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Woman divides the internet over not wanting to share Lotto winnings

<p dir="ltr">A young mother has divided the internet after sharing that she didn’t want to split her Lotto winnings with her boyfriend. </p> <p dir="ltr">The woman took to Facebook to share that she bought the ticket on a whim and won half her annual salary as a result.</p> <p dir="ltr">Taking to social media, she explained how the awkward conversation with her partner unfolded. </p> <p dir="ltr">“I started to tell my boyfriend I was gonna put it towards my kids' college and do some upgrades to my house. He said, ‘what about my half?’,” she wrote.</p> <p dir="ltr">She went on to explain how the couple have the same yearly salary and how her partner said he could really use the financial help, but she doesn't want to share. </p> <p dir="ltr">“If I had won $6million I'd have no problem giving him half because it would be very easy to live off $3million. But 1/4 of one year's salary won't help me much,” she added.</p> <p dir="ltr">She also revealed that the couple would sometimes “daydream" about winning a lottery jackpot and would split a ticket every now and then, promising to go halves in the winnings.</p> <p dir="ltr">However, the mum said this time was different because it was a spur-of-the-moment ticket purchase and he wasn't part of it.</p> <p dir="ltr">The woman’s post welcomed a range of differing comments, with some people not appearing sympathetic to the young mum. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Is half the pot worth more than your relationship? If it is, you shouldn't be in the relationship anyway, so call it off,” one person said.</p> <p dir="ltr">Another person added, “Can you for two seconds not see how this is very petty? He didn't contribute 'this time'. I'm sure when he buys a ticket he's not thinking 'oh this one is for just me and if we win on these ones then we will share’.”</p> <p dir="ltr">However, some people were quick to stand up for her and tell her she doesn’t owe her partner half her winnings. </p> <p dir="ltr">“She isn't selfish for keeping the money, they didn't have an agreement this time, and why should he be entitled to it. She is better off spending it on her home and her children's future,” one woman said.</p> <p dir="ltr">Another added, “If he won $20 would he give you $10? If he won $1,000 would he give you $500? If the answer is yes, then throw the guy a bone, but if you don't live together, there's no ring on your finger, and the answer is no? Keep it.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Shutterstock </em></p>

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$2 billion lotto win tears family apart

<p>A man who won one of the biggest lottery jackpots in American history has been accused of cutting his family out of their promised share after winning $2 billion (AUD) in the Mega Millions jackpot. </p> <p>The unidentified man has been in a legal battle with his daughter’s mum since November, after he accused her of violating a nondisclosure agreement by telling the rest of the family about his fortune before their daughter's 18th birthday in 2032, according to the Independent. </p> <p>He bought the winning ticket in Lebanon, Maine on January 13 2023. </p> <p>The mum – identified by a pseudonym, Sara Smith – claimed that he was the one who told his family about his lotto winnings, not her. </p> <p>The man's father supported Smith's claim and said that his son told him about the win and all the things he planned to do with his new-found fortune, which he collected through an LLC in a lump sum of over $750 million. </p> <p>“February or March of 2023, my son came to my house … and informed me and my wife that he won a large amount of money in the Maine State Lottery,” his father wrote in new court documents. </p> <p>“I understand that my son has stated that he told me nothing about his money ‘other than the simple fact that I had won’,” the dad wrote. “That is not true.”</p> <p>He also claimed that he didn't ask his son for any money, but the lotto-winner allegedly made a bunch of promises, including building his dad a garage to fix up old cars, buying his childhood home, setting up a million-dollar trust fund and funding future medical expenses for his dad and stepmum.</p> <p>The lotto-winner also allegedly demanded his father to not talk to Smith. </p> <p>"I told him … ‘You are not the son I knew’,” his dad wrote in the filing.</p> <p>“He got angry, calling me a ‘dictator’ and an ‘a**ehole’. I have not heard from my son since, and he has not done any of [the] things he promised.”</p> <p>The half-billionaire refuted his dad and Smith's claims. </p> <p>“I made the mistake of telling my father that I had won the lottery without having him sign a confidentiality agreement,” he wrote. </p> <p>“Our relationship deteriorated quickly thereafter,” he continued.</p> <p>“I did not tell him what I was doing with my money, how I was going to benefit my daughter, or any facts other than the simple fact that I had won.” </p> <p>He also accused his ex-partner of trying to reveal his identity to the world and that she wrongly accused him of trying to kidnap their daughter after he refused to pay for her and her new boyfriend's vacation. </p> <p><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p> <p> </p>

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$280 million lotto winner cuts ties with "greedy" family

