Kevin Lee Sutton - Lotto Winner's Attempted Murder With A Gun

If you ever win the lottery, promise me that you'll be able to spend the rest of your life enjoying it. Please! Along the same lines, promise me that you won't do something stupid because if you do something stupid you won't be able to enjoy your riches.

Carrying a gun would be something stupid. That's because, eventually, you might use it. Then you'll go to jail. And, you can't enjoy your life while in jail. Kevin Lee Sutton won the lottery. He won $3 million from Colorado Lottery in 1997. A few years later, in June of 2004, he shot someone in the head and was charged with attempted murder. That's stupid!

Kevin Lee Sutton's stepson had been fighting with a friend named Cristobal Lopez. Kevin wanted them to stop. So, what he said happened was that he pointed his gun at his stepson. Then he pointed it at Cristobal Lopez. While pointing it at Cristobal, he said that he accidentally shot it. He didn't intend to kill him. The bullet pierced his scalp. He was taken to hospital and survived the gunshot wound.

Luckily, Cristobal survived. Otherwise, Kevin Lee Sutton could have been charged with murder. He was charged with attempted murder, which is a serious crime, nonetheless. If convicted, attempted murder carries a jail sentence, whether or not you intended to kill the person. And, you cannot enjoy your lottery win while in jail, right?

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Alan Bryson Wins $300 Million Extravaganza Instant Scratch From Ohio Lottery

The $300 Million Extravaganza instant scratch lotto game from Ohio Lottery is a pretty cool game. That's because the are more than $300 million in prizes available to be won, including some really big prizes.

Alan Bryson already knows this, though. He won the second prize of $1 million, to be paid out as $50,000 every year for twenty years. That's a lot of money!

The $300 Million Extravaganza scratch game from Ohio Lottery offers a top prize of $2 million, to be paid out as $100,000 a year for twenty years. Their are 20 of these prizes in the game. The second prize, of which Alan Bryson was a winner, is $1 million. There are 10 of these prizes available in the game. But the $300 Million Extravaganza game offers many more great prizes, ranging from $10 to $20,000!

The $300 Million Extravaganza game costs $10 to play and the odds of winning any prize in the game are approximately 1-in-3.43.

Congratulations to Alan Bryson on his lucky win!

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5-Time Lottery Winner Seguro Ndabene Investigated By WCLC & Alberta Court of Queen's Bench

Sometimes, winning the lottery could become a nightmare. Let's say you legitimately win a big lottery jackpot. You go in to the prize claim office to collect your prize, when you find out that somebody called in to say that they bought the winning ticket with you and, hence, want half the money. If something like this would happen, the lottery corporation would hold the money and do an investigation before handing over any money. That could mean a lengthy wait to get the money, whether or not the other party had a legitimate or frivolous claim. It could happen; it's happened before.

One current example is that of a man named Seguro Ndabene. He's actually a 5-time lottery winner. But it's his last, and also biggest win, that is in dispute.

Seguro Ndabene's story story starts with his first big win. That was in 2004 when he won $1 million in the Western 649 game. That was followed by a $100,000 win playing Extra in 2006. Then came another $1 million win in Western 649 in 2008 and another $50,00 in the same game in the same year. Finally, Seguro win $17 million in Lotto Super 7 in January of 2009. That's the big one and it's the one that is being disputed.

Western Canada Lottery Corporation (WCLC) investigates big lottery wins prior to making payments and it this one was investigated deeper, due to the fact that Seguro Ndabene's brother-in-law, Antonin Koprnicky, claimed to own a piece of the win. The case has become too complicated for WCLC and, so, it has handed it over to Alberta Court of Queen's Bench who will ultimately decide who the rightful owner(s) of the $17 million Lotto Super 7 prize is.

It should be noted that Seguro Ndabene does admit to playing the lottery with a group, but says that any group plays are stamped on the back of the ticket. He also claims to spend hundreds of dollars on the lottery every month and the winning Lotto Super 7 ticket was purchased by him, and him alone.

This case is still being investigated by Alberta Court of Queen's Bench and payment has yet to be made to anybody.

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Traveler Wins $1 Million on Instant Scratch Lottery Ticket

Do you ever buy lottery tickets while traveling out-of-country or out-of-state? I know I do. You never know, maybe a new lottery can bring some good luck. Joy Thompson was a traveler when she experienced this good luck first-hand! She won $1 million!

