Lifestyles Of The Rich & Famous Lottery Winners - Boredom

What would happen if you bought a lotto ticket for a big jackpot and then you, subsequently, find out that you're the winner? Usually, it starts off like this - You initially feel shock that you actually won, but then you come to terms with it. You realize that you are about to become rich and famous. When you go to claim your prize, you know that their will be media there and your story and picture will be splashed all over the news. You will get through that and then the rest of your life will be amazing. There will be luxury cars, big houses, yachts, and exotic vacations. You will be living the lifestyle of the rich and famous!

Then, soon enough, there will be boredom. It happens for many people. It is sometimes a shock to the system for people that spend their time working and then, suddenly, never have to work again. It gets boring not having to do anything.

That's what happened to Sandra Fosbrooke. She and her partner, Ken Henry, won a £12.8 million ($19,438,301 USD) lotto jackpot in May of 2005. When she won, she was 48-years-old and working in a supermarket. She described the initial win as shocking. She said that she did not plan on going back to work after her lottery win. She planned to buy a new house in her village and also a villa in Spain. She planned to travel the world. It was going to be one of the greatest lifestyles ever!

Sandra Fosbrooke did everything that she said she was going to do. But then boredom kicked in. She said that you can only travel so much before it gets boring. So she stayed at home with nothing to do. Then she learned that the local pub was going to be shut down and she decided to buy it and work there. That would give her something to do! Now she works 12 hour days at her pub.

Can you imagine being a big lottery winner and working 12 hour days? You dream about winning the lottery so that you don't have to work so hard and, yet, some people end up working again.

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Matthew Ehmka - High School Art Teacher Wins The Lottery

You would hope that high school teachers would have a positive outlook on life. That would really set a good mood in the classroom. Matthew Ehmka is a high school art teacher and he says that he is one of those people that has a positive outlook on life. He always looks at things with the "glass half full" mantra. He even applies that positivity to lottery games.

Now, Matthew Ehmka can tell his art students that he is rich. He won the $500,000 jackpot in CT Lottery's $500,000 Club instant scratch lotto game in March of 2010. Looks like having a positive outlook on things works with lottery games too!

The $500,000 Club instant scratch game from CT Lottery costs $5 to play and offers four top prizes of $500,000. The odds of winning one of the four top prizes in the game are approximately 1-in-2.1-million. Other prizes in the game range from $5 to $50,000. The overall odds of winning any prize in $500,000 Club are approximately 1-in-4.06.

When Matthew Ehmka scratched the game, he saw that it was a winning ticket. However, he could not fathom how much he actually won. He just couldn't believe it. So he handed it over to the retailer to have it verified and asked him, "Is this a joke?" It wasn't a joke - Matthew was a big winner!

There was no word on what Matthew was planning to do with the money. However, I suspect he'll be getting some new art supplies!

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Latest Miracle Mile Lottery Winner - MA & Pa's In Fond du Lac Wisconsin USA

Have you heard about the "Miracle Mile"? The Miracle Mile is a small stretch on Main Street in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, USA that sells a disproportionate amount of winning lotto tickets. The luckiest store on Main Street in Fond du Lac is Ma & Pa's Convenience store. That store is the luckiest store in the country; it has sold more winning tickets than any other store, with the biggest being a $208.6 million Powerball win that was won by a group of employees at Sargento cheese plant in August of 2006.

The latest Miracle Mile lottery winner is a man named Ron Horton, who also purchased his winning ticket at Ma & Pa's convenience store. He won $1 million in a Powerball draw in March of 2010. Knowing that the store was lucky, Ron said that he always purchased his tickets there; why would he buy them anywhere else?

The first thing that Ron did when he found out that he was a winner was call his daughter, April. This is what April had to say about that phone call: "He's like I won $600,000 and I’m like whatever, you did not. It's not April Fool's yet. And all of a sudden he got choked up and he said April, I asked four other guys at work to look at the numbers. This is for real!" Ron thought that he won $600,000. In fact, he actually won $1 million.

What does Ron Horton plan to do with the money? So far, he has not decided on any big purchases, except for one... A Kitchenaid mixer. Ron likes to cook and always wanted one!

Do you think that Miracle Mile is actually lucky or is it just a coincidence? Would you go out of your way to drive to Fond du Lac, Wisconsin to buy your tickets there? Many people actually do that now.

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Angela Shesterniak Spent $10,000 On Lotto Tickets But Is Not Ready To Quit

You're probably a regular lottery player, so here's a question for you: If you win the jackpot one day, will you keep playing the lotto or will you quit?

Angela Shesterniak is a regular lotto player. She estimates that she had spent over $10,000 on tickets since she began playing. She also buys tickets with her mother, Kathleen. The two of them had been playing the same numbers for 15 years.

15 years of playing and, now, Angela and Kathleen Shesterniak's numbers came up. They won $3,701,103 in the Wednesday March 24, 2010 Lotto 649 draw. Do you think that's enough for Angela to quit playing? No way! She plans to keep buying her tickets. In fact, she had some instant scratch tickets in her purse when she went to the lottery prize office to collect her winnings. Now that's a dedicated lottery player!

At the time of their win, Angela was 42-years-old and working as a financial adviser, while Kathleen was 77-years-old and retired. The mother and daughter live in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

What do Angela and Kathleen Shesterniak plan to do with the money? For starters, Angela said that she may be buying a few new toys, including an SUV, a dirt bike, and a snowmobile. She's also considering going on vacations. As for her job as a financial planner, Angela says that she doesn't know if she will continue to work because, after all, there are better things to do than go to work. Kathleen, on the other hand, doesn't really plan to do much; she has three children and five grandchildren and just wants to make sure that the entire family is taken care of.

