Unemployed woman gets lotto winnings after 4 years

Apr 19, 2009, 8:39 am (11 comments)

Maine Lottery

NEWPORT, Maine — An unemployed woman who won $1 million in a Maine State Lottery game has collected her winnings — four years after she bought the scratch ticket in a store that's since burned down.

Brenda Ripton told the Central Maine Morning Sentinel that she had received her $700,000 check from the lottery on Thursday.

Ripton had just learned two days earlier that she won the million-dollar prize in the Texas Hold 'em game. The government took the rest of her winnings for taxes.

Ripton said both she and her husband are out of work. Her winnings came in a second-chance lottery in which non-winners fill out the back of the ticket.

It took this long to declare winners because the state had to sell all of its Texas Hold 'em tickets first.

AP

Comments

dopey7719's avatardopey7719

4 years later....wow....better late than never.   Probably had she gotten it then it would be long gone by now when they truly need it.

I guess it's true what the bible thumpers say around here.....God might not come when you want him to but he's always on time!   Good for them.

awwcrap's avatarawwcrap

another story that makes people feel good---like meSmile

dk1421's avatardk1421

I agree with you dopey! As the economy was going down the toliet, one thing I kept thinking was...had I won the lottery even last summer, I would have invested most of it in mutuals, stocks, and real estate. I would have lost a ton of money, if not almost all of it.

So if I win now, I know I can get great deals on real estate, but to be cautious; that I can invest, but to spread it out more; that even if someone was in charge of the Dow Jones, you still need to check them out; and to keep some in the bank, to remain untouched (although make sure it's the top amount that's FDIC insured), in fact, maybe a few different banks. I love to streamline, but this economy has taught me to diversify.

Oh, and to pay everything off!! I've read lots of real estate books and most of them talked about buying a place at 5% down, fixing it up, renting it out, then using the home equity line to buy another house and going down the line. I bet those guys have lost everything! I'd rather pay all or most of it and make sure you have enough for taxes every year.

Halle99's avatarHalle99

Quote: Originally posted by awwcrap on Apr 19, 2009

another story that makes people feel good---like meSmile

PartyI agree....nice.

ThatScaryChick's avatarThatScaryChick

It took 4 years to sell all of the tickets? Don't most states end the games once the top prizes are sold out.

bashley572's avatarbashley572

Quote: Originally posted by dk1421 on Apr 19, 2009

I agree with you dopey! As the economy was going down the toliet, one thing I kept thinking was...had I won the lottery even last summer, I would have invested most of it in mutuals, stocks, and real estate. I would have lost a ton of money, if not almost all of it.

So if I win now, I know I can get great deals on real estate, but to be cautious; that I can invest, but to spread it out more; that even if someone was in charge of the Dow Jones, you still need to check them out; and to keep some in the bank, to remain untouched (although make sure it's the top amount that's FDIC insured), in fact, maybe a few different banks. I love to streamline, but this economy has taught me to diversify.

Oh, and to pay everything off!! I've read lots of real estate books and most of them talked about buying a place at 5% down, fixing it up, renting it out, then using the home equity line to buy another house and going down the line. I bet those guys have lost everything! I'd rather pay all or most of it and make sure you have enough for taxes every year.

good point with the real estate comments. I was in the industry since 95 and just got out.  And yes those who bought investment property with nothing down are now in rough shape if the property is empty, even for a short time.  The real key is not what you put down but the PERCENTAGE that is NETS you. 

And it is REALLY nice to see a unemployed person get winnings!!

Litebets27's avatarLitebets27

Quote: Originally posted by ThatScaryChick on Apr 19, 2009

It took 4 years to sell all of the tickets? Don't most states end the games once the top prizes are sold out.

Makes you wonder,...... doesn't it?   Skeptical

maringoman's avatarmaringoman

This post leaves more questions than answers. Like did the winner know she had won 4 years ago or did she just find out? Supposing she didnt know her ticket was the winner; Who keeps a lottery ticket for 4 years waiting for a draw? And if the Maine lottery commission knew the jackpot prize was gone, did they keep advertising like it still was there to be won? If they did ; is that legal?Bang Head

charmed7's avatarcharmed7

Good ending, strange story.  I agree, who keeps a ticket for 4 years!

I glad she got her winnings.

zxchris

Quote: Originally posted by maringoman on Apr 20, 2009

This post leaves more questions than answers. Like did the winner know she had won 4 years ago or did she just find out? Supposing she didnt know her ticket was the winner; Who keeps a lottery ticket for 4 years waiting for a draw? And if the Maine lottery commission knew the jackpot prize was gone, did they keep advertising like it still was there to be won? If they did ; is that legal?Bang Head

She lost 4 years ago on a scratch off. The game had a second chance drawing, so she filled out the ticket and mailed it in to be entered into a drawing. So, 4 years later after all the scratch offs had been sold, they drew the winning ticket for a $1 million second chance prize, and she won.

Kaptainess's avatarKaptainess

Quote: Originally posted by ThatScaryChick on Apr 19, 2009

It took 4 years to sell all of the tickets? Don't most states end the games once the top prizes are sold out.

My thoughts exactly ScaryChick.  That's really wild.  I smell fish, do you?

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