Joy Thompson lives in Brownsville, Pennsylvania. She was traveling to Florida to visit family for a week, when she stopped at Lawhon's Grocery store in Fort Myers and bought a lottery ticket. But it wasn't just any lottery ticket - It was Florida Lottery's massive Billion Dollar Blockbuster instant scratch lottery game - Massive because of the huge amount of prizes available to be won. Joy won $1 million!

Actually, Joy says that she always plays the lottery in Florida whenever she visits, so maybe it wasn't beginner's luck. But she was lucky, nonetheless. At the time of her win, Joy was 59-years-old.

The Billion Dollar Blockbuster instant scratch game from Florida Lottery costs $20 to play and has some massive prizes. The top prize in the game is $10 million and there are 10 of those prizes available to be won. There are a total of 120 $1 million prizes available as well, of which Joy Thompson claimed one. The odds of actually winning the prize that Joy won is approximately 1-in-546,000.

So, remember folks... next time you're in Florida, don't forget to buy a Billion Dollar Blockbuster instant scratch lottery tickets. There are still many unclaimed prizes left!

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Michael Sanchez - Nassau Community College Student Wins The Lottery

Michael Sanchez looks young, doesn't he? I think he looks a lot younger than the 21 years he actually is. But hey, he is 21-years-old, a student at Nassau Community College, and he just won the lottery - $1 million from New York Lottery's Sweet Million game!

The Nassau Community College student plays the lottery twice a week and had been doing so since he was 19-years-old. He usually buys instant scratch tickets, but this time he bought $5 worth of Sweet Million tickets. He changed it up because he liked the kittens in the commercial (You can see the commercial for yourself here - Aside from kittens, it also has cute dogs, pigs, and chicks!) and because the odds of winning are relatively good.

Michael Sanchez said that he would use the money to pay off some bills for his parents, buy a good bed (The bed that he sleeps on currently sucks), and to take a trip to see the Mayan ruins in Mexico. Aside from that, he plans to be smart with his money because he's heard of too many horror stories of lottery winners losing all of their winnings.

Michael Sanchez also hopes that nobody treats him any differently, now that he's rich!

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Scotland Lottery Winner's Purchases Include Audi RS4 And New Hips

Some say that winning the lottery won't make you happy. Maybe they're right. Maybe not. Let's say osteoarthritis severely damaged your hips. Because of that, you could barely do anything. You needed people to help you with anything you had to do, including taking a bath. And, let's say you couldn't afford the hospital bills to fix your hips. That would suck. Now, let's say you won the lottery and could finally afford the hospital bill to fix your hips. After a successful operation, your quality of life, and most certainly, your happiness would improve tremendously. That's just one example of why I believe winning the lottery would make you happy.

It happened to Scotland lottery winner, Mark Page. Actually, it was his girlfriend that had osteoarthritis and could barely do anything. She needed new hips and Mark paid the bill of £20,000 for the operation.

Mark Page, of Dundee, Scotland, won £4.7 million ($7,815,157 USD) in August of 2007. Other than the new hips for his girlfriend, Mark purchased a new Audi RS4 and has been spending a lot of time on the golf course doing what he loves to do - Play golf! Of course, he also quit his job immediately after winning the lottery. Sure sounds like a happy guy to me!

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Wayne Reese Did A Ric Flair Impression After Winning Mega Millions Lottery

Wayne Reese must love Ric Flair (WWE wrestler). That's because he did a Ric Flair impression after finding out that he won the lottery. He let out a "WHEW!" - Ric Flair style!

Wayne Reese won $12 million playing Mega Millions in the September 1, 2009 draw. He bought a quick pick ticket while stopping at a store in Newnan, Georgia to buy a MoonPie snack. The draw was on September 1, and he went 24 hours without actually realizing that he won. He checked his numbers on the internet on September 2 and that's when he found out that he won. You know what came next, right? The Ric Flair impression. Then he called out to his family and said, "Y’all won’t believe what’s right here!" Ya, pretty unbelievable!

At the time of his big win, Wayne Reese was 54-years-old and living in Sharpsburg, Georgia. He also owned a septic tank business.

With the win, Wayne said he was "on a new ride." He planned to use the money to remodel his house and also to build homes for each of his two adult children.