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Anthony Defillippo Matches First 5 Numbers Plus The Bonus In NY Lotto

Are you one of those people that play the same lottery numbers for every draw? There's a lot of people that do that. But how long would you keep playing those same numbers before giving up? A few months? A year? 5 years? 10 years? Forever? Your numbers gotta come up eventually, right?

Anthony Defillippo is one of those guys that play the same numbers week after week. He's been doing it for ten years: "I chose these numbers years ago knowing one day they would work for me. That day has finally come."

Anthony's day came when he matched the first 5 numbers, plus the bonus number, in the NY Lotto draw in March of 2010. The odds of matching the first 5 numbers, plus the bonus, in NY Lotto are approximately 1-in-3,754,790 per $1 play. Anthony won $149,030.

At the time of his win, Anthony Defillippo was a retired construction worker and living in Brooklyn, New York. He said that he planned to spend the money on his grandchildren.

Congratulations to Anthony on his lucky win!

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Australia Lottery Winner Werner Reinhold - Tale Of A Canceled Ticket

Have you ever bought a lotto ticket that had some kind of mistake and you had to have it canceled? It happens all the time. It happened to Werner Reinhold. Werner Reinhold is a lottery winner from Australia and his is a tale of a canceled ticket.

In September of 2005, Werner Reinhold went to the store to buy a lottery ticket. The ticket printed out of the machine, but it didn't print properly. So the clerk printed another one and gave it to him. The clerk, however, had to call NSW Lotteries to have the misprinted ticket canceled (NSW Lotteries operates the lottery in New South Wales, Australia). NSW Lotteries did cancel a ticket, but it canceled the wrong one. It canceled the one that Werner kept.

Here's where the tale gets interesting. Werner Reinhold won the jackpot with the ticket that he held. He won $1.8 million AUD. That works out to $1,632,488 USD. But that ticket was incorrectly canceled and Werener was told that he was out of luck.

Wouldn't you get pissed if that happened to you? Through no fault of your own, your winning lotto ticket gets canceled. I wouldn't stand for that. And, neither did Werner. He took NSW Lotteries to court.

It took a 2.5 year court battle for Werner Reinhold to get his money. But he did get it and the money is all his now. He was actually awarded more than he originally would have won. He got $2 million. I think he should have received more.

After the court battle was done and over with, Werner Reinhold said that he would use the money to enjoy the rest of his life. Good going Werner!

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Colorado MatchPlay Lottery Winner Mark Reneau

The Colorado MatchPlay lottery game is a brand-new game for the state of Colorado that started in February of 2010. It's actually one of my favorite lottery games and that's because the odds of winning are great. I'll describe the game in a moment; but first, I need to announce the game's first-ever jackpot winner - Mark Reneau.

Mark Reneau won the Colorado MatchPlay jackpot of $206,584 in March of 2010. The win came at the perfect time for Mark. He was laid off from his job in May of 2009 and finances were getting bad. This is how Mark described the big win: "This is huge! I've been so strapped for the past year almost. This catches me up. I can relax a little bit."

Mark said that he planned to use the money to pay off his bills and also to build up his savings. It's a big relief for the man that lost his job in a tough economy.

Now back to the MatchPlay game. The game is awesome because the odds of winning are great, relative to other lotto games. The odds of winning the jackpot, per $2 play, are 1-in-2,760,681. Now, that doesn't mean that it's easy to win, but it's great when compared to other games. Take Powerball, for instance. The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are 1-in-195,249,054. That's a big difference in odds. Consider this - If you buy just one ticket for each of the two games, you'd be about 70 times more likely to win the jackpot on the MatchPlay ticket. Amazing, isn't it? Not only are the odds of winning the jackpot great, but the odds of winning any prize are excellent as well. The overall odds of winning any prize in the MatchPlay game are approximately 1-in-6. You don't see those kinds of odds in a lotto game very often.

Granted, the top prize in MatchPlay is not as big it is in other games. The jackpot starts at $100,000 and keeps on growing if it is not won. Sure, that's not as big as the jackpots in Powerball. But, what would you rather have - No chance in hell at winning dozens of millions of dollars or a good chance at winning a few hundred thousand?

Congratulations to Mark Reneau on his lucky win!

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Bonnie Preece - London 649 Winner Brings Donuts And Coffee To No Frills Co-Workers

Bonnie Preece works at the No Frills Supermarket in London, Ontario. She must really care for her co-workers. That's because she brought them donuts and coffee before heading to Toronto to collect her big $20 million lottery prize.

Bonnie won $20,664,574 in the Lotto 649 draw on Saturday March 20, 2010. She wasted no time at all claiming her prize money. Two days later, on Monday morning, she woke up early to do the two hour drive to Toronto to collect her prize. But, of course, she couldn't forget her co-workers at the No Frills supermarket where she worked. So, first things first, she took care of them with some coffee and donuts before making the trek to Toronto.

While at the Toronto lottery prize claim office, Bonnie Preece remarked, "I can't even fathom it yet. It's a lot for me to handle just being here." Winning the lottery really is a whirlwind!

Bonnie was quite lucky to win. See, she's not even a regular lottery player. She only decided to play on the March 20th draw because the big jackpot was causing quite a commotion (The estimated jackpot for the draw was actually $41 million and it was split by two winning tickets, of which Bonnie held won). She bought just two tickets and manged to win the jackpot with that.

Bonnie Preece doesn't yet know what she will be doing with her new fortune. But she has asked for a few weeks off of work to take a vacation (I don't know why she hadn't just quit her job yet, but I assume that's coming - At least, i hope it's coming). She does plan to share some of the money with her family, though, and also help people in need.

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Winning The Lottery Was The Worst Thing To Ever Happen To William Hamilton

William Hamilton should have seen the bad luck coming the day that he tried to claim his lottery money. In August of 2009, William won £100,000 ($150,118 USD) in an instant scratch lotto game from UK's National Lottery. But when he went in to claim the prize, The National Lottery could not give it to him.

