it will come in handy for a trip to Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon that he was planning even before winning the lottery.

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MyLotto Winner Dee Cleaver Spins Winning Wheel After Getting Serial Number Drawn

Dee Cleaver's lottery numbers didn't come up, but she still won big - That's because the serial number on her MyLotto ticket came up! How did the woman from Auckland, New Zealand win big with a ticket serial number? New Zealand gives out prizes for that.

This is what happens with the lottery in New Zealand. During every Saturday's live lottery draw, a serial number from all tickets sold that week also gets drawn. If you match the drawn serial number, you will get a chance to appear on a future live draw to spin the "Winning Wheel." The Winning Wheel has prizes on it, ranging from $100,000 to $1 million, and even has other prizes like Mercedes Benz' and Audis. Not only that, the person with the winning serial number gets an all-expenses paid trip to Wellington, NZ, which also includes accommodations for the winner and a guest to stay at a luxury hotel. Not bad at all!

Dee Cleaver, from Auckland, New Zealand, had her serial number drawn and she got to spin the Winning Wheel in September of 2009. She won a whopping $250,000 ($250,000 New Zealand dollars = $181,000 USD).

Dee said that she has plenty of ideas on how to spend her money. Those ideas include buying a new car, a house, traveling the world, paying off her student loans, and setting up a business (Actually, that's quite a bit of spending that she has planned; somebody needs to tell her that she needs to slow it down because it's not like she won millions of dollars!)

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Lottery Syndicate Winners From Doon Inn Pub In Blantyre, South Lanarkshire

The men pictured above are members of a lottery syndicate (Commonly known as a lottery pool in North America) from the Doon Inn pub in Blantyre, South Lanarkshire, UK. They are regulars at the pub and play the lottery together. In September of 2009, the syndicate players were big winners. They won £4,525,058 ($7,219,217 USD).

The syndicate had nine members: Bobby McLauchlan, Sandy Morton, William Morton, Jim McGrail, Iain Macdonald, plus four others that didn't want to be named. That means that each of the members won £502,784 ($802,135 USD).

The owners of the pub said that the place erupted last Saturday night when they found out that they won. It was a big party. She said that the win couldn't have happened for a better group of guys. I'm sure they're happy, too, since the guys probably spent a lot of money partying at the Doon Inn pub last weekend.

Playing the lottery as a syndicate or pool, as the guys from Blantyre, South Lanarkshire, UK now know, really helps to increase your probability of winning. Consider this example: Say you play a 6/49 game. Your odds of winning the 6/49 lotto jackpot are approximately 1-in-14-million. Now, say you buy two tickets for each draw. Your odds of winning would then be 1-in-7-million. Instead of playing on your own, let's say you were part of a syndicate of 10 people that each put in money for two tickets. That would be twenty tickets in total. Your odds of winning, as a group, would then be 1-in-700,000. That's much better than playing on your own, isn't it?

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Anthony Sizemore Splits Powerball Lottery Prize With Daughter Hillary

You dream about winning the lottery, right? Well, what do you think is the next best thing to actually winning it? The answer is... Someone you know wins it and gives you have the prize. Ya, that would be awesome too!

Just ask Hillary Sizemore. She knows how it feels. That's because her father won a $200,000 Powerball prize in June of 2009 and gave her exactly half of his winnings.

Anthony Sizemore won the second prize of $200,000 in Powerball by matching all of the white ball numbers. And, being the great father that he is, split the prize with his daughter, Hillary.

At the time of his win, Anthony Sizemore said that it was perfect timing. That's because he was laid off from his job as a machinist ten months prior and was looking for work. Actually, his daughter, Hillary, was also looking for a job at that time. She had just graduated from Indiana State University with a degree in Psychology. The $100,000 that her dad gave her, she said, would go towards paying off her student loans.

Congratulations to the lucky father and daughter on their lucky win!

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William James Albertson - Lucky Mega Millions Winner Of $75 Million

Being a married, 35-year-old, father of four with college debt to pay off must be hard on the finances. Just ask William James Albertson, a man from Mahopac, New York. That's the situation that he was in while he was working a career as an insurance manager. What could help someone in this situation? Why, winning the lottery, of course!

William James Albertson won $75 million in the Mega Millions lottery on the November 2, 2007 draw. And, boy, was he ever lucky. I mean, you gotta be lucky to win a lottery jackpot where the odds of winning are approximately 1-in-175-million. Some people spend hundreds of dollars on each draw trying to win the jackpot. And, some of them don't ever win anything. But not William (WJ, as his friends call him). WJ had only ever bought two lottery tickets in his lifetime. The first time was a week before he won the big jackpot. The second time, of course, was when he won the jackpot. If only we could be so lucky.

