CHARLESTON, W.V. — Larry Hughes of Kimball, West Virginia, may soon have relatives he never knew he had coming out to Kimball to visit him after winning $302,600 on Thursday night's Daily 4 drawing. West Virginia Lottery Director John Musgrave announced today that Hughes and his family came to Charleston on Friday to claim the prize.
Hughes played the numbers "1-2-3-4" 60 times on a straight bet, and the same numbers on a straight/box. Although he doesn't always bet $61, he bets the same numbers every day. The top prize in the Daily 4 is $5,000, but Hughes pushed his winnings over the $300,000 mark by betting the same numbers 61 times.
"This is a unique story," Randy Burnside, West Virginia Lottery public relations and drawing manager said. "We talked for about 20 minutes when he came up here to claim his winnings. He plays those same numbers every day, and from what I understand, he always plays at the Bantam Market in Welch."
"I play the 1-2-3-4 every day and I buy at least 60 tickets each day," Hughes was quoted as stating in a West Virginia Lottery press release. "I have been playing the West Virginia Lottery's Daily 4 game since it started and I never miss a day. I don't think you will find a better return on investment for $61 bucks."
Hughes, a contractor from Kimball, has won before with his lucky numbers, according to information supplied in a press release from the West Virginia Lottery. He won a total of $52,600 from the Daily 4 drawing on March 14, 2006 and he hit again for the same amount of winnings from the Jan. 12, 2008 drawing. Until Thursday, those were the only two times in the game's history that those numbers (1-2-3-4) popped out of the Daily 4 draw machine in numerical order, according to the W.Va. Lottery.
"I was working on a job in Bluefield and I sat down at 6:59 p.m., and told the guys that I hope my wife (Maria) calls in the next minute. If she does, our numbers came up. Then the phone rang and I didn't even have to answer to know what had happened." Kimball was quoted as stating in the Lottery Commission's press release.
"I don't know if he has any immediate plans," Burnside said. "He said that he and his wife were planning on taking a vacation. This might make a vacation a little better."
Burnside said that proceeds from the Lottery go to help education, projects for senior citizens, tourism, Homestead Exemptions, state parks and improvements for higher education, according to Burnside.
Congrats,Mr. Hughes!
60 bucks a day!!...holy cow...this is the dream hit.
Oh my goodness! I'm hyperventilating over this one, congrats to Mr. Hughes!
Congratulation Mr. Hughes
Huge Congrats
For some it's as easy as 1-2-3 & 4
Nice work.
It kinda puts a squelch to "How much would you play on a number?"
Proof that there is no use to playing small ball when you want to win!
Chalk one up for the systems players. This man was expecting a certain thing to happen, and it did.
60.00 dollars a day, no telling how long he has been playing......he may have broke even.
There is no better investment for $61 dollars? On a bet that pays out 50% and after taxes your real rate of return is 35%. This guy might be down $300000 betting this bet for as long as he has.
"Larry Hughes of Kimball, West Virginia, may soon have relatives he never knew he had coming out to Kimball to visit him after winning $302,600 on Thursday night's Daily 4 drawing."
Ain't that the truth.
no telling how long he has been playing
Really? No Telling? The article says the last time he hit was in 08................
$60 a day for 5 years is $109,500.
Most people do this as a hobby, for fun...... When they hit big its just a bonus.
big time payday for mr hughes! congrats to him on winning 300K!
In most states pick3 and pick4 can be played daily, with 365 days in a year, spending $60 a day mounts up to spending $21,900 a year. If he has only been doing it for ten years, then he's ahead not accounting for taxes.
Congrat's to Mr Hughes on his win. Nice payday. I think he could do without family visiiting that he never knew.
He states he played since the Pick 4 first started in WV. According to the WV lotto website, the Daily 4 goes back to Feb 1987.
Just to give a little context, if he's truly been spending $61/day for the past 26 years, he's spent over $578,000 for his $400,000+ return he's won in the past 7.
Plus, now he's gotta give Uncle Sammy his unearned cut.
Cool, congrats
First Washington State, 1 2 3 4 and now West Virginia.
Two makes three so where next?