The National Lottery requires proper ID prior to handing out a big lotto prize. However, William Hamilton did not have any ID. Why? Because, at the time of his win, he had just recently been released from prison where he spent time for a robbery charge. He spent seven years in jail and, so, did not need a driver's license, or a bank account, or a passport. He did not have the ID that the National Lottery was looking for.

This is how William described it: "I've got doctor's lines, I've got photographs, I've got statements from doctors, medical cards, housing letters. I've got all that, but no bank will take (an account) out. I say, why not take me down to a police station and say 'who's that man' and I bet nine out of ten of them will say 'that's Willie Hamilton'."

After a lengthy battle with lottery headquarters, William got his money. But the problems did not stop there. He wanted to set his life back on track. So he decided to open up an antique furniture store. But he was denied a license to operate a business based on his past.

Then there were all the people that knew that William was a big lottery winner. They all hounded him for a piece of the cash. There was not enough to go around. That must have made some people jealous because an informant tipped off the police that William was in possession of drugs. The police searched his residence and found heroin, cannabis resin and diazepam. He went to court on possession of drug charges and was fined £500.

It looks like William's good luck turned into bad luck and was quoted as saying that winning the lottery was the worst thing to ever happen to him.

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King Of Clubs Instant Scratch Lottery Winner Lori Sturzenegger

OLG has a series of instant scratch lottery games from the playing card family: The $3 Jack Of Spades with a top prize of $75,000; the $5 Queen Of Hearts with a top prize of $1000; and the $7 King Of Clubs with a top prize of $300,000.

In February of 2010, Lori Sturzenegger purchased the King Of Clubs instant scratch Lottery game and won big money on it. She won the top prize of $300,000.

Speaking about her win, Lori Sturtzenegger described it as: "I was totally shocked! I had to double check it. i just couldn't believe it!"

The odds of winning the top prize of $300,000 on the King Of Clubs instant scratch game from OLG are approximately 1-in-748,000. The game offers some other prizes as well, ranging from $7 to $77,000. The overall odds of winning any prize in the game are 1-in-3,89.

At the time of her win Lori Sturzenegger was 48-years-old, living in Cobourg, Ontario, Canada, and working as a financial adviser. She said that she planned to use the money to pay off some bills and to invest the rest.

Congratulations to Lori on her lucky win!

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Colorado Millionaire Nick Rodriguez

Nick Rodriguez's father raised him to be a hard-worker. That's what he did - he worked hard his entire life. In October of 2009, he was working long hours at many jobs. Those jobs included overseeing building maintenance for Kit Carson County in Colorado, managing an apartment complex, mowing lawns, painting, and helping farmers with their wheat and corn harvests. That's a lot of work

Nick Rodriguez also liked to play the lottery. You would think that someone in Nick's position played the lottery so that they can get out of their situation of working long and hard hours. But not Nick. Sure, Nick wanted to win the lottery, but he also wanted to keep on working.

Nick actually got his wish. In October of 2009, he won $1 million on one of Colorado Lottery's "Millionaire" series of instant scratch games. The Colorado Millionaire series has many titles, including Mega Jackpot, Instant Jackpot, Lucky Millionaire, and more. They all have a top prize of $1 million and the odds of winning that top prize are 1-in-720,000.

One day in October of 2009, Nick bought an instant scratch ticket. He brought it home and scratched it to find that it was a $20 winner. So he went back to the same store, cashed in his $20 and bought another ticket. That's when he won $1 million. Yet the millionaire planned to keep working and doing all of the same jobs he did prior to winning.

This is how Nick Rodriguez described his big win: "This is more money than I ever expected; it's the kind of money that could get me into trouble and I don't want to do that. I just plan to be myself and change very little."

Nick said that he would use the money to buy a house and helped his family. He also said that he planned to take a week off of work because he hadn't had a vacation in nine years.

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Recent Divorce Brings Kevin Halstead Some Good Luck In The Lotto

Take a look at the photo to the left. That's Kevin Halstead. He's celebrating his divorce by popping open a bottle of champagne with his new partner, Josephine Jones. He looks happy, doesn't he? Wow, divorce really gets this man excited, doesn't it?

OK OK, he's not really celebrating his divorce, although the divorce may have brought him some good luck. His divorce was finalized just a few weeks ago. Just this past Friday, he went out to celebrate that fact with a friend. The very next day, on March 13, 2010, he bought a lotto ticket. He won! £2.3 million! That works out to $3,505,705 USD. That's what he's really celebrating in the photo.

Kevin's now Ex-wife, Helen Halstead, may have been entitled to some of the money had the divorce not yet been finalized when Kevin won the lotto jackpot. I guess that's bad luck for her. Ironically, she also bought some lotto tickets for the very same draw. She won £5.

Although the divorce makes for an interesting story, it should be noted that it was amicable and that they are still friends. They actually separated more than 10 years ago, but remained married for the sake of their daughter. They have remained friends the entire time.

Speaking about the divorce, Kevin Halstead said: "This win will help my friends out and she is still my friend. We maintained being friends and stayed in contact every week. There is no bitterness. I know lots of marriages go through very bitter break-ups but ours didn't." That's nice!

Kevin Halstead said that he plans to use the lottery winnings to buy a mansion, get seasons tickets for Liverpool FC, and to take his girlfriend on a vacation abroad

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Bahamas Lottery Winner Latherio Smith Has Shocking Experience

Do you ever buy instant scratch lottery games and then put them away to scratch at a later time? Not me - I scratch them right away. However, some people do put them away.

