INDIANAPOLIS — An Indiana man says winning $7 million from the Hoosier Lottery brings "a lot of opportunity." But that's not the first thing Arlen Brennaman of Syracuse said when he scratched off his winning Lottery ticket.
Brennaman's initial reaction