<p>Scotland resident Gillian Bayford went from rags to riches in an instant when she won the equivalent of a $278.36 million jackpot in August 2012. </p> <p>Thinking luck was finally on her side, Bayford didn't expect the amount of drama that came with the life-changing prize. </p> <p>It all began just 15 months after her lucky win with then-husband Adrian, who she split with allegedly due to the stress of managing the jackpot. </p> <p>Not long after, she spent $1,324,304 to pay off her family's debt, which included money that her late father Ian McCulloch and her brother Colin owed over a series of failed business ventures according to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/woman-won-187m-lottery-severed-ties-greedy-family-2023-12" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Business Insider</em></a>. </p> <p>“My dad and brother built up one company after another and then closed them down,” Bayford said. </p> <p>“I’ve bailed them out of every debt.”</p> <p>She continued to keep her family financially afloat spending a total of $37.31 million on them, and even bought her parents - who were broke and living in a caravan at the time - a $522,388 penthouse apartment in eastern Scotland. </p> <p>But, according to the <em>Mirror</em>, that wasn't enough and her father insisted that she should give her brother around $1.5 million, for a new play-centre business. </p> <p>She obliged, and instead of thanking her, Colin now drives Audis with private plates, owns a $546,000 house and reportedly stopped talking to his sister. He even got married to his girlfriend without inviting Bayford to the wedding. </p> <p>“They have lost touch with where they’ve come from,” Bayford told <em>The Sun</em>.</p> <p>“They’re rubbing people’s noses in it by flashing their cash, which I think is downright nasty.”</p> <p>At one point her father even tried to take control of her winnings and even take a piece of her business. </p> <p>“It’s upsetting and raw,” she told the publication. </p> <p>“The money was supposed to make everybody happy. But it’s made them demanding and greedy.” </p> <p>She added, "they brought our name into disrespect in the village, and we had people threatening to torch the family house.”</p> <p>Bayford said that despite it all she takes pride in herself "because I know I’ve taken them out of a situation.”</p> <p>The lotto winner officially cut ties with her family in 2016 after they called her an embarrassment, while her mum Brenda McCulloch claims she’s heartbroken over the lack of contact with her daughter and grandchildren.</p> <p>“Gillian says that we didn’t try and get in touch with them, but if I’d tried she wouldn’t have let me,”  she said. </p> <p>Her mum also claimed that while her daughter was “generous,” the actual amount she gave her family was much lower. </p> <p>“Every word that comes out of their mouths is a lie. I wish them a happy life, but there will be no reconciliation now," Bayford refuted. </p> <p><em>Image: Getty</em></p>

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How Aussie maths whiz won the lotto 14 times

<p>Winning the lotto is more than likely a once-in-a-lifetime chance, but Aussie man Stefan Mandel defied the odds when he won the golden ticket 14 times using basic maths.</p> <p>The Romanian-Australian mathematician, joined by a small team of investors, discovered a remarkably easy way to hack the system in the 1980s and 1990s.</p> <p>Mandel’s first two wins were secured in his home country of Romania, where he was saving up to escape the then-Soviet Union before he won another dozen times in Australia.</p> <p>Surprisingly, Mandel’s system was not only straightforward but relied on very little of his mathematical training.</p> <p>The odds of winning the jackpot in the Australian Powerball are about one in 76,767,600, according to lotto land. If you want to double your chances with two tickets, the odds are still a mere 2 in 76,767,600.</p> <p>Mandel observed that in certain lotteries, the jackpot prize was much higher than the cost of purchasing every possible combination of numbers. Given he buys every ticket, he was almost guaranteed a return on his investment – so long as the winnings were split between several golden ticket holders.</p> <p>So, Mandel did just that.</p> <p>While it’s not completely against the rules, snatching up every ticket doesn’t quite resonate with the spirit of the game, and his winnings were astronomical.</p> <p>Mandel, now 89, convinced a group of investors to buy into the scheme over several years.</p> <p>He created algorithms that were able to generate and print the millions of different ticket groups required, which some lotteries allowed people to do at the time.</p> <p>With his pile of tickets printed and ready to go, Mandel and his team waited for a hefty jackpot, where they would purchase those tickets in shops.</p> <p>Mandel secured 12 wins on smaller lotteries Down Under before he sought out jackpots in the US with a sum far larger than anything he had won so far.</p> <p>While he won millions of dollars with his scheme, aiming for massive lotteries in the US proved to be his downfall.</p> <p>Mandel specifically had his sights set on the Virginia lottery, which was new at the time and only used numbers 1-44 in its draws. That meant there were 7,059,052 possible combinations, much less than the 25 million or higher that his team was used to.</p> <p>When the jackpot was high enough, around US$15.5 million, Mandel ordered thousands of investors to buy out the tickets in bulk.</p> <p>To Mandel’s dismay, some investors pulled out. After two days of purchases, the group secured about 6.4 million of the possible 7 million combinations needed to guarantee them the jackpot. Fortunately, the odds remained in his favour as he won the Virginia Lottery too.</p> <p>The FBI and CIA launched an investigation into Mandel, but no wrongdoing was found. Virginia Lottery had no choice but to pay up.</p> <p>Mandel won millions of dollars in the Virginia Lottery, including bringing home most of the smaller prizes.</p> <p>He later disbanded his team and retired to a beach house in Vanuatu, where he still lives.</p> <p>While Mandel’s scheme was legal at the time, it resulted in new rules for the lottery. Many countries, including the US and Australia, have since passed laws that stopped punters from buying lottery tickets in bulk or printing them at home, in turn rendering his methods impossible.</p> <p><em>Image credit: Twitter / Youtube</em></p>

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Woman shares why she planned to sue after winning multi-million dollar jackpot