Latherio Smith is a man that was born in the Bahamas and is now living in New York. He's one of those people that buys the scratch games and then puts them away to scratch at a later time. About eight months ago, he bought a $500,000,000 Extravaganza game from New York Lottery. Then he put it away so that he would have something to do when he was bored.

When he finally got around to scratching it in March of 2010, he had a shocking experience. He won $1 million! This is how he described it: "You never expect it to happen and when it does, you're shocked. It's just not something you could ever expect."

The $500,000,000 Extravaganza scratch game from New York Lottery costs $20 to play and $1 million isn't even the top prize in the game. The top prize is $5 million. There is a second prize of $2 million. The $1 million that Latherio Smith won is actually the third prize. The odds of winning $1 million in the game are approximately 1-in-420,000.

At the time of his lottery win, the Bahamas-born Latherio was just 23-years-old and living in New York. He was working as an accountant for a firm in Manhattan. Latherio said that he would use the money that he won to star saving for a brownstone (A brownstone is a certain style of townhouse).

Just a note for others that save their scratch tickets: It's not a good idea to save it for too long because tickets expire. It would be pretty crappy to find that you're a big winner, only to find that the ticket expiry date is has passed.

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Donald MacDonald - $10 Million Oakville Lotto Max Winner

The March 12, 2010 Lotto Max jackpot in Canada was $10 million. Donald MacDonald bought a ticket, as he does every week. Then, last weekend, he was at the store when he overheard someone saying that someone in Oakville, Ontario won the jackpot. Donald lives in Oakville, so he went back home to check his ticket. Sure enough, it was him!

Then he played a little joke on the lottery retailer. He had a bunch of tickets to be verified. No big wins, but he gave the clerk his Lotto Max ticket last, knowing that it was a big winner. When the clerk saw that he had circled all of the numbers, she began to get excited. Then she ran the ticket through the machine to verify that it was a winner. Donald MacDonald won $10 million!

At the time of his win, Donald MacDonald was 78-years-old and living in Oakville, Ontario, Canada. He used to work in the Treasury department of Canadian Pacific, but is now retired. His job required a lot of traveling and, because of that, he was able to see the world. Now, with the big Lotto Max win, he wants to go back to visit Europe. He says that he hasn't been to Europe since 1986 and is just itching to go back.

An interesting note about Donald MacDonald is that he used to work as a goal judge for the NHL. That was during the 1960's, meaning that he rubbed shoulders with some hockey legends like Maurice Richard. He even just recently donated a signed puck from Richard to the Hockey Hall of Fame. Donald sure has lived an interesting life and the $10 million win is sure to make it even more interesting!

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Casting Call - Top Lottery Reality TV Show

There's a certain top lottery TV show that I watch. It's my favorite reality TV show of all time because it deals with my favorite subject - LOTTERY WINNERS! In fact, the show has profiled many of these lucky people! It's just a great show.

Now, it is currently in development phases of the third season of the lottery TV show. It wants to hear from big winners and you don't even need to be a lottery winner this time. You could be a big winner from the lotto, from a raffle, or even from a casino. If you won big money, this is your chance to be on TV! Each airing of the show reaches over 1 million people, and that's not including re-runs.

Here's the press release that was sent to me:

TOP TV SERIES SEEKS LOTTERY WINNERS!

-NATIONWIDE

NOW CASTING:

Are you one of the lucky few who’ve hit it big in the lottery, the casino, or raffle?

Has your newfound life as a prizewinner been filled with dream homes and exotic trips? Have you used your winnings to donate to charities or family, rebuild local communities, or create the business ventures of your dreams? We want to hear about your unique stories and be there to capture these life-changing moments for a major cable television network.

To apply, email us directly at lottery@beyond.com.au with your name and your hometown in the email subject (ex. Jane Smith, Miami, FL). Please include your contact details so we can reach you, and tell us a little bit about your win. Details could include:

-How much money you won, when, where, and how you won the prize?

-A short description of your life before and after your win. Did you buy a new house or new car? Quit work? How did friends and family react to the win? How much did you need that prize money?

-A short description about the moment you won the prize. How did you react? Who did you call first? What was the first thing you bought and why?

We would live to hear your unique story, whether winning was a positive or even a negative experience. Be sure to include all your contact information, including home phone number and/or cell phone number, fax number, and email address so we can follow up with you directly. We look forward to hearing from you!

Beyond Productions

4455 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 250

Washington DC 20008

Tel: 202.587.4131

Fax: 202.587.4165

lottery@beyond.com.au

If you want to be on TV but have not won the lottery yet, hurry up! Buy a ticket, join the free lottoplex.com

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Greg Smyth - Ireland Lottery Winner

On August 9, 2008, Greg Smyth was drunk. That's Greg, son of professional golfer Des Smyth. Greg was probably just having some fun. He was just 24-years-old at that time. No big deal. But he caused a ruckus or something because he ended up getting arrested. He was charged with public drunkenness and threatening & abusive behaviour by the police in Ireland.

That's gotta suck. Sure 24-year-old guys like to have some fun, but getting arrested for it sucks. That's just bad luck. However, Greg Smyth's luck changed just four short days later. On August 13, 2008, he bought €4 worth of lottery quick picks from the Irish lottery and won big - €9,426,636. That works out to $12,981,391 USD! Nice!

Greg recalled seeing the winning numbers on the TV. He knew he won, but couldn't believe it. He had to turn off the TV, go to the sink, and splash some water on his face to make sure he wasn't dreaming. It was real!

When he won the lottery, Greg's father, Des Smyth, was playing in the Champion's Tour golf tournament in The United States. He called his father in America to tell him the good news and even his father couldn't believe it. After he was convinced that it was true, Des immediately flew back to Ireland to be with his son. He said that his son will have some competent financial advisers and that he hopes he will heed their advice.