William James Albertson was inspired to play the lottery by his father when his father came to visit him. WJ's father lives in Illinois and on his trip to visit his son in New York State, he bought a lottery ticket in every state that he had to pass through. There were no big jackpots won by his father, so maybe luck doesn't run in the family.

At the time of his win, WJ said that he didn't plan any big purchases. For his kids' sake, he didn't want to make any drastic changes to their lifestyle and wanted to keep things as normal as possible. He also said that he planned to retire early. That's a good thing - Lottery winners should not be working in the insurance industry; insurance is just too boring.

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Retirement Is Finally Possible For $97 Million Powerball Winner Carl Hunter

In January of 2008, Carl Hunter owned a construction business but he was 73-years-old and wanted to retire. Actually, he wanted to retire for many years prior to that, but he just wasn't sure if his savings would last him. So he kept working.

Carl also played Powerball. He normally bought one ticket for each draw. He already had a ticket for the January 16, 2008 draw. Then his wife sent him to the store to buy some milk. He bought the milk and had some spare change left over. So, he bought one more Powerball ticket. And, guess what? That's the ticket that he won a massive jackpot with. $97 million!

So, Carl Hunter wanted to retire for years. Then he won the lottery. What do you think he did next? Retire? No! He went back to work. He didn't even claim his Powerball jackpot for almost four months. He said that he needed to wind down his construction business before claiming the money. But in May of 2008, Carl claimed his winnings and is now officially retired. It's about time!

The Losisiana man said, "That's why you buy lottery tickets - To fulfill the dream of not having to work anymore." At 73-years-old, Carl got to fulfill his dream... Finally!

So what did Carl Hunter say he would do with the money? He said that he's not the type of guy that spends a lot of money, so his life won't change much - Except for the retirement part!

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Georgia Lottery News: Cash Harvest Instant Scratch Winner Renae Smith

The latest news from Georgia Lottery has Renae Smith winning $100,000 on an instant scratch lotto game called Cash Harvest.

Cash Harvest is a game that costs $3 to play and has a top prize of $100,000, which Renae won. You can win up to 12 times on a single ticket and the odds of winning any prize in the game are 1-in-4.01.

September 1, 2009 marked Renae Smith's 48th birthday. That's the day that her husband went out to the store to buy her a Harvest Cash instant lotto ticket for $3 (I sure hope he bought her something else as well because that's quite a cheap birthday present). She scratched it and won the $100,000 top prize on her birthday. She said that her 48th birthday was "incredible!" Ya, winning $100,000 would make any day incredible.

At the time of her win, Renae Smith was 48-years-old, living in Gainesville, Georgia (About 50 miles from Atlanta), and a grandmother of five. She said that she would use the money to pay off some bills.

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Port Charlotte Lottery Winner Robert Marsh

Port Charlotte lottery winner, Robert Marsh, won $1 million in Florida Lottery's Billion Dollar Blockbuster instant scratch lottery game.

At the time of his win, Robert Marsh was 51-years-old and living in Port Charlotte, Florida, USA (Approximately 100 miles from Tampa).

The Billion Dollar blockbuster scratch-off game is a pretty big deal in Florida. That's because the game offers more than a billion dollars in instant-win prizes. That includes 10 prizes of $10 million and over 100 prizes of $1 million. A ticket costs $20 to play and the odds of winning the top prize of $10 million are approximately 1-in-6.5-million and the odds of winning the $1 million second prize, which Robert won, are 1-in-546,000. Those are great prizes and great odds for a lotto game.

Congratulations to Robert Marsh on his lucky win and to the future 100's of people that will win at least a million dollars in Florida's Billion Dollar Blockbuster game.

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Canadian Lottery News - Lotto Max Winners Coming Soon!

The big news in Canadian lottery is that there is a new game starting today. It is called Lotto Max and will offer jackpots ranging from $10 million to $50 million. It won't be easy to win, though, as the odds of winning per $5 ticket purchased will be more than 1-in-28-million. That might be nothing compared to the odds of winning games like Powerball or EuroMillions, but nevertheless, it will be the worst odds for a Canadian lottery ever.

This blog will begin covering Lotto Max winners. So, check back every week to see if anybody has won a big jackpot in the game.

