It's been said lightning never strikes twice, but Judith Yap is betting 50 grand that the old maxim is wrong.
Last month the Glen Ellyn nurse assistant won $150,000 in the Illinois Lottery, and now she's hoping to parlay it into $1 million in a single, 1-in-6 drawing. If she loses, she'll walk away with $100,000.
Yap will learn whether the gamble pays off at a lottery drawing at the end of September at U.S. Cellular Field on Chicago's South Side.
It's certainly a risk not many people would take. But as Yap sees it, either way she is a winner.
"It's a game," she said. "It's like you're gambling your chance to win the highest."
Yap emigrated from the Philippines with her husband and family almost 20 years ago, and to win any amount would help her fulfill her own American dream.
In addition to buying a car and paying off her mortgage, she hopes to use some of the money to go to school and become a licensed nurse.
Beyond that, she'll just enjoy being a millionaire, she said.
"(I'd) feel like that for a while — go bankrupt!" she laughed. "No, just kidding. I'd be careful. I should be careful."
Her chance at winning — again — is part of the Illinois Lottery's "Replay for Riches" summer promotion. With $30 of nonwinning tickets, contestants submit their names in a drawing.
Throughout 12 weeks this summer, 12 people will be picked to spin a prize wheel for between $25,000 and $150,000. Yap spun the wheel July 12 at Navy Pier and won the top prize.
She and the other wheel spinners get the option to either take the money or enter a $1 million drawing. Of those who do, the top six earners will go to the Sept. 27 drawing, where based on a classic Ping Pong-ball drawing, one will walk away with the million. The rest get $100,000.
Yap said she'll probably be nervous when the time comes, but winners have to take chances sometimes, she said.
"A lot of people before me, they want to take a chance," she said. "If you were me, you might do the same."
Yap's gamble will make for a gripping drawing, said Sarah Cummins, director of marketing for the Illinois Lottery.
"I think what the heck. If you go to the final event, you're still going to walk away with $100,000," she said. "Judith had a tough decision to make (about) what she's going to do, but it's really exciting."
ahh so its a reward for spending $30 on losing tickets. go in a draw for the chance to spin a wheel. she got the top prize on that wheel $150k.
her and the next 5 highest spinners who opt to spin again get the chance to go back and spin for $1mill. so it could be she is the only 1 who is going to lose money on the respin. as otheras may not have had $150k spins, maybe a few had $100k spins and lose nothing on the extra chance. maybe someone had a $25k spin, automatically getting an upgrade to $100k!!
well i would take the 1 in 6 chance spin as im still guranteed of taking home $100k, and well 20x return on a 1 in 6 bet is better odds than any casino will ever give you.
this is the sort of excitment more lotteries should use to promote, but then id never spend $30 on losing tickets in a month. never mind a week.
When you think about it, it's a no brainier because she only have to pay taxes on the final amount which means she's really only putting up $33K for the chance to win the million dollars, $17K of that $50K would have gone to the federal government as taxes had she decided not to take the chance.
ahh so its a reward for spending $30 on losing tickets. go in a draw for the chance to spin a wheel. she got the top prize on that wheel $150k.
her and the next 5 highest spinners who opt to spin again get the chance to go back and spin for $1mill. so it could be she is the only 1 who is going to lose money on the respin. as otheras may not have had $150k spins, maybe a few had $100k spins and lose nothing on the extra chance. maybe someone had a $25k spin, automatically getting an upgrade to $100k!!
well i would take the 1 in 6 chance spin as im still guranteed of taking home $100k, and well 20x return on a 1 in 6 bet is better odds than any casino will ever give you.
this is the sort of excitment more lotteries should use to promote, but then id never spend $30 on losing tickets in a month. never mind a week.
When you think about it, it's a no brainier because she only have to pay taxes on the final amount which means she's really only putting up $33K for the chance to win the million dollars, $17K of that $50K would have gone to the federal government as taxes had she decided not to take the chance.
RJOh I like your train of thought