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Marinette Wisconsin Powerball Winner Doug Miron Pulled A Leg Muscle Jumping In The Air

Doug Miron was watching TV when he saw the Powerball numbers across the screen. He always knew that he would win, yet when he saw those numbers, he pulled a leg muscle after jumping in the air due to all of the excitement. This need to be a lesson to you all: Stretch your muscles before checking your lottery tickets because you just never know. Doug Miron should have known to stretch before-hand since he always knew that he would win!

Doug is the latest Powerball winner and he hails from Marinette, Wisconsin, which is about 50 miles north of Green Bay. Actually, he had been playing two sets of numbers for 17 years prior to hitting it big with a $31.4 million Powerball win in the October 14, 2009 draw. Two sets of numbers, one chosen by himself and one chosen by his brother, Steve, who passed away in 2003 at the age of 44. After his brother passed away, Doug Miron continued to play his numbers. It was actually Doug's chosen numbers that hit the jackpot.

Doug Miron said he would use the money to enjoy life and also to help lots of people.

Congratulations to Doug on his lottery win that he always knew he would get!

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Ottawa Lottery Winner Ingrid Seltenreich Hits Lottario Jackpot

One of the good things about the Lottario lottery game in Ontario, Canada, is that if you buy your tickets early, you essentially get an additional lottery game to play. Lottario draws every Saturday, with jackpots starting at $250,000, and if you buy tickets by the end of Friday, you get to play an extra "early Bird" game to win an additional few hundred dollars. Early Bird is free, as long as you buy the tickets in time.

Ingrid Seltenreich, of Ottawa, plays Lottario too. Perhaps she plays because of Early Bird. Or perhaps she plays because Lottario has better odds of winning than most Canadian lottery games. Who knows? But I do know that Ingrid Seltenreich won the jackpot. $370,378 in the September 12, 2009 draw. Nice!

At the time of her win, lottery winner Ingrid Seltenreich was 69-years-old and lived in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada with her husband. When she found out that she won, Ingrid said that she woke up her husband and was screaming from all of the excitement. She plans to use the money to finish building her cottage, go on a trip, and share some with her family.

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Arkansas lottery Winner Joe Pierce Charged With Indecent Exposure & Loitering

Arkansas Lottery only just started operations in September 28, 2009, when it launched their initial instant scratch-off tickets. That was to be followed a few weeks later with the launch of Powerball. So, you can imagine that the first ever big Arkansas Lottery winner would be big news. But nobody could imagine how big.

It all started when Joe Pierce bought an instant scratch lotto ticket at the store that he worked at and won $100,000. That was it, he was the first big winner! And, Joe said that it came just in time, as he and his wife had a baby just five days prior to the win. Big news in Arkansas! But soon, it would be much bigger news...

After claiming his winnings, Joe Pierce was, subsequently, arrested for a indecent exposure and loitering incident that happened in August of the same year. That was when he exposed himself to an undercover police officer and propositioned oral sex.
He was also charged with drug possession and remanded to serve a ten-day jail sentence.

As you can imagine, this was big news in Arkansas. I'm sure that Arkansas Lottery wanted publicity because it was a brand new lottery, but this couldn't have been the type of publicity they were seeking... drugs, loitering, indecent exposure! Damn!

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$189 Million Powerball Winner Dr William Steele - Biggest Ever Florida Lottery Winner

Floridians have only been able to play Powerball since January of 2009. That's because that is when the game was first offered by Florida Lottery. So, it was only a matter of time that someone from the state won a big Powerball jackpot, and that person is Dr. William Steele! He hit the big one. $189 million! That $189 million is also the biggest ever lottery prize in Florida's history. Nothing before had even come close; in September of 1990, six people shared a $106.5 million jackpot; in December of 2002, four people shared a $104.8 million jackpot; the previous biggest single winner ever for a Florida Lottery prize was in November of 2004, when Robert G. Swofford Jr. won $60 million. Now, Dr. Steele has broken all records!

Dr. Dr William Steele won the $189 million powerball jackpot in the October 3, 2009 draw. When he picked up his money, Dr. Steele said that much of it would go to charity. It looks like he is the generous type of person and likes to help the less fortunate. In fact, he was on his way to a charity event Universal Studios when he realized that he still had an unchecked Powerball ticket in his wallet. Knowing that someone from his area won the jackpot, he called a friend and asked him to check the numbers. That's when he found out that it was him. So, which charities will William be donating to? That reamins a mystery, but he says that they know who they are.