<p dir="ltr">A UK woman who won over a million dollars through the lottery has described it as a “twisted fairytale” rather than a dream come true.</p> <p dir="ltr">Jane Park, who won the £1 million Euromillions lottery in 2013, said winning big isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, revealing that she has been blackmailed and threatened with violence ever since, per <em><a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/money/19570621/jane-park-lottery-pleas-money-strangers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Sun</a></em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The lottery should come with a health warning similar to smoking or drinking,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I understand they can’t make winning sound awful but they have a responsibility to not mislead the public.”</p> <p dir="ltr">After threatening to sue Camelot, the company that sold her the fateful ticket when she was just 17, prompted changes preventing those under 18 from having a gamble, she said the change doesn’t go far enough.</p> <p dir="ltr">Ms Park also wants ads for the game to be aired later at night - rather than during time slots that kids will be watching - and thinks that Lotto chiefs shouldn’t wait until someone wins to warn players of what’s in store.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The adverts should be aired later in the evening and advertising should be out of the way from children,” she said,</p> <p dir="ltr">“It sounds silly but children dream of either being famous or winning the lottery, and if it wasn’t so glamorised maybe there would be more ambition rather than gambling.</p> <p dir="ltr">“People always refer to the lottery as ‘playing the lottery’, but it’s not ‘playing’, it’s just plain gambling, apart from picking some number there is no game element to it.</p> <p dir="ltr">“How it wasn’t held to the same legislation as gambling from the beginning baffles me.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Ms Park revealed that she is bombarded with pleas for help in the form of cash from strangers and that she’s even proposed to on a weekly basis.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It may be parents with terminally-ill children or needing life-changing surgery. Uni students want me to pay for their education,” she explained.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I also get a lot of marriage proposals, I’d say I get at least one a week. It’s not from anyone interested in me, it’s from people interested in the money.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The Edinburgh native has previously spoken about her fight to increase the age limit, which she had planned to take to court until her cause became the subject of media attention.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I was prepared to go to court to get my argument known, but the media attention it received got my point heard by the right people and I didn’t need to go that far in the end,” she explained.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I know that is directly because of the attention I brought to the subject.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Part one of my mission was to have the age range increased, part two is to try and make advertising the lottery more truthful.”</p> <p dir="ltr">She added that it’s “wrong” that the lotto is glamorised as “dream come true money”, when in reality she described it more as a “twisted fairytale” where strangers ask about her bank balance daily.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I’m proud that I have invested my money wisely and nine years later I’m still living a good life,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It just feels like people are waiting for the day I become broke and homeless, but I won’t let that happen.”</p> <p dir="ltr">A spokesperson for the Department of Media Culture and Sport said the law was changed so that only those over the age of 18 could take part in the National Lottery, up from the previous minimum age of 16.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The National Lottery is regulated by the Gambling Commission and we will not hesitate to act further if we consider it necessary,” they said.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-ecf45aca-7fff-7df7-9cbc-ec78fdfc4615"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: @janeparkx (Instagram)</em></p>

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Retiree figures out how to win the lotto

<p dir="ltr">A retired couple have beaten possibly all odds when it comes to winning the lottery thanks to “simple math”.</p> <p dir="ltr">Jerry and Marge Selbee from Evart, Michigan, are multimillionaires because of a loophole in the gambling game.</p> <p dir="ltr">After retiring in 2003, Jerry decided to follow the lotto closely and discovered that it's easier than he thought to win, saying, “Anyone could have done it.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The retiree inspected the game called WinFall and found that if no one won the jackpot of US$5 million ($7 million AUD), then the money would go to ticket holders with fewer winning numbers.</p> <p dir="ltr">"I looked at the probabilities of the game and it said that when the WinFall actually occurred and no one won the jackpot, that the prize level would go up by a factor of 10," Jerry said on <a href="https://9now.nine.com.au/60-minutes/jerry-and-marge-go-large-lotto-tips-selbee-how-retired-couple-won-39-million/1e5093b5-be35-400f-a142-8ecdf0c289d0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">60 Minutes</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr">"US$50 for a three-number winner and US$1,000 for a four-number winner and the odds were one in, one in 56 and a half for a three-number winner and one in 1032 for a four-number winner."</p> <p dir="ltr">Jerry went on to explain that part of the problem when it comes to playing the lotto is that people think it is structured.</p> <p dir="ltr">"I did not have to be lucky to win. I had to be unlucky to lose."</p> <p dir="ltr">Almost akin to placing a bet on himself, Jerry decided to test his theory and realised that he was right – and quickly came clean to his wife Marge who was all for it.</p> <p dir="ltr">The couple would buy hundreds of thousands of tickets for the WinFall game – but disaster eventually struck when no more tickets were sold in their hometown.</p> <p dir="ltr">Soon the pair had to drive 15 hours to Massachusetts to keep winning a similar style of lottery with the same "loophole" structure, but it was something they were both keen to do.</p> <p dir="ltr">Eventually, they were caught out by investigators but Jerry and Marge were in fact not doing anything illegal.</p> <p dir="ltr">Their story eventually became well known to the point that a film is being made for streaming service Paramount+ and will feature Breaking Bad’s Bryan Cranston.</p> <p dir="ltr">Despite their lifetime of winnings – in the many tens of millions over the years – Jerry and Marge remain quite humble, spending their money on education for their grandchildren and great-grandchildren.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Nine</em></p>