At the time of his win, the big lottery winner was 24-years-old, living in Baltray, Ireland, and a horticultural student at the Institute of Technology in Blanchardstown.

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Ivan Catchpaw Forgot To Play His Lottery Numbers But Karma Made Him Win

Do you believe in Karma? I think that Ivan Catchpaw was destined to win the lottery. See, about a decade-and-a-half ago, the man had regular lotto numbers that he played all the time. Then, one day, he forgot to play his numbers. Lo and behold, that's the day that his numbers were drawn. He should have been a millionaire that day. But he wasn't. He kept on playing, though. I think this is the type of guy that is destined to win.

It looks like karma had finally caught up to Ivan Catchpaw. He won $9.5 million playing Lotto Max on the March 5, 2010 draw. It's about time!

Ivan Catchpaw found out that he won when he was checking his tickets at the retailer. He gave the tickets to the clerk, who ran it through the lottery machine. That's when he said that the machine just started going crazy: "It was going big winner, big winner!"

He said that when he initially found out that he won, he didn't feel much of anything. However, when he started to tell people the news, that's when he started trembling. He said that he couldn't even fall asleep the first night. Winning that much money is quite shocking!

Ivan didn't waste a single moment. He quit his job right away. He was working as a truck driver for Abbotsford News in BC, Canada. However, he did give them two weeks notice. He didn't want to just leave them without an important employee, so he planned to work the full two weeks before retiring for good.

Ivan Catchpaw said that he plans to use the money to buy a new Dodge Ram pickup truck. It will be candy-apple red. He also plans to share some of the money with family and friends.

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Mother And Son Are Lotter Winners

Orma Allen and David Allen are mother and son. They are also lotter winners! Isn't it just great when family members play together - And win together?

Orma and David Allen won $1 million playing the Encore game from OLG in Ontario, Canada. $1 million is the top prize in the game and the odds of winning it are 1-in-10,000,000. The mother and son tandem beat the odds to win the top Encore prize in the November 6, 2009 draw.

It was Orma that held the ticket and checked the numbers to discover that they had won. She described the feeling as pure excitement. In fact, she couldn't sleep all night the night she found out that they won. She couldn't sleep because she was anxious to get to the morning so that she could call her son, David, to tell him the great news. She didn't say why she didn't just call him right away, but I'm assuming that, being the great mom that she is, she didn't want to wake up her baby. That's so nice!

David described the excitement of the win too: "I didn't believe it at first, I had to check it a few times before I believed it. We are both still in shock."

At the time of their win, David and Orma lived in Lansdowne, Ontario. Orma was 77-years-old and David was 46-years-old. David said that he planned to use the money to go on a vacation and save for the future, while Orma said that she planned to do some home renovations and buy a brand-new lawnmower. Isn't that cute - A lottery winner wants a new lawnmower?

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Steve Williams - $200 Million Mega Millions Lottery Winner From Virginia

Who in their right mind would wait five months to claim a $200 million lottery jackpot that they had won? I have no idea, but you can ask Steve Williams, a man from Shenandoah, Virginia.

Steve Williams won $200 million in the Mega Millions Lottery draw on October 16, 2009. He knew that he won it, yet he waited and waited. Finally, on March 12, 2010, almost five months after the draw, he went into Virginia Lottery's headquarters to claim his prize.

Why did he wait so long? He said that he wanted to consult with legal and financial advisers to plan out his future. That took five months? I could have done that in one day! I guess everybody's different.

Steve Williams won the big jackpot on a quick pick at Valley's store on 601 4th Street in Shenandoah, VA. He goes in their in the mornings to make a fresh pot of coffee (He makes the coffee himself, even though he doesn't work there) and sometimes buys some lotto tickets. Soon after the draw took place, Steve was back at the store making coffee, when the owner told him the winning ticket was purchased at the store. Steve had his ticket checked and that's when he found out that it was him. "I didn't need to jump up and down," he said. "She (The store clerk) was doing enough for both of us!"

At the time of his win, Steve Williams was working as a carpenter. Yet, despite his big win, he plans to continue working at his job as a carpenter. Ironically, when describing his $200 million Mega Millions win, Steve said, "If there is truth that dreams come true, then look right here and you'll see one." If his dream was to work as a carpenter for the rest of his life, then his dream cam true a while ago!

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Scharlene Elms Ain't No Fool - She Really Did Win Lottery Money

You wanna know what would make you look foolish? If you thought that you won big lottery money, only to find out that you made a mistake checking your numbers when you go into the prize claim office to get your money.

Ya, that would be bad and Edith Elms (She goes by the name Scharlene Elms) knows that. When she checked her Powerball tickets for the February 6, 2010 draw, she saw that she matched all 5 white ball numbers. That's good for a $200,000 prize. However, Scharlene knew that she was not a lucky person and couldn't believe that what she was seeing was right. She wasn't about to go claim her prize because if she was wrong, she would look like a fool.

So Scharlene Elms had her boyfriend, Wayne, double-check the ticket. He came back to her and said, "I think it's right!" She still could not believe it. So she called her daughter to have her check the numbers as well. Her daughter confirmed the win as well.

It looked like Scharlene really wasn't a fool. So she went into the prize claim office and claimed her prize. She got the money. $200,000. Scharlene Elms really ain't no fool!

At the time of her win, Scharlene was living in Eldon, Missouri, USA (About two hours west of St. Louis). She said that she would use the money to pay off some bills, put a down payment on a house, and take a vacation to Nashville, Tennessee. She always wanted to go to Nashville, but has never been able to. Now, thanks to the lotto money, she will get to go!

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Kevin Bowser - $9.5 Million Lotto Winner From Houston, BC

What do you do if you have a crappy car? You buy a lottery ticket, of course! Then you could afford to get a nice car. But what if you win the jackpot and your crappy car is not reliable enough to make it to the lottery prize claim office? Then you have to bum a ride.