At the time of his win, William Steele was a 56-year-old dermatologist in Orlando, Florida. He says that he will continue the practice, that is, if his patients allow for that to happen. His wife, Frances Summers-Steele, was an inspirational writer and working on a book.

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76 Year Old Niagara Falls Lotto 649 Winner Bought Ticket On Lundy's Lane

The battle of Lundy's Lane was fought during the war of 1812. It was the bloodiest battle ever fought in Canada, but the Canadians won the battle and the Americans retreated. Today, Lundy's Lane is a street in Niagara Falls offers cheap hotels for tourists that can't afford the luxury hotels in the main part of Niagara. It also has many great restaurants and some seedy strip joints. Lundy's Lane is also where Peter Young bought some lottery tickets for the September 30, 2009 Lotto 649 draw.

Peter said that he doesn't usually buy lottery tickets, but this particular Lotto 649 draw had a jackpot that was close to $13 million. And, 13 is a lucky number, so he bought $10 worth of tickets at Avondale store on Lundy's Lane in Niagara Falls. It's a good thing he did, too, because one of his tickets matched all six numbers to win $12.5 million!

At the time of his win, Peter Young was 76-years-old and living in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada with his wife, Gillian. He also had 3 children, whom he plans to share his winnings with. Peter also plans to use the money to travel, especially to go somewhere warm (The nasty Canadian winter is fast approaching).

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Lottery Fraud Victims Get Their Just Desserts (Plus Interest)

Take a look at the photo to the left. That's Lorraine Teicht, Silvana Pincivero, Aurora Pincivero, and Paul Carlisi. They won $5.7 million playing Lotto 6/49 in 2004. But they didn't get to take that ceremonial picture until 2007, three years later. Why? They were victims of lottery fraud.

Although not too many specific details about the case are known, we do know how it played out, generally. The group went into a convenience store to check their tickets in 2004. The store owner, 60-year-old Hafiz Malik, somehow ended up claiming the winning ticket six months later. It is not known how Mr Malik held onto the ticket, but I suspect that he saw that it was a big winner when he verified it, but must have told his customers that it was a loser; that's usually how this type of fraud normally takes place. Anyway, the rightful owners of the ticket only suspected the fraud a few years later and it was not disclosed how they realized this.

The OPP (Ontario Provincial Police) and OLG (Ontario Lottery & Gaming) went into investigation mode when the rightful winners came forward. Hafiz Malik's assets were seized and he was charged. The rightful winners did, in the end, get their just desserts, plus interest. The story ended well, but it took three years.

When they got their money, the group of four were finally able to say what they would do with it. Aurora Pincivero said she would take her kids to Disneyworld. Paul Carlisi said he would buy some waterfront property, travel, and buy a pearl necklace for his cat (Note: out of all the lottery winners I've covered, this is the most unique purchase I've heard of). Lorraine Teicht said she would buy the car of her dreams - A new Nissan Murano. Silvana Pincivero said she would help her kids and live a stress-free lifestyle. Sounds like this group will really get to enjoy their just desserts!

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Joe Florence Is Depressed About Winning Powerball Lottery

Just before the Florida Lottery prize claim office took this photo of Joe Florence, they told him that he could have won $1 million instead of the $200,000 that he actually won on Powerball if he had purchased the Power Play option for an extra dollar. One extra dollar would have gotten him an extra $800,000, so Joe was depressed and that's why he's not smiling in the picture.

OK, he's not really depressed; Joe Florence even laughed about it afterwards. But, he says that a million dollars would have been nice and he even played the exact same numbers that he won with on a subsequent draw. And, this time, he purchased Power Play for an extra dollar. He was not lucky twice, though.

Joe Florence considers himself a sporadic lottery player and says that the $200,000 Powerball prize came in handy. aside from the shopping spree that his wife went on, he was able to help his daughter who was having some terrible luck. Her rental house burned down, along with all of her personal property that was not insured. On top of that, somebody stole her truck the very next day.

Other than that, Joe Florence said that he would use the money to renovate his house and pay off the car loan for his other daughter.

It looks like Joe wants to help a lot of people. Actually, he is the generous type - On his way to the lottery prize claim office to collect his money, an elderly woman stopped him to ask for a ride to the bus stop. Being the generous man that he is, he drove her to the bus stop.