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Experts warn lotto winners about going broke after a win

<p dir="ltr">With the $120 million lottery prize winner announced on Thursday night, a financial expert has revealed a sobering statistic.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Most lotto winners actually go broke within a couple of years,” Adele Martin, a certified financial planner, said in news.com.au’s ‘I’ve Got News For You’ podcast.</p> <p dir="ltr">Speaking to podcast host Andrew Bucklow, she added: That’s all around the world, not just in Australia.</p> <p dir="ltr">“And that’s because, you know, if you’re not good at managing $100,000, you aren’t going to magically be better at managing $120 million.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It’s the same principles, just more zeros.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Bucklow delved into that scary fact and it didn’t take long to discover some tragic cases of past lottery winners. </p> <p dir="ltr">Amy McCauley, who was a bus driver in New York, won US$15 million (A$20 million) in the 1990s. After the win, she was besieged by friends and family members asking for money. In the end, she fell out with two of her brothers, ditched most of her so-called friends, and moved to a town where no one knew her.</p> <p dir="ltr">UK-based Jane Park won £1 million ($1.87 million) when she was just 17 years old. She bought an apartment, two cars, splashed out on clothes and went on a number of holidays. But she later, said the win made her lonely and miserable.</p> <p dir="ltr">In an even more extreme case, British woman Callie Rogers won £1.9 million (A$3.56 million) when she was 16. She gave away half of the money to friends and family, then spent a further £300,000 on clothes and got three boob jobs.</p> <p dir="ltr">Abraham Shakespeare was 40 years old when he won US$30 million (A$41 million) in the US in 2006. He was befriended by a woman named Dee Dee Moore. She was convicted of shooting and killing Shakespeare and hiding his body under a concrete slab in her backyard.</p> <p dir="ltr">However, it doesn’t always end badly.</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Bucklow spoke to a Western Australian gym owner who turned $5 into $80 million in December last year.</p> <p dir="ltr">She spent just $5 on a lottery ticket with a syndicate with another 54 other women from her gym. They got lucky and each took home $1.45 million.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I haven’t had barely anyone who’s asked for cash. I’ve given a little bit to family to help I’ve helped my children out but not one person has come out of the woodwork that you weren’t expecting to ask for money so it’s been great in that way.”</p> <p dir="ltr">She revealed she still runs the gym, working 12 hours a day six days a week.</p> <p dir="ltr">The group of gym-goers have entered again into tonight’s $120 million lottery, partly for the sake of those who missed out on entering the syndicate last time.</p> <p dir="ltr">As for how to avoid going broke after a big win, finance guru Ms Martin had a word of advice.</p> <p> </p> <p dir="ltr">If you win the lottery “the first thing you should do is to keep calm and carry on, which I know is easier said than done,” she advises. </p> <p><em><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Images: Getty</span></em></p>

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Lotto-winning couple ostracised by their family

<p>A young couple have shared how they have been "ostracised" by their family after refusing to share their Lotto winnings.</p> <p>Posting in the popular "Am I The A**hole?" Reddit thread, the man posted his story about how he and his wife, both 24 years old, buy a lottery ticket every month just "for fun".</p> <p>They were both shocked and elated when they won the $5.6 million jackpot, and they began to plan what they would do with the winnings.</p> <p>The couple paid off their personal debts, home mortgage payments, student loans and car loans, and had roughly $5 million left.</p> <p>“In case you don’t know 70 per cent of lottery winners go broke after a few years. Me being in the financial sector, I didn’t want to be in the 70 per cent and also never have to work a real job again,” the husband explained in the post.</p> <p>In order to secure the couple's future together, they invested in a "combination" of mutual funds, real estate investment trusts and stocks to set up their future “for a very steady hands-off extremely low-risk solid return approach”.</p> <p>“With the $2 million, we ended up buying a $5 million dollar apartment complex that cashflows and will give a high return with low risk,” he explained.</p> <p>When the man told his family about the win, he expected them to be happy for him and his wife, but was met with a very different reception.</p> <p>“When I told my family, I thought the first reaction would be excitement for me and how we were financially responsible with the money,” he said.</p> <p>“But they started talking about a huge family trip, how I was paying for all their debts, and more. I explained $5 million is a lot but not enough where I will be giving it away to family and they got p****d."</p> <p>“They said I wasn’t welcome in this family and that I should never talk to them again. I think I’m in the right because I’m doing what’s best for me and my wife. So do you think I’m the a**hole?”</p> <p>The man's post was flooded with comments in support of his decision, with one person saying, “You’re no longer welcome in the family because you didn’t give them your money? The entitlement is nauseating.”</p> <p>One person commented, “My husband and I have talked, jokingly, about what we’d do if we won the lottery and we both agree that our number one rule would be not giving money to anyone who had the audacity to ask for it.”</p> <p>Another added, “Your family has shown you that blood is not thicker than money.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

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Woman THROWS AWAY winning scratchie