Lotto Max will draw every Friday night and it is replacing Lotto Super 7, which has now officially retired. Take a trip down memory lane and check out some of Lotto Super 7's big winners:

•Gerald Muswagon: Won $10 million in 1988.
•Mihkel Lougas: Won $2.5 million in December, 2008.
•Lydia Nono: Won $20 million in July, 2009.
•Ian Gibson: Won $5 million in April, 2009.

The bad news is that you can no longer win Super 7. The good news is that you can now win Lotto Max. Good luck!

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Scott Hoyt Wins Patriots Instant Ticket From MA Lottery

There's a pretty cool trend in lotteries - Some lottery corporations are partnering with professional sports teams to create a cross-promotional lottery. Illinois Lottery has done it with the Chicago Blackhawks. Now, MA Lottery is doing it with the New England Patriots. They created the Patriots instant scratch game.

Scott Hoyt bought a Patriots scratch ticket and won $1 million. He was given his check at a pre-game ceremony at Gillette Stadium on August 20, 2009.

At the time of his win, Scott Hoyt lived in Rindge, New Hampshire and was an Air Force Reserve Master Sergeant. He's actually a huge New England Patriots fan and that's why he bought the ticket.

The Patriots instant scratch lotto game's top prize is $1 million, which Scott won. Actually, two of the $1 million prizes were won within the first week of the game's release by MA Lottery, one by Scott and another by a man named Derrick Gorman, from Plymouth, Massachusetts. There are ten $1 million prizes in total, meaning that after the first week, there were 8 left. The game also offers some other cool prizes, including five prizes of a pair of New England Patriots life-time season's tickets. Wouldn't that be a great prize for a Patriots fan?

I think these sports tie-in games are pretty cool and would love to see more of those types of games.

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Ron Peterson Uses Statistics System To Pick Winning Lottery Numbers

Ron Peterson is a mechanical engineer and works in statistics. He also has a system of tracking lottery numbers and uses that system to pick winning numbers. It works! The proof is a big win.

Ron Peterson won the $200,000 second prize on Powerball in September of 2009 by matching all of the 5 white ball numbers.

Ron didn't say much about what statistics he uses to track numbers or how he picks them, although he did say that he plays different numbers each week. There are many systems that people use. Some might work and some don't, but it looks like Ron's system worked.

Ron Peterson said that he would use the money to pay down some of his debt. After that he plans to take a vacation and put the rest in the bank.

Congratulations to Ron on his nice win!

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California Lottery News - Michele Dickerson Wins $32 Million

I always find it to be silly when lottery winners say that they'll keep working. The latest California Lottery news had Michele Dickerson win $32 million in September of 2009. After going in to California Lottery's prize claim office on the Monday after she won, Michele went in to work. WHY WHY WHY!?!?!

Ok, so Michele Dickerson said that she was raised to have a good work ethic. That's nice and all, but she just doesn't have to work any more! I hope she just retires and relaxes for the rest of her life. That's the dream of winning the lottery. Remember Don Grimard? He also went to work after winning the lottery. He lasted half a day. That's the way to do it!

Actually, the day Michele Dickerson went in to work after winning the lottery, she showed up with tears in her eyes. They were happy tears. Her co-workers thought that she was crying and thought that there must be something wrong. Then she told them that she was a lottery winner and that's when it broke into a company full of people jumping and screaming. Must have been fun!

Michele Dickerson considers the $32 million win a blessing, especially since her husband lost his job just a few months before.

With the money, Michele plans to buy a new house and, also, take her big family on a long vacation.

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David Ashcroft Said Lottery Win Would Never Change Him - And Meant It!

You know how you always see new lottery winners at the check presentation ceremony say that the lottery will never change them? Do you really believe that? Actually, sometimes it is true. Not everybody ends up like Jack Whittaker. David Ashcroft is one example of a man that really wasn't changed by the lottery - AT ALL!

David Ashcroft won £12.3 million ($20,137,850 USD) in 1997. When he won the lottery, David said that he was an ordinary, quiet introvert and hoped that the lottery wouldn't not change him. At that time, you probably would have laughed and thought, "Ya, right." After all, he won a fortune and could live a lavish life. Why the hell would he not want to change?

Fast forward to present day and you would see that David Ashcroft kept his word. He really did not change. Actually, he still lives in the exact same apartment as he did before he won the lottery - With his parents! And, prior to winning the lottery, he never had a girlfriend. To this day, he still does not have a girlfriend. He actually still wears the same clothes - Nothing fancy.

