An Israeli couple finally picked up the country's biggest ever lottery jackpot three months after they won, and they wore masks to hide their faces from the public.
The couple are determined to keep their identities protected, but they still agreed to take part in the prize-giving ceremony in front of television cameras and newspaper reporters.
Before stepping into the glare, they donned big red cardboard masks. The disguise failed to hide the man's bald patch but the woman wore a huge black hat to hide her hair.
And when they answered reporters' questions, their voices were electronically disguised.
The pair apparently hope to avoid begging letters and requests for financial assistance.
Such disguises are not unusual in Israel, where lottery winners often keep their true identities secret.
This particular couple, who scooped a satisfying £13 million ($20 million), told how their lucky ticket had lain among more than a dozen others in a pile of papers, unchecked for more than three months.
The husband said he only found it when his wife nagged him to tidy up.
He went through the tickets and discovered the very last one had the winning numbers for the country's largest lottery payout.
"The ticket was just lying there, we just did not check, a pile of tickets accumulated, so this winning is thanks to my wife who pushed me to go check the tickets because otherwise I wouldn't have."
The pair say they could not believe it when the lottery clerk told them how much cash they were in for.
And they say they have not yet decided what to spend it on.
I am happy for them, but they should have gotten masks to match their outfits. First thing they should spend their money on is a copy of fashion sense for dummies.
We'd all like to be anonymous but it requires complete faith in the integrity of government officials not to have their friends/relatives under the masks collecting the prize.
You have to ask yourself a question.
Do you have complete faith in your government officials when it comes to money?
Quote: Originally posted by dpoly1 on Apr 14, 2010
Any State that doesn't allow you to claim your prize anonymously should be held liable for your safety!
Well, I'm curious, dpoly1, were you meaning state (using the monies the government obtains, which comes solely from its sparse income tax paying residents and small, medium, and large businesses?), or do you mean privately held lottery organization (which obtains its income from customers)?
That is good ideas regarding this woman lottery winner using face, hair, and voice masking. Hope that this couple also had foresight to arrive in a taxi or so (obtained without leaving their contact phone #, address, or name) so that their vehicle could also be masked.
Perhaps I'll collect my jackpot win in a FULL clown costume including face paint and using voice masking; since my ticket purchase state won't allow prize winners to not participate in the official "press conference."
Quote: Originally posted by maringoman on Apr 14, 2010
Oh God! why are people so spineless nowadays? Cant they just
say no to demands of money from people? How many people do
you all know that got tonnes of money but you have never asked
them for a dime? It's the same people. NO! is still a word.
Jeez "maringoman." Haven't you yet noticed that the plans of why people try to mask themselves is more than this (even though these winners probably didn't want to give anyone negative ideas towards harming them during this interview). The BIGGER reason for masking is so that someone doesn't become attracted by one's mannerisms, hair, skin, nails, clothing, facial expressions, appearance, race, big check, etc. and then decide to hunt them down and beat or kill them. Please Recall the two different USA multi-state lottery jackpot win men who made the news during the past two years (one was beaten with a pipe in a small mall, and the other one [Abraham Shakespear] was shot twice and buried under a concrete patio)! I thought you commented under BOTH of those old LotteryPost.com posts, surely you recall !?!
Quote: Originally posted by HaveABall on Apr 14, 2010
Jeez "maringoman." Haven't you yet noticed that the plans of why people try to mask themselves is more than this (even though these winners probably didn't want to give anyone negative ideas towards harming them during this interview). The BIGGER reason for masking is so that someone doesn't become attracted by one's mannerisms, hair, skin, nails, clothing, facial expressions, appearance, race, big check, etc. and then decide to hunt them down and beat or kill them. Please Recall the two different USA multi-state lottery jackpot win men who made the news during the past two years (one was beaten with a pipe in a small mall, and the other one [Abraham Shakespear] was shot twice and buried under a concrete patio)! I thought you commented under BOTH of those old LotteryPost.com posts, surely you recall !?!
I do recall commenting on the Abraham Shakespear article but
we have to admit that those are few isolated cases. There are
many many jackpot winners who live their life without any incidences
even after their pictures are splashed on every imaginable website.
This comment is not meant to insult anyone....but they are in Israel, lrgst jackpot...maybe they are concerned that they could be terrorist targets?. I personally would be more vigilant if I lived there.
I am happy for them, but they should have gotten masks to match their outfits. First thing they should spend their money on is a copy of fashion sense for dummies.
I think we've seen it all!
Another glaring example of the anonymity issue.
We'd all like to be anonymous but it requires complete faith in the integrity of government officials not to have their friends/relatives under the masks collecting the prize.
You have to ask yourself a question.
Do you have complete faith in your government officials when it comes to money?
Well do ya punk?
(apologies to Dirty Harry)
Any State that doesn't allow you to claim your prize anonymously should be held liable for your safety!
Sweet win!
Those masks weren't very creative...I'd wear a funny or scary mask...maybe a Hilary Clinton mask.
I'd consider that one scary, not funny.
Well, I'm curious, dpoly1, were you meaning state (using the monies the government obtains, which comes solely from its sparse income tax paying residents and small, medium, and large businesses?), or do you mean privately held lottery organization (which obtains its income from customers)?
That is good ideas regarding this woman lottery winner using face, hair, and voice masking. Hope that this couple also had foresight to arrive in a taxi or so (obtained without leaving their contact phone #, address, or name) so that their vehicle could also be masked.
Perhaps I'll collect my jackpot win in a FULL clown costume including face paint and using voice masking; since my ticket purchase state won't allow prize winners to not participate in the official "press conference."
I'd use the Burger King's mask because BK junior hamburgers are great. No mayo, and yes, cheese please.
Oh God! why are people so spineless nowadays? Cant they just
say no to demands of money from people? How many people do
you all know that got tonnes of money but you have never asked
them for a dime? It's the same people. NO! is still a word.
Jeez "maringoman." Haven't you yet noticed that the plans of why people try to mask themselves is more than this (even though these winners probably didn't want to give anyone negative ideas towards harming them during this interview). The BIGGER reason for masking is so that someone doesn't become attracted by one's mannerisms, hair, skin, nails, clothing, facial expressions, appearance, race, big check, etc. and then decide to hunt them down and beat or kill them. Please Recall the two different USA multi-state lottery jackpot win men who made the news during the past two years (one was beaten with a pipe in a small mall, and the other one [Abraham Shakespear] was shot twice and buried under a concrete patio)! I thought you commented under BOTH of those old LotteryPost.com posts, surely you recall !?!
I do recall commenting on the Abraham Shakespear article but
we have to admit that those are few isolated cases. There are
many many jackpot winners who live their life without any incidences
even after their pictures are splashed on every imaginable website.
This comment is not meant to insult anyone....but they are in Israel, lrgst jackpot...maybe they are concerned that they could be terrorist targets?. I personally would be more vigilant if I lived there.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.