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A Victorian woman almost lost $260,000 after throwing away a winning lottery scratchcard.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The young St Helena woman told </span><em><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.thelott.com/real-winners/instant-scratch-its/young-woman-accidentally-throws-away-instant-scratch-its-ticket" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Lott</span></a></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> that her boyfriend had gifted her the Live the Life scratchie as a surprise.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“When I first scratched it, I thought it didn’t win anything, so I just tossed it in the bin,” the woman said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But when her boyfriend went to fish the card out and check it, he said: “What the hell, you’ve won the top prize!”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I didn’t believe a word he said. I assumed he was just pranking me, or it was some kind of novelty ticket,” she </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/melbourne-woman-throws-live-the-life-lottery-scratchcard-worth-fortune-in-the-bin-what-the-hell-c-4698835" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">explained</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It took quite a bit of convincing. We read the instructions on the back of the ticket a few times. He just kept saying to me, ‘You’ve won! You’ve won!’.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The $5 ticket was purchased from Aqueduct News and Lotto - and came with the prize of $1000 a week for the next five years.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It was a big shock. It was really hard to comprehend! I always dreamt of that moment, but it was very surreal when it happened,” the woman continued.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I’ve never won anything like this, so it’s amazing!”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When asked about her plans for her winnings, she said there was only one thing on her mind.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I am not sure what I will do with it. I am still coming to terms with the news,” she laughed.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I think we will definitely buy a house though!”</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: The Lott</span></em></p>

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“Miraculous” lotto win saves Sydney man’s livelihood

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A Sydney man will be able to stay in business after a “miracle” lotto win saw him receive more than $1 million.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The 50-year-old said he was on the brink of losing his business and one of thousands struggling during Sydney’s extended COVID-19 lockdown.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I have been in business for almost 30 years but due to the devastating impact of COVID-19, I was about to go under,” he told lotto officials after his win.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I feel like this win is an absolute miracle that has saved my life, and I won’t let this opportunity go to waste.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I will put the money towards paying off debts and saving my business.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The winner took part in The Lottery Office’s USA Power Lotto via The Lottery Office app, taking home a division two prize.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">After accidentally selecting a multiplayer game for an extra $3.25, the man’s prize was doubled and came to a total of $1.6 million.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lottery Office chief executive Jacyln Wood said the man struggled to sleep after he received the news.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The player said the recent lockdowns had been a massive blow to his hospitality business and he had suffered numerous sleepless nights figuring out how he could continue to support his family and staff,” she said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“He emailed us straight after the app notified him of the win, he knew he had won a big prize, but he wasn’t ready to believe it.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“When I called him this morning, he was in tears from the moment I confirmed how much he had won.”</span></p>

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"Just perfect": Family affected by bushfires surprised by $1 million lotto win

<p>A Queensland mans whose family property was destroyed in bushfire has won $1 million in a lottery win that will allow the family to rebuild.</p> <p>The winner wishes to remain anonymous but lives in Redland, south of Brisbane. His family owned a property in northern New South Wales that was devastated by the bushfires.</p> <p>Lauren Cooney from The Lott notified him of the win and said that the man was overcome with emotion.</p> <p>"He told me his family had just lost their home in the bushfires," she said to the<span> </span><em><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2020-01-09/bushfire-destroyed-home-then-owner-wins-lottery/11855640?pfmredir=sm&amp;sf227733330=1&amp;fbclid=IwAR3a-7QY21rcqyk7Yq3RD8TzmVCd_cMWIR0dgofE9z6woiYBz8k2dNQ0cB4" target="_blank">ABC</a></em>.</p> <p>"The home wasn't insured, so this prize meant that they would be able to rebuild which initially, they thought they wouldn't be able to," she said.</p> <p>The man said to Cooney that the family had returned to the property, which was “very sentimental and special to them”.</p> <p>"They were going through the site looking for any special family mementoes that they could salvage, but all they could find was some teacups,” Cooney explained.</p> <p>However, this win has turned things around. As the man was the only division one winning entry to the draw, he is able to claim the whole $1 million prize.</p> <p>He said that the circumstances were “just perfect”.</p> <p>"He said he couldn't have imagined more impeccable timing which meant that he could use his prize to rebuild their family home," Ms Cooney said.</p>

Money & Banking

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"My endless lunchbreak starts now": Aussie wins second biggest lotto haul