That's what happened to Kevin Bowser. He's a lotto winner. The jackpot for the March 5, 2010 Lotto Max draw in Canada was $19 million. There were two winning tickets sold. Kevin held one of them, netting him half the prize - $9.5 million. However, Kevin lives in Houston, BC, which is in the middle of nowhere. BC's lottery prize claim office is in Richmond, a 13 hour drive from Houston. Kevin's car was unreliable, so the new millionaire had to bum a ride from his brother. I'm sure that his brother won't complain, though - As long as Kevin pays him handsomely for the trip!

That 13 hour ride to the lotto prize claim office must have been torture. Kevin said that he had his winning ticket in his pocket, but that he had been taking it out every 15 minutes just to make sure it was still there. Winning that much money can sure make you paranoid!

At the time of his win, Kevin Bowser was 48-years-old, working as a forklift operator and living in Houston, BC, which has a population of less than 3000 people. He said that he would be quitting his job and using the money to buy a new house. I'm sure he'll be buying a new car too!

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Phenix City Alabama Lottery Winner John Tull

John Tull lives in Phenix City, Alabama and likes to play the lottery. However, Alabama does not have a state lottery. So he has to play elsewhere. Luckily, Georgia's not too far, so he can buy tickets there.

That's what John Tull did when he bought a Millionaire Jumbo Bucks instant scratch game from Georgia Lottery. The game costs $20 to play and offers a top prize of $2.5 million. And, what do you know, John won the top prize!

The Alabama man is now a lottery winner. He won $2.5 million playing Millionaire Jumbo Bucks in February of 2010.

When john found out that he won, he was excited but it didn't show. Here's what he had to say about the moment: "I was excited, but I didn't jump up and down." It was great that he won that much money but he also that that he was just missing something: "You see, two months ago, I lost my wife to cancer and half my heart was gone then."

At the time of his win, John Tull was living in Phenix City, Alabama and working at Wal-Mart. He said that he would be using the money to pay off his mortgage and buy a new truck. He doesn't anticipate going on a vacation any time soon, though; He said that he's got some things to take care of first.

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Lottery Winner Michael Vice Gets His Finances In The Black

One of the best things about winning the lottery is getting all of your finances in the black (No debts!). That's what Michael Vice said - "It feels pretty good. It’s had to sink in. I guess I’m going to pay my bills, get everything in the black and get a new truck."

Michael Vice won a $5 million jackpot from a New York Lottery instant scratch game called Set For Life in March of 2010. The game costs $10 to play and the odds of winning the jackpot in the game are approximately 1-in-6.3-million.

Michael said that he is a regular player of scratch lottery tickets, but he rarely ever buys the $10 games. On this particular day, he stopped for coffee at C & G Petroleum gas station with his girlfriend and decided to treat himself to a $10 scratch ticket. Afterwards, he scratched it in the car while his girlfriend was driving. That's when he saw that he was a big winner. He had to get his girlfriend to pull over so that she could double-check the ticket.

At the time of his win, Michael Vice was 46-years-old and living in Ticonderoga, NY, which is about 100 miles north of Albany. He was working as a self-employed contractor.

Side from getting his finances in the black and getting a new truck, Michael also plans to use the money to buy a house and take his family on a warm vacation. He also has this advice for lotto players - "Don’t give up on the dream. It can really happen." That's right it could really happen!

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Man Makes Good On Lottery Promise To Sister After Getting Winning Numbers From A Gypsy

Do you have a lottery promise? Some people promise their best friend, or brother, or sister, or somebody that if they win the lottery, they will give them something. That something could be a million dollars, or half the winnings, or something else. Either way it's a lottery promise and many of us have made that oath. Hopefully, if the lottery win comes true, most of us would keep that oath.

Mark Furlong made that lottery promise to his sister, Michelle Sinnott. The two of them made a promise to eachother that if either of them won the jackpot, they would split it down the middle. Mark won the jackpot. €2,835,221, which equals $3,854,541 USD! He kept his oath and gave his sister half of it!

How did Mark Furlong win the lottery? He said that a gypsy gave him the winning numbers a few years ago. He had been playing them ever since. Really? A Gypsy? I didn't know that gypsies knew what numbers would be drawn in the lotto.

At the time of his win, Mark Furlong lived in Waterford, Ireland and ran a baby accessories store. He said that the win would not change what he did for a living and that he would continue running the store. He might use the money to buy a new car or a new house.

Michelle Sinnott said that she would use the money to set up a college fund for her kids and also to take a vacation to Disneyland.

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Anthony Castro - Homeless Man Wins The Lottery - Sha-Wow!

When Anthony Castro received his big ceremonial lottery check, he had this to say: "Sha-wow! This is amazing!"

Sha-wow, indeed! Anthony Castro had some big hardships in his life prior to winning $250,000 in the lottery. As a 19-year-old in New York City, he was shot in the head. He managed to survive. After the 9-11 terrorist attacks, he decided that he needed to get out of New York, in search of a calmer life. He moved to Boise, Idaho. He had no money, though, and ended up living in a homeless shelter for a little while. But he managed to get ahead. He got a job as an insurance broker, got married, and had kids. Unfortunately, it didn't work out with his wife and they got divorced.

Anthony Castro is a religious man. He has a lucky coin; it is a spiritual coin with the Holy Trinity on it. That's what he always used to scratch his instant lotto tickets with. And so he did when he bought an Idaho Millions instant scratch game in March of 2010. The lucky coin worked. He won $250,000! The once-homeless man is now a big lottery winner!

This is what Anthony had to say about his win: "After so much turmoil in my life, and loss of my mother a year ago, this is truly a blessing for me. My dreams, everyone's dreams, are coming true."