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Retired Firefighter Wins Lucky Casino Instant Scratch From Virginia Lottery

When James Penn scratched his Lucky Casino instant lotto ticket from Virginia Lottery, he thought to himself, "Oh my gosh, I think I need to go to the hospital." Why such a reaction? It's because James won the game's jackpot. $500,000! He turned a $10 purchase of a lottery game into half a million dollars!

When James Penn won the lottery in October of 2009, he was a retired firefighter and described himself as a man that likes to have fun. And, guess what he will be doing, now that's he has won the lottery? Having fun, of course! Except, now, he will have more fun. In fact, he was planning a trip do Las Vegas even before he won $500,000. The retired firefighter is still gonna go, but the trip should end up being much better!

Lucky Casino is an instant scratch lotto game from Virginia Lottery. The top prize in the game is $500,000, which James Penn won. The odds of winning the top prize in the game are approximately 1-in-1-million. There are other, smaller prizes too, ranging from $10 to $50,000. The odds of winning any prize in the Lucky Casino game are 1-in-3.72.

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Diane Robson Attends National Lottery Birthday Celebration Bash

The National Lottery in the UK is probably the coolest lottery in the world. They do things differently. For example, if you win the lottery in the United States, you have to travel to the prize claim center to pick up your prize on your own; if you win in the UK, the National Lottery sends a limo. Pretty cool! Not only that, they often throw parties for past lottery winners. Recently, they threw the National Lottery's 15th birthday celebration bash at the Grand Hotel in Brighton in October of 2009.

Diane Robson was at the birthday bash. She won £2.4 million ($3,815,378 USD) in July of 2007. She got to enjoy a three-course meal, champagne, and cake at the Grand Hotel, courtesy of the UK National Lottery. It must've been a great party!

When Diane Robson won the lottery in 2007, it was just week's before her niece, Louise Pain's, wedding. Diane promised to make that wedding "extra special!"

Diane also planned to buy her dream car with her lottery winnings, a brand-new Peugeot Cabriolet.

Since her win, Diane Robson said she bought the car and a big house and a big garden for her dog. She also invested some of the money. Her life seems to be going great these days!

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New York Sweet Million Lottery - First Ever Winner Is Luis Cruz

Sweet Million is a brand new lotto game from New York Lottery. It started in September of 2009 and it is advertised as your best chance to win a $1 million for a dollar. Now, the first ever Sweet Million lottery winner has been announce: Luis Cruz from Catskill, NY.

When Luis Cruz went into New York lottery's prize claim office, he said that he doesn't even play the lottery much. But he did play Sweet Million. He bought five Quick Pick tickets for the September 28, 2009 draw. And, he won!

When asked why he played Sweet Million, Luis Cruz said that there were two reasons. The first is the odds. The game has much better odds than New York Lotto (Approximately 1-in-22.5-million) and Mega Millions (Approximately 1-in-175-million). The odds of winning the Sweet Million jackpot of $1 million are just 1-in-3.9-million.

The second reason why Luis Cruz played Sweet Million is because of the advertising. The game really does have some cool commercials. Check out this cute one:

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Winning The Lottery Was A Nightmare For James And Noreene Gordon

Everybody dreams about winning the lottery. But have you ever considered that that dream could become a nightmare? That's the way it turns out for some lottery winners.

James and Noreene Gordon won a $23,983,803 jackpot from Florida Lottery in February of 2000. Noreene says that, for them, it was a nightmare. She says that, when people know that you're rich, they want to take advantage of you and it happens every single day. For starters, friends and neighbors come calling and knocking on your door and they all want one thing - A piece of your fortune. It could become one big headache.

Noreene and James Gordon didn't exactly get to live the good-life with their winnings. James died six years later, in 2006. Noreene suffered strokes on three separate occasions since the win. They should have had a great life. It didn't happen that way.

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Lottery winner Kimberley Poole Has Richer Moment With Purolator Courier

Everybody's always interested in knowing the odds of winning the lottery. But here's a new one for you - What are the odds of being in a store the moment someone validates a jackpot winner? Who knows? But there's a particular Purolator Courier employee that's experienced it. Not once, but twice! What are the odds of being there at that time twice?

Kimberley Poole won the $1000 a week for 25 years jackpot in the Atlantic Canada scratch game called "Set For Life." Kimberley describes the moment when she found out that she won a "richer moment" and she says that you need to celebrate those richer moments in life with whoever is there. In this case, that particular Purolator Courier employee just happened to be in the store. He got to share some hugs, tears, and laughter with Kimberley Poole. The ironic thing is that this man was there when another stranger won the jackpot on the exact same scratch lottery game a few years before. Really, what are the odds?