<p>A Sydney-based father will be counting his blessings after discovering he’s won $96 milllion. </p> <p>The unnamed man, located in Chatswood in Sydney’s Lower North Shore, won the whopping amount in the Lucky Lotteries Mega Jackpot draw 1447, which was drawn on Wednesday. </p> <p>The office worker was initially stunned by the response when he was contacted by officials while working at his job. </p> <p>“You’re sh*tting me,” he said.</p> <p>“I can only say holy sh*t.</p> <p>“Jesus Christ! I’m at work at the moment so I wasn’t expecting this phone call.</p> <p>“I’m shaking. I’m just waiting for someone to tell me I’m being punked.”</p> <p>The Chatswood man said the only way to describe how he was feeling after the monumental win was “stunned.”</p> <p>“I just really don’t know what to say.</p> <p>“I know a number of people who are going to be extremely happy when I tell them I have won.</p> <p>“I can’t wait to call my wife and tell her I have won. I don’t think she’ll believe me. I’m a bit of a prankster, so she’ll probably think I’m pulling a fast one.”</p> <p>The lotto winner admitted he plan on quitting his day job. </p> <p>“This is going to change my life immeasurably,” he said.</p> <p>“I’m going to look after my kids and make sure they are set up for the future.</p> <p>“Then I am going to find the most outrageous holiday I can think of to take myself on. I’ve always wanted to travel so maybe I’ll work my way around the world.</p> <p>“It’s unlikely that I am going to finish the day out at work. I’m pretty sure I’ll quit. My endless lunch break starts now.”</p> <p>The man purchased his entry of one  random number online at thelott.com. </p> <p>He is the second biggest individual lottery winner in Australian history. </p> <p>The biggest jackpot winner is a Sydney mother who won over $107 million back in January. </p> <p>She was working as a healthcare professional at the time and admitted she had no plans to retire, simply because she loved her job. </p> <p>“It will drive me to do more for causes important to me,” she said.</p> <p>Image <span>Source: The Lott</span></p>

Retirement Life

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12 things lotto winners won't tell you

<div class="views-field views-field-field-slides"> <div class="field-content"> <div class="field-collection-view clearfix view-mode-full field-collection-view-final"> <div class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-slides clearfix"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-title field-type-text field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"><strong>1. Secrets of their success</strong></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-content field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"> <p>On the whole, lottery winners tend to keep a fairly low profile when it comes to discussing their newfound wealth. We asked past winners to weigh in on losing friends, becoming spectacles, and increasing the odds of striking it rich.</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="views-field views-field-field-slides"> <div class="field-content"> <div class="field-collection-view clearfix view-mode-full field-collection-view-final"> <div class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-slides clearfix"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-title field-type-text field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"><strong>2. Easy come, easy go</strong></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-content field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"> <p>Whether they win $500 million or $1 million, about 70 percent of lotto winners lose or spend all the money in five years or less.</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="views-field views-field-field-slides"> <div class="field-content"> <div class="field-collection-view clearfix view-mode-full field-collection-view-final"> <div class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-slides clearfix"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-title field-type-text field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"><strong>3. Take a second chance</strong></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-content field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"> <p>If available, always play the second-chance drawings. Some games require you to mail in your losing ticket. Others tell you to go online and register the ticket’s serial number. People either don’t know about the drawings or don’t take the time to enter, so your odds of winning are always better.<span> </span></p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="views-field views-field-field-slides"> <div class="field-content"> <div class="field-collection-view clearfix view-mode-full field-collection-view-final"> <div class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-slides clearfix"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-title field-type-text field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"><strong>4. We don’t quit while we’re ahead</strong></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-content field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"> <p>Do lotto winners still play the lottery? Absolutely. And we’re sure we’re going to win again.</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="views-field views-field-field-slides"> <div class="field-content"> <div class="field-collection-view clearfix view-mode-full field-collection-view-final"> <div class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-slides clearfix"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-title field-type-text field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"><strong>5. You will be exploited – possibly by your friends</strong></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-content field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"> <p>I had one friend who told me this sob story about how behind she was on her taxes, how they were going to take her house because she couldn’t pay. After she left, I got on my computer, looked up her tax records, and saw that she wasn’t behind. When I printed out that page and sent it to her, well, that was the end of our friendship.</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="views-field views-field-field-slides"> <div class="field-content"> <div class="field-collection-view clearfix view-mode-full field-collection-view-final"> <div class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-slides clearfix"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-title field-type-text field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"><strong>6. A lot can seem like a little</strong></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-content field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"> <p>If you win $6 million and find yourself in a room full of lotto winners who won $100 million or more, all of a sudden, you feel like the poor one. It’s all relative. But don’t feel too bummed – there are plenty of big lottery winners whose money (and luck) ran out.</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="views-field views-field-field-slides"> <div class="field-content"> <div class="field-collection-view clearfix view-mode-full field-collection-view-final"> <div class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-slides clearfix"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-title field-type-text field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"><strong>7. We answer for our impulse purchases</strong></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-content field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"> <p>After we won the lottery, we bought an eight-bedroom, seven-bath, 10,000-square-foot mansion because we could, and it sounded amazing. Well, now we’re selling the eight-bedroom, seven-bath mansion because it’s impractical for a family of four. If only we knew ahead of time that it was one of the 13 things rich people never waste their money on.<span> </span></p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="views-field views-field-field-slides"> <div class="field-content"> <div class="field-collection-view clearfix view-mode-full field-collection-view-final"> <div class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-slides clearfix"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-title field-type-text field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"><strong>8. We are still looked down upon by the truly wealthy</strong></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-content field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"> <p>After we won and moved into an exclusive neighbourhood, we planned a huge party and invited all our neighbours. None of them came – they thought we didn’t earn our money.</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="views-field views-field-field-slides"> <div class="field-content"> <div class="field-collection-view clearfix view-mode-full field-collection-view-final"> <div class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-slides clearfix"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-title field-type-text field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"><strong>9. We’re sick of money questions</strong></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-content field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"> <p>It drives me nuts when people ask where I keep the money, how I spend it, and if I still have it. No one would dream of asking a CEO those questions. </p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="views-field views-field-field-slides"> <div class="field-content"> <div class="field-collection-view clearfix view-mode-full field-collection-view-final"> <div class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-slides clearfix"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-title field-type-text field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"><strong>10. Your friends will change with your lifestyle</strong></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-content field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"> <p>All lotto winners think they’re going to have the same friends and do the same things. But if you have $100 million and you want to fly to Hong Kong for the weekend, you need to either find someone who can afford to go with you or be willing to subsidise someone. And subsidising people gets old.</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="views-field views-field-field-slides"> <div class="field-content"> <div class="field-collection-view clearfix view-mode-full field-collection-view-final"> <div class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-slides clearfix"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-title field-type-text field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"><strong>11. ‘Tis better to give</strong></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-content field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"> <p>Now that I can buy anything I want, I’ve learned that what really matters – and what I enjoy most – is being able to do things that help other people.</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="views-field views-field-field-slides"> <div class="field-content"> <div class="field-collection-view clearfix view-mode-full field-collection-view-final"> <div class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-slides clearfix"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-title field-type-text field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"><strong>12. Don’t donate all at once</strong></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-content field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"> <p>If you want to give a charity a big sum of money, never give it all at once. It’s better to donate $100,000 a year for ten years so you can retain some control and make sure the cash is being spent wisely.<span> </span>Make sure you're giving wisely with our guide to sensible charity donation. </p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="views-field views-field-field-slides"> <div class="field-content"> <div class="field-collection-view clearfix view-mode-full field-collection-view-final"> <div class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-slides clearfix"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-title field-type-text field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even">Who are we kidding? Life is great.</div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-content field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"> <p>You haven’t lived until someone picks up the laundry from your front porch and brings it back to you that night, completely done and neatly folded.</p> <p><em>Written by <span>Michelle Crouch</span>. This article first appeared in </em><span><a href="http://www.readersdigest.com.au/money/12-things-lotto-winners-wont-tell-you"><em>Reader’s Digest</em></a><em>. For more of what you love from the world’s best-loved magazine, </em><a href="http://readersdigest.innovations.co.nz/c/readersdigestemailsubscribe?utm_source=over60&amp;utm_medium=articles&amp;utm_campaign=RDSUB&amp;keycode=WRN93V"><em>here’s our best subscription offer.</em></a></span></p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <p><img style="width: 100px !important; height: 100px !important;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7820640/1.png" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/f30947086c8e47b89cb076eb5bb9b3e2" /></p>