Anthony Castro said that he will donate some of his winnings to his church, put some in a trust account for his daughter, and will invest and bank the remainder.

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U.S. Marine Developed A Lottery Strategy - And It Works!

Jerry Jones is a former U.S. marine that served in the Vietnam war. And, he developed a lottery strategy. Guess what? It works! Will it work for you? Only if you got shot while serving in Vietnam. Otherwise, it won't.

Here is Jerry Jones' lottery strategy - He chose three numbers that represented his birthday and one number that represented the day he got shot, while serving as a U.S. marine in Vietnam (He didn't say how he chose the other numbers). He played those exact numbers for 20 years. Finally, on March 3, 2005, his lottery strategy worked. He won the jackpot. $9 million from Hoosier Lotto in Indiana.

OK OK, that's not a real strategy - Jerry Jones just got lucky. But, hey, it's a good story! The odds of winning the Hoosier Lotto jackpot are approximately 1-in-12.3 million, so, yes, Jerry got really lucky.

Jerry Jones described the moment that he realized that he was a big winner while checking his numbers on the computer: "I saw the winning numbers on the computer screen. I held my ticket up against the screen and was just staring at it. I didn't know what to do - and I still don't!"

When asked what he planned to do with the money he said that he didn't know because he already has everything that he wants, although he might be getting a new truck.

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Lac du Bonnet, Manitoba Lottery Winner Caroline Brennan

Lac du Bonnet, Manitoba is a small town about an hour's drive northeast of Winnipeg. It has a population of just over 2000. This week, Lac du Bonnet was the scene of a funny situation - Caroline Brennan, and her husband, were driving home from their son's hockey game, when they stopped at the Petro Canada gas station to fill up. Caroline's husband filled the tank and then she went inside to pay. While her husband was waiting in the car, a gas station attendant came running out, screaming at him to come help pick up Caroline from the floor. As that exchange was happening, an ambulance just happened to pull in. The ambulance was unrelated to the matter and just happened to be there, but that really frightened him. It looked serious.

He walked into the gas station and that's where he found out what all of the commotion was about - His wife, Caroline, was a big lottery winner - She won $500,000 in the Maxmillions draw.

The funny thing is is that Caroline Brennan isn't even a regular lottery player. She says that she only buys tickets sparingly - Usually when she has some extra change. She sure is lucky that she played this time!

At the time of her win, Caroline Brennan was 51-years-old and living in Lac du Bonnet, Manitoba, Canada with her family. She worked as a teacher's aid and school bus monitor. Caroline said that she has no immediate plans for the money, other than to pay off a few bills.

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Oklahoma Mega Millions Winner Jeffery Haff

The state of Oklahoma used to have just one big jackpot lotto game - Powerball. But as of January 31, 2010, the state lottery began offering the Mega Millions game as well. In early February, the first Oklahoma Mega Millions winner was announced - Jeffery Haff. Jeffery must really be glad that Oklahoma made the decision to offer the Mega Millions game!

Jeffery Haff won the second prize, $250,000, by matching the first five numbers. He was just one number away from winning the big jackpot. The odds of matching the first five numbers are 1-in-3,904,701.

Jeffery saw the winning numbers on the TV news. Then he went to check his numbers on the internet and that's when he realized that he won. He said that his reaction to winning was screaming - He just started shouting!

At the time of his win, Jeffery Haff was living in Claremore, Oklahoma with his fiancee, Deborah (Pictured with him in the photo above). He said that he would be using his winnings to pay of some bills and, also, to buy a new truck.

Congratulations to Jeffery on winning big money in Oklahoma's new lottery game!

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Shamrock Cigarette Lighter Brings Jodi McCreery Grady Some Lottery Luck

Do you believe in lucky lottery charms? Jodi McCreery Grady does. She had been eying a shamrock cigarette lighter at her local 7-11 store. She wanted to buy it but never did. Then one day, she bought it. Thinking that the shamrock cigarette lighter would bring her good luck, she went back to the 7-11 store that very same day to buy an instant scratch lottery ticket. Did it work? Did her lucky lottery charm really bring her good luck? YES!!!

Jodi McCreery Grady won $500,000 playing Virginia Lottery's Jumbo Bucks instant scratch game in March of 2010. Nice!

Do you believe that the shamrock cigarette lighter had anything to do with Jodi's luck? Hmmm? Well, you know, a lot of people confuse a shamrock with a four-leaf clover. A four-leaf clover is believed to bring good luck, a shamrock doesn't. A shamrock is a three-leaf clover that is a registered trademark of the government of Ireland.

But anyways, who am I to argue this? If Jodi McCreery Grady believed in the Shamrock and it worked, then the Shamrock IS good luck for HER.

Jodi McCreery Grady took a limo to the Virginia Lottery prize office to claim her winnings. She said that she would use the money to provide for her son's future and, also, to take care of her father.

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Tsering Luding - Lottery Winner Scammed By Con-Man

When Tsering Luding won $24,617,098 from Lotto Super 7 in February of 2005, he had this to say: "This is going to make our lives so much easier. I just cannot believe this has happened to us." If he only knew what was in store for him.

Prior to winning the lottery, Tsering Luding was working as a carpet cleaner. One of his clients was a man he knew as Dr. Bill Wong. Tsering cleaned Dr. Wong's house once or twice a year. During those visits, Dr. Wong bragged about how wealthy he was and the people that were his associates. He bragged about being the financial consultant to Canada's Prime Minister. It all seemed plausible as he did live in a nice house.

Then Tsering Luding won the Lotto Super 7 jackpot in February of 2005. And, lo and behold, Dr. Wong was one of the first people to call him (That should have been a red-flag right there). He wanted money. Then he came up with a story that he needed $7 million to buy a telecommunications company that he would immediately be able to flip for $20 million, which would result in a nice profit. Tsering bought the story. He invested $3.5 million. What he didn't realize was that he was just about to be scammed by a con-man.