WTG! mr,hughes
I guess it's just the THRILL of winning
i get excited when i win $15.00 not thinking about the $20.00 i spent
are you going to get $60.00 worth
The article also says Mr Hughs has been playing the Daily 4 since it started, which appears to be 1987 at the WVA website. $60 a day for 26 years is $569,400.
The article says...
"I play the 1-2-3-4 every day and I buy at least 60 tickets each day," Hughes was quoted as stating in a West Virginia Lottery press release. "I have been playing the West Virginia Lottery's Daily 4 game since it started and I never miss a day. I don't think you will find a better return on investment for $61 bucks."
--Jimmy4164
Edit: Oops - I see ameriken already pointed this out.
Right, but it doesn't change the fact that all he spent on the day that he won is $61.
$300k on a $61. investment cant be beaten. Its BETTER than you will ever do Jammy.
WV Daily 4 started 2/26/87, 9598 days until 6/6/13 draw, where he won 60x str $5000 + 1x str/box $2600 for total $302,600.
But analysis of the past amounts and his betting pattern suggests that for 3/14/06 and 1/12/08 draws he got 10x str $5000 + 1x str/box $2600 for total $52,600.
Playing 1-2-3-4 every day and 60 tickets each day conflicts with past amounts, so I would assume he was playing less in the past, $11 instead of $61.
Assuming $11 from 2/26/87 through 1/12/08, 7626 days at $11 equals $83,886. And then upping his play amount to $61 after the 2nd win from 1/13/08 thru 6/6/13, 1972 days at $61 equals $120,292.
Total spent: $204,178
Total won: $407,800
Not bad.
Congrats Larry!
NO NO NO if DUDE won 300,000 then after taxes he didn't even break even. He took a lost. Do the math.
Best thing to do to maximize winnings and minimize losses over a long period is to not play the $61 on the days your numbers don't come up, then put it all down on the days they do.
Easy!
I know, but look at all the money that he has put into it to get 300.000. He said hes been play everyday & paying 61.00 a day thats 578.890 for 26 years. Now he only won 300.000, he's has lost 278.890. HE DIDN'T WIN HE LOST MONEY.
Congrats Mr. Hughes on getting some of your money back.
And he has to pay taxes on the money he won so he's in the hole big time. He needs another big win to come out on top.
Good to hear stories like this, congrats!
So one has to wonder what was his motivation to play one number for 26 years at $61 dollars day, because really he lost even though he won. This is the first time I've ever heard of a lottery story where the winner of several hundred thousand dollars is still in the hole after winning.
Congrats Mr. Hughes. Keep in mind it is not 365 days that he plays, since West Va does not play on a Sunday.
Grats, makes me wonder how many other people play crazy numbers. Maybe this will make people play 1234 more often.
It wouldn't make any sense for him to have played $60 every day on the same number and collect $50,000 on the first two wins. The $60 he spends every day might include scratch-offs and other games, If he played at least a $1 straight/box every day, add another $2800 to the total wins because the combination was drawn 28 other times in the 8224 drawing history.
It may not be as hard as you think...... Only people who play the same numbers all the time can understand the sensation felt when the numbers are about to hit...................
I will put it this way, It doesn't surprise me AT ALL that he sat with his co-workers and said "When the phone rings in the next couple minutes, it will be my wife telling me that I won tonight lottery drawing"
A guy in AZ bought the same line 6 times and won $6 million.
That's why CA has pari mutuel pay-out. $200. could set them back $100 million otherwise.
Amazing. You people will assume whatever it takes to make his record consistent with your beliefs. The man said he played every day, AT LEAST $60 per day.
And Ronnie316 is the most incredulous of all. I guess that if he had a "Drip" investing account that after 10 years of decline, showed a -90% (negative) ROI, he would be unfazed if the day after the stock tanked to pennies, he could report that, ON THAT DAY, it went up from 20 cents to 30 cents, for a gain of $100 on a "Drip" of only $10. Poor guy.
The "snake oil" guys love him!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JH1N2Z4c_g
Thank you for adding "incredulous" to my list of accolades Jammy. I am truly honored.