Retirement Income

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Lotto “winner” who claimed $5 million jackpot is exposed for using fake ticket

<p>A British man has been charged with lottery fraud after nearly a decade for using an alleged fake ticket to claim a $5 million jackpot.</p> <p>Hertfordshire Police said 53-year-old Edward Putman had been charged with fraud by false representation after an investigation into the incident that occurred in 2009.</p> <p>The winning numbers 6, 9, 20, 21, 31, 34 were drawn on March 11 and matched a ticket bought in Worcestershire, about two hours way from where Mr Putman was living at the time.</p> <p>When no one came forward to claim the prize, Mr Putman saw it as an opportunity to take the jackpot for himself. The £2.5 million ($5 million) was paid out by National Lottery operator Camelot, even though the ticket Mr Putman provided did not have a working barcode.</p> <p>“In 2015 an investigation was opened by Hertfordshire Constabulary’s Serious Fraud and Cyber Unit, after evidence came to light that the claim was not genuine,” police said in a statement.</p> <p>As reported by <em><a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/09/11/lotto-winner-charged-fraud-claiming-25m-jackpot-almost-10-years/">The Telegraph</a></em>, at the time of the incident, Mr Putman asked for “no publicity” after winning the jackpot. With the money he obtained, he went on to purchase two homes in the village of Kings Langley – one for £600,000 ($1.2 million) and another for £400,000 ($800,000). He also went and bought over a dozen cars.</p> <p>The issue is said to have been “immediately brought to the attention of the Commission and police” and after conducting an in-depth investigation, the UK Gambling Commission fined Camelot £3 million ($6 million).</p> <p>Mr Putman was reportedly arrested in 2015 but released without charge.</p> <p>The investigation conducted by the Commission concluded that, “whilst it could not be certain a fraud had taken place, it was more likely than not that a fraudulent prize claim had been made and paid out” on a “deliberately damaged ticket.”</p> <p>“The Gambling Commission’s chief concern is to ensure the National Lottery is run with integrity and that player interests are protected,” Commission chief executive Sarah Harrison said in a statement at the time.</p> <p>“Camelot’s failures in this case are serious and the penalty package reflects this. Importantly, the package also ensures that good causes will not lose out as a result of Camelot’s licence breach.</p> <p>“Lottery players can feel reassured that our investigations have found no evidence of similar events happening and that controls are in place today to mitigate against future prize payout failings of this type.”</p> <p>Mr Putman was released on bail to appear at St Albans Magistrates Court on October 16.</p>

Technology

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68-year-old man finds winning $30 million lottery ticket in shirt pocket