Tsering Luding became suspicious when Dr. Wong did not provide him with any financial statements for the business transaction. He investigated. Private investigators looked into it. What he found was shocking. He found that the business did not cost $7 million to buy but, rather, just $600,000. His court filing also claims that Wong pocketed the money, paid off a $1.38-million mortgage on his home, bought a new $92,000 Hummer H2, gave his legal tag-team the bags of cash — $100,000 each — and secreted some in offshore bank accounts, perhaps in Luxembourg. The day after Luding's money arrived in Dr Wong's account, Wong dropped off the bundled bills to his lawyers, the claim says, adding that he paid off his mortgage the same day. Further, it was also found out that Dr. Wong was a convicted sex-offender.

The case went to court. However, Tsering Luding and Dr. Wong settled. Even still, Dr. Wong was sentenced to 21 days in jail in a rare punitive sentence for civil contempt of court. The judge sentenced him to jail for trying to hide the money that he conned from Tsering.

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Green Bay Lottery Winner Steve Peot

In September of 2007, Steve Peot was in the De Pere Superstore in De Pere, Wisconsin (Which is just outside of Green Bay). On a "whim," he decide to buy some lottery tickets. He doesn't usually buy tickets, unless the jackpot is big. However, he did buy it on this day, for whatever reason. He bought $5 worth of Powerball quick picks. It's a really good thing that he did, though, because he won - $29.1 million from the September 5, 2007 draw. Nice!

When Steve Peot won the lottery, he was asked what he would be doing with the money. He replied, "Just keep on keepin' on, I guess." Ya, keepin' on's a good way to go!

He did end up elaborating a little, though: "Just going to keep it in the family, spread it around the family, make sure no one struggles, have a little fun." That's awesome - Have some fun and make sure that the people close to you are well taken care of; that's what winning the lottery is all about!

At the time of his win in 2007, Steve Peot was living in Green Bay, Wisconsin with his wife and two children and was expecting a third kid. He had been working a career as a truck driver for 25 years. I'm sure he's retired by now - At least, I hope he is.

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Rigoberto and Aracelis Colon Are Thankful For Winning Lottery Prize

Rigoberto and Aracelis Colon matched the first 5 numbers in the Mega Millions lottery in the February 9, 2010 draw. They wanted to win the jackpot, but are "thankful" for winning the second prize. They received $250,000. I'd be thankful too!

The funny thing is, is that New York Lottery says that Rigoberto and Aracelis Colon are a couple and I'm assuming that means that they are married. Yet, they decided to split the prize and, so, received $125,000 each. Anybody find that to be a little odd? I thought that if you're married, it's a "What's yours is mine and what's mine is yours" type of deal. I guess everybody's different!

The "couple" were out grocery shopping, when they decided to buy a Quick Pick ticket for the Mega Millions lottery because it was a big jackpot. "We always buy tickets when the jackpots get really big. We didn't hit the big one, but are very thankful for the money that we won."

At the time of their win, Rigoberto and Aracelis Colon lived in Hicksville, Nassau County, New York, which is just outside of Manhattan. They plan to use the money that they won to do some renovations to their house and to go on a relaxing vacation. However, they did not say whose "share" of the money they will use to do those things.

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Derek And Francis Bird - Surrey BC Lotto Max Winners

The Friday February 26, 2010 Lotto Max jackpot had Canadians in a frenzy; it was $50 million (Perhaps Americans don't think that's very much considering our huge Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots, but Canadian lotteries are tax-free and lump-sum. So if you win $50 million in Canada, you get $50 million). Nobody won the entire $50 million, but that's because two winning tickets were sold. One ticket was sold in the province of Quebec. The other ticket was claimed today; it was held by Derek and Francis Bird, of Surrey, BC (Just outside of Vancouver). The couple are $25 million richer today!

The $25 million that Derek and Francis Bird won in the Lotto Max draw also happens to be the biggest lottery prize ever paid in in BC's history. Quite amazing!

The couple are regular lottery players and it's usually Derek that buys the tickets. However, for the Friday February 26 Lotto Max draw, it was Francis that bought the tickets. She bought $11 worth and that was all it took to win the jackpot.

At the time of their win, Derek and Francis Bird had just recently finished celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary and were living in Surrey, BC, Canada. Francis said that the money won't change her. She said she will continue being "the same old me." Derek said that they will use the money to buy a better house.

Congratulations to the married couple on being BC's biggest ever lottery winner!

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Yancy Hicks Buys Subway Franchise And Sports Car With Lottery Money

Yancy Hicks was a hard-working man. He had worked in the fast-food industry for much of his life. He started off working at McDonald's and kept working his way up. He managed to get a position as a store general manager in 2002 and had even won some awards throughout his fast-food career. But his end goal had always been to work his way up to the top of the fast-food chain - A franchise owner.

Then in 2008, Yancy Hicks won $1 million from Illinois Lottery. Suddenly he was able to look into making his franchise ownership dreams into a reality. When he won the lottery, his first purchase was a sports car - He bought a brand-new red Corvette. But beyond the sports car, he looked into buying a McDonald's franchise. He looked into it, but it was too expensive. So he researched other fast-food franchises and, eventually, settled on a Subway store. Opening up a Subway store costs about $300,000 and that was within Yancy's budget.

Construction on Yancy's Subway shop started in March of 2010 and, when completed, will be a dream come true for him. "I've always wanted my own franchise," he said. "I've spent so many years working for somebody else. Now I get to work for myself. It's a big difference."

See, winning the lottery really does make your dreams come true! Yancy Hicks might not have ever been able to buy his own franchise and sports car without the lottery money that he won.

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