Why does David Ashcroft not spend? Some people that know him claim that he is afraid that if he ever became a big spender, he is afraid of what he might become.

David, however, is generous with other people. He has bought cars for family members, including a Ferrari.

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Los Angeles Lottery Winner Xuong Do - How The Money Gets Spent

Los Angeles lottery winner, Xuong Do, won $1.1 million in the California Lottery in 1998. That's a great sum of money, but his story goes to show that a million dollars, when won in the lottery, is hardly a million dollars. Withing a few months of winning, he had about $200,000 left over. Here's where the money went:

As you probably know, when you win a jackpot in the United States, you don't actually get the entire jackpot amount - You get a lump-sum payment that is considerable less. In Xuong Do's case, he was left with $520,000. *** Side note: Canadians get a better deal - The advertised lottery jackpot amount is exactly what you get, all upfront.

From the $520,000, California Lottery withheld 28% for tax. That left Xuong Do with $374,000. *** Another side note, Canadians don't pay tax on their lottery winnings, none at all. They're so lucky!

With $374,000 left, Xuong Do spent money on some purchases - A trip to Hawaii for his parents, $30,000 worth of jewelry for his mother, and a new Ford Explorer for himself, among other things. He was left with just $200,000.

That last $200,000 is partially earmarked to help his family, mainly to help pay college costs for his siblings.

Xuong Do was a 23-year-old man living in Los Angeles when he won $1.1 million in the lottery. As we can see, $1.1 million is hardly $1.1 million, but, hey, it's still a lot of money and, at that age, it really helped him start his adulthood.

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$21 Million Lotto 649 Jackpot Winner Michael Honey From Scarborough Ontario

The September 19, 2009 Lotto 649 estimated jackpot was $21 million. Ticket sales were lower than expected (Probably because so many people spent their weekly lottery money on the last-ever Super 7 draw the night before), so the final jackpot total was $20,409,383. There was only one winning ticket sold and the ticket owner was Michael Honey, from Scarborough, Ontario, Canada.

When Michael Honey checked his lottery ticket at the store, he couldn't believe it. He thought something was wrong. It's not every day that people win over $20 million dollars, so I don't blame him.

At the time of his big jackpot win, Michael Honey was single, 44-years-old, living in Scarborough (Scarborough is the crappy part of Toronto), and working at Symcor as a business analyst.

So, what does Michael plan to do with his new wealth. First things first, he is going to buy a wireless internet stick for his laptop. What else? The rest goes in the bank. He wants to think things over before making any lavish purchases.

Michael Honey's motto has always been that if you're gonna win the lottery, you'll win it with just one ticket. So, he only bought one Lotto 649 ticket for the draw that he won.

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Indianapolis Lottery Winner Thomas Sturm Spends Extra $1 On Power Play

If you match the white ball numbers on Powerball, you win $200,000. But if you spend an extra $1 on Power Play, that $200,000 turns into $1 million. "For one extra dollar, why not purchase Power Play," is what Judith Sturm says. But she might be a little biased. That's because her husband, Thomas Sturm, won $1 million on Powerball because he had also purchased Power Play.

Lottery winner, Thomas, Sturm, of Indianapolis, Indiana, won $1 million on Powerball in August of 2009. Prior to his big win, he says that he had been playing the lottery for twenty years. He's won some money in the past, but this is his biggest prize ever.

So what do Thomas and Judith plan to do with their winnings? For starters, their dog, Murphy, needs hip replacement surgery. They love their dog and would do anything for him and, now, will be able to pay for the surgery.

Aside from the hip replacement surgery for Murphy, Thomas and Judith Sturm plan to redecorate their house, buy some new cars for their kids, and a red Cadillac CTS for Judith.

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St Paul Lottery Winner Michael Williams Wins Cash Explosion Game With help from God

I didn't realize that God gave birthday presents. But he does, just ask St Paul, Minnesota lottery winner Michael Williams. God gave him a gift of $500,000!

Michael Williams had his 50th birthday on August, 27, 2009. He didn't get any birthday presents. Two days later, Michael says that God helped him win the lottery. He bought a Cash Explosion instant scratch lotto game from Minnesota lottery and won! $500,000!

The St Paul man says that winning the lottery was a blessing.

Note to God: My birthday is on January 23rd. Make a note of it.

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Pictures Of lottery Winners From Around The World

The complete set of pictures of lottery winners from around the world can be found here. But here's a small teaser:

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