<p>A 68-year-old man in the US has made an incredible discovery in his shirt pocket, finding a winning US $24 million (NZ $30.3 million) lottery ticket, days before the deadline.</p> <p>New Jersey resident Jimmie Smith reportedly often bought tickets without closely checking the results, stashing them in his shirt pocket out of habit.</p> <p>The New York Lottery gives winners 12 months to claim their prize, and had Smith waited another 48 hours the winning ticket would’ve expired for good.</p> <p>The gaming commission knew the winning ticket was out there, and had put the call out on social media to make sure entrants had checked all their tickets.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Play <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LOTTO?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LOTTO</a>, been to TriBeCa? Check your tickets to see if you’re a $24M winner! Your winnings expire on 5/25/17! <a href="https://t.co/jMAy3GYlmi">https://t.co/jMAy3GYlmi</a> <a href="https://t.co/qtC0tJcS4c">pic.twitter.com/qtC0tJcS4c</a></p> — New York Lottery (@newyorklottery) <a href="https://twitter.com/newyorklottery/status/865668290143596545?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 19, 2017</a></blockquote> <p>Smith, a retired security officer, reportedly noticed the story in the local news and then went through his shirt to see if his tickets matched up.</p> <p>When they did, he didn’t know what to say.</p> <p>“I had to stick my head out the window and breathe in some fresh air,” he said. “I was in serious doubt. I really had to convince myself this was real.”</p> <p>Smith will receive the winnings in instalments over the next 26 years.</p> <p>What are your thoughts?</p>

Money & Banking

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Can you spot this Lotto blunder?

<p>Irish National Lotto punters have been left questioning if the lottery results are fixed after a blunder in Saturday’s Plus One.</p> <p>Because there is a huge amount of money on the cards, people are wanting to know whether this mistake is just an optical illusion or it is rigged.</p> <p>Can you spot the blunder?</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">This image from the lotto earlier. Is it 33 or 38? Or do you thing Lotto people cheating? 🤔☘️ <a href="https://t.co/0K6dFcmYKF">pic.twitter.com/0K6dFcmYKF</a></p> — Muratcomtr (@Muratcomtr_) <a href="https://twitter.com/Muratcomtr_/status/916815271389749248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 7, 2017</a></blockquote> <p> The picture posted to social media appears to show the red number 38 ball also have the number 33 on it.</p> <p>The ball was drawn along with 1, 4, 29, 45, 46 and the bonus ball, 26.</p> <p>Ball number 38 was the second ball to be drawn and when it is pulled out, the number appears to have changed on one side.</p> <p>Some viewers took to social media to complain that the draw was rigged.</p> <p>One viewer wrote, “Always knew it was a fix.”</p> <p>Another asked, “I wonder what other balls have extra numbers on them?”</p> <p>Others have said the blunder is actually an optical illusion caused by the studio lighting.</p> <p>“It’s the light reflecting on the 38 to make it look like 33. if you look at the last ball in the roll you can see the same light on the 46,” one viewer wrote.</p> <p>Another said, “Looks like an 8 to me but a bit has faded or light shining on it just like the 4 in the 45 beside it.”</p> <p>A spokeswoman for the Irish National Lottery said, “The National Lottery would like to assure its players of the integrity of Saturday night’s Lotto Plus 1 draw.”</p> <p>“A brief reflection of light during filming caused an illusion and some players to think there were two numbers on ball 38.”</p> <p>“This was not the case. The weight and size of all Lotto balls, and the numbers, are strictly checked in advance of each draw,” she said.</p> <p>“This process, as well as the draw itself, is independently observed by our auditors KPMG.”</p> <p>Do you think it is an optical illusion? Let us know in the comments below. </p>

Money & Banking

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Grandpa finds 1 year old lotto ticket and wins $1 million

<p>A grandfather from Newcastle has become a millionaire after cleaning his car and finding a winning lotto ticket he had bought one year ago.</p> <p>The man purchased the ticket in January last year but just recently found it in the bottom of his shopping bag.</p> <p>After finding the ticket, he checked the ticket online and found that he had won a division one prize of $1,020,496.</p> <p>"I line the bottom of my reusable Aldi shopping bags with old beer cartons to give them some strength," the grandfather said.</p> <p>"The ticket was hidden in underneath it and I didn't know it was there. I'm glad I didn't just get the old bags and take them to the dump," he said.</p> <p>The winner plans to use his winnings to help his children with house payments and pay for his grandchildren’s education.</p> <p>Owner of Nextra Marketown Newsagency, Cheryl Tuckerman, was happy the search for the customer who had bought the ticket from her newsagency in Newcastle was over.</p> <p>NSW Lotteries has encouraged players to check their old tickets. </p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/finance/money-banking/2017/02/bitter-17-million-dollar-powerball-feud-ends/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Shock announcement ends $17 million Powerball feud</strong></em></span></a></p> <p><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/news/news/2016/06/man-named-gambles-wins-lottery-twice-with-same-numbers/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Man named ‘Gambles’ wins lottery twice with same numbers</strong></em></span></a></p> <p><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/news/news/2016/03/couple-give-60-million-lottery-away/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Couple gives $60 million lottery win away</strong></em></span></a></p>

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