Do you know anyone personally who has won millions on the lottery?

I only know a couple who won $75,000 in a scratch ticket.

Wow. Just learned that it was the first powerball ticket she’d ever bought!

A friend of my son won $10,000 on a scratch ticket.

Not millions but a very big win. A very close person was part of a syndicate that won the first division prize. This was a time when the prize was 100s of thousands rather than millions and once it was divided up, the amount was nice but not impressive.

I also know a guy who bought a ticket in one of those big, superdooper week lotteries. First ticket he ever bought and he won. He doesn’t need to work. He has enough invested for his future.

John, who was in financial difficulty, walked into a church and started to pray. ’‘Listen God,’’ John said. ’‘I know I haven’t been perfect but I really need to win the lottery. I don’t have a lot of money. Please help me out.’’ He left the church, a week went by, and he hadn’t won the lottery, so he walked into a synagogue. ’‘Come on, God,’’ he said. ’‘I really need this money. My mom needs surgery and I have bills to pay. Please let me win the lottery.’’ He left the synagogue, a week went by, and he didn’t win the lottery. So, he went to a mosque and started to pray again. ’‘You’re starting to disappoint me, God,’’ he said. ’‘I’ve prayed and prayed. If you just let me win the lottery, I’ll be a better person. I don’t have to win the jackpot, just enough to get me out of debt. I’ll give some to charity, even. Just let me win the lottery.’’ John thought this did it, so he got up and walked outside.
The clouds opened up and a booming voice said, ’‘John, buy a fucking lottery ticket.’’

Which explains why I have never won I guess

LOL!! Reminds me of the story of a guy who was in a flood. He was stuck on the roof of his house, water up to the eves.
Dude comes by in a rowboat, says, “Jump in!”
Guy says, “No. God will save me. I will wait on Him.”
Same thing with the next boat.
Then a helicopter hovered over him, dropping a life line.
“No. God will save me!”
Two days later he’s still on the roof saying “I prayed to you God. I trusted that you would save me! Why am I still here.”
God said, “I sent you two boats and a helicopter. What more do you want?”

Turns out, this was the first time she ever bought a power ball ticket!

@Dutchess_III So how much are you getting?

@FutureMemory yeah that is what I was kind of wondering too.

No. I read about her on facebook.

No, but now I know someone who knows someone…

No, but someone in my town did. It ruined him and his family.

I’m not getting anything, I’m sure! I’m just excited to be a semi-celebrity because she’s my cousin! And, like @hearkat said, now you all can say you know someone who knows someone!

First time she ever bought a powerball ticket AND the first person in Washington to win on a powerball ticket. Bet your ass I’m going to be buying powerball tickets from now on! Maybe it runs in the family. ;)

How did it ruin them @chyna?

His name is Jack Whittaker. He had a granddaughter that was around 17 and he gave her 7 vehicles, and gave her an allowance of a few thousand a week. She got into drugs and a friend of hers died in an overdose at Mr. Whittaker’s house. A few months later she died of a drug overdose. He started going to bars and giving out thousands of dollars to women if they would dance with him. He carried large amounts of cash with him and was robbed many times. His wife divorced him.
He said in an interview that he wished he had never won that money. I think he won something like 325 million. He is a broken man now.

Wow. Well. I guess it depends on how much brains a person has. I’m trying to think what I would do with 90 million dollars. Get completely out of debt, for sure, and still have most of it left. I guess I’d buy, or build, my dream house in a small town north of here, where my son and his family live. $150,000 would get it easily.
I’d pay off my son’s house, and my daughter’s house, and buy a house for my other daughter.
I’d create college funds for the grand kids.
Then I’d go to Seattle for a month and hang out with my millionaire cousin and exchange sad stories of what the money has done to us!
I’d go to Africa for a while. And Holland. And England. And Ireland.
Then I’d put the rest in stocks and stuff.

That’s what I think I would do.

And get a face lift. :)

A guy who used to shop in Bloomingdale’s when I worked there had won something like $6million. I don’t remember his name. One of the men who worked on my staff used to have him as a client so he interacted with him usually.

The story I remember is when they won they bought a second place down in Boca Raton. I think they lived in New Jersey. Or, maybe they had moved down to FL from NJ after winning? I’m not sure.