At the time of her win, Kimberley Poole lived in Fall River, Nova Scotia, Canada with her husband, Clifford. They had been married for 25 years and had never been on a honeymoon. Tops on their list of things to do, now that they could afford it, is to finally go on their honeymoon.

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Lou Eisenberg - The Original Broke Lottery Winner From 1981

When Lou Eisenberg won $5 million in the New York Lottery way back in 1981, it was the single biggest lottery win in The United States - EVER! It was so big that Lou became an instant celebrity. He appeared on Johnny Carson and there were photo ops with people like Oprah Winfrey, Tony Bennett, and Regis Philbin. Lou was the man! He was big! Sadly, he also set a precedent for future lottery winners.

Lou Eisenberg blew it all. Today he is broke and living in a trailer. Perhaps you could say that he is the original broke lottery winner. He was the first. There were many more that followed. Andrew Jackson Whittaker. John McGuiness. Pete Kyle. Curtis Sharp. Alex Toth. That's just the tip of the iceberg. But the legacy is Lou Eisenberg's. He was the first, the original broke lottery winner.

I don't want it to seem like all lottery winners end up broke. Some actually do wonderful things with their money. Cynthia Stafford is just one example. It's just the few that really screw up that stand out. Everybody dreams of winning the lottery; so few actually do. And, the ones that win a big jackpot and then go on to blow it really gets people's attention because they once had what so many people want.

Lou Eisenberg, however, claims to be happy. He said that when he had the money, he lived for the moment. Today, he still gambles. I guess that when it's in your blood, it never leaves. Who knows, maybe Lou will win another jackpot again. It wouldn't be the first time somebody's won the lottery twice!

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Does A Prenuptial Agreement Include Lottery And Gambling Winnings?

Kenneth Parker was 61-years-old when he married Connie in 1987. That was his second marriage. Having gone through a marriage already, he insisted on a prenuptial agreement because he was wealthier than Connie. The prenup stated that any money or property in eachother's name, either before or after the marriage, belonged to that person. That sounded like a smart agreement for Kenneth. After all, he gets to keep his wealth in the event that the marriage ends. Smart, unless Connie wins the lottery, of course!

Connie Parker won $25 million from New York Lottery in February of 2003. At that time, the couple had been married for 16 years. Kenneth was 77 and Connie was 74. Kenneth wanted half the money but, damn, there was that pesky prenuptial agreement that stated otherwise.

Kenneth then proceeded to empty their safety deposit box, take Connie's bankbook, passport, and birth certificate. Then he filed for divorce and asked for half the money. He claimed that the prenuptial agreement didn't include lottery and gambling winnings. He also said that it was he who gave Connie $20 to buy the tickets. Isn't that nice - The man who wanted a prenuptial agreement wanted half the money. Ironic!

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Curtis Sharp's Advice For New Lottery Winners - Get A Lawyer & Financial Advisor

That's Curtis Sharp on the left in the photo. He won $5 million in the lottery in 1982. Sure, that's nothing compared to the massive jackpots you often see today, but, back then, $5 million was huge. Curtis won a lot of money. Today it's all gone and he's living off his pension.

Curtis Sharp blew it. He loved the high-life and spent all his money on it. He has some advice for new lottery winners - When you win the lottery, take a vacation. You need to go away and clear your head. When you get back, find a good lawyer and a good financial adviser to help you protect your money. That's good advice... And he should know!

When Curtis Sharp won the lottery in 1982, he became somewhat of a celebrity. Curtis Sharp was a sharp dresser. He spent a lot of money on dapper clothing. He also bought many luxury items like a new house and fancy car and did a lot of traveling. Not only that, he was generous with his many and gave a lot of it away. He also appeared in TV commercials for lotteries and became instantly recognizable. People would call out his name when he walked down the street. Curtis was a celebrity and lived the lifestyle.

The one good thing that Curtis Sharp did was that he kept working at his job even after winning the lottery. He continued to work for eight years, which allowed him to keep his pension. And, it is his pension that keeps him going now. That's because the lottery money is gone.

So, take Curtis's advice. When you win the lottery, get a lawyer and financial adviser. They'll keep you level-headed.

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$112 Million Lottery Winner Cynthia Stafford Starts Queen Nefertari Production Company

Prior to winning the Mega Millions lottery jackpot, Cynthia Stafford loved the arts. In fact, she would often donate money to arts institutions, maybe a few dollars here and there. Then, when she won the lottery, she gave $1 million to Geffen Playhouse, a performing arts theater in Los Angeles, California that often has features performances from Hollywood stars such as Matthew Modine and Laurence Fishburne.

Cynthia Stafford, along with her father Robert and her brother Robert Jr. won the $112 Mega Millions jackpot on the May 11, 2007 draw. They won it with just a $2 ticket. When picking up her money, Cynthia was all smiles and said that she was excited and happy!

The Mega Millions jackpot win allowed Cynthia to concentrate on what she loves - The arts! In addition to many donations to Geffen Playhouse and other institutions, she also started her own production company called Queen Nefertari. Cynthia said that she feels a natural attraction to Queen Nefertari because she was an important Egyptian Queen that was peaceful and supported the arts.

Cynthia Stafford already has a few things on her plate. She is the executive producer of a movie based on a novel by Don Delillo called White Noise. She is also in discussions about making and starring in a handful of television shows.

I'm predicting that Cynthia will be a great success!

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Bolivia Lottery Winner Alfonso Del Granado Is A Doctor That Delivers Babies

Alfonso Del Granado came from Bolivia to the United States of America and became a doctor. He is an obstetrician and gynecologist and delivers 40 to 50 babies each and every month. Actually, he's delivered more than 40,000 babies in his 40 year career. He works hard and does a good job. He also plays the lottery. Alfonso says that he always has lottery tickets in his pocket. I guess he just loves the lottery.

In fact, Dr. Del Granado lives in the state of Illinois which offers the Mega Millions game, but he plays Powerball, I guess, because he likes it more. That means he has to cross over into Indiana to play it because that's the closest state that offers the game. But it's a good thing that he does that. That's because he won the $2000,000 second prize in Powerball on the September 16, 2009 draw.

The new lottery winner says that he doesn't plan to slow down, even with the extra $200,000 that he won. He says that he will continue to work hard. The money will come in handy to pay off some bills and to help his son with his tuition in his final year of law school.

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Video Of Portuguese Lottery Winners Mario and Clelia Lopes

Portuguese lottery winners Mario and Clelia Lopes won $126 million in the July 22, 2009 Mega Millions draw. It was Clelia that actually bought the winning ticket and was carrying it in her purse for days after the draw, not realizing that it was a winning ticket. Imagine carrying $126 million in your purse. Wow!

Mario and Clelia Lopes moved to the United States, from Portugal, over 30 years ago. At the time of their big win, the couple were living in New Jersey. Mario was a construction foreman and Clelia was a homemaker. Mario said that he planned to continue working even though he is rich beyond his wildest dreams.

Here's a video of the Portuguese couple at their check-presentation media event:

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Ontario 49 Winner Ubirajara Da Silva From Cambridge

Ubirajara Da Silva won $1 million in the Ontario 49 lottery game from OLG (Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation) in the September 2, 2009 draw.

Ubirajara Da Silva said that he almost threw the ticket away before finally realizing that he won. At the time of his win, Ubirajara was a 67-years-old minister from Cambridge, Ontario, Canada. He said that he would use the money to pay off his mortgage and also help his children.

The Ontario 49 lottery game is the province's best-kept secret. OK, it's not actually a secret, but most people don't play it and, instead, play Lotto 6/49. People play Lotto 6/49 because the jackpots are much higher. The 6/49 jackpot could reach tens of millions of dollars, while Ontario 49 has a maximum jackpot of $1 million. They're both the exact same game - both games require players to match 6-out-of-49 numbers, but Ontario 49 has much better odds per dollar spent.

The odds of winning either of the two games are approximately 1-in-14-million. Lotto 6/49 tickets cost $2 each and Ontario 49 tickets cost 50 cents each. So far the $2 that you spend on Lotto 6/49, you could buy 4 Ontario 49 tickets. Thus, instead of odds of 1-in-14-million, 4 tickets will give you odds of winning the jackpot at 1-in-3.5 million. That's much better. Sure, Ontario 49 has a smaller jackpot, but a million dollars is still a lot of money.

Ubirajara Da Silva probably realized this and that's why he played the Ontario 49 game. And, now he's a million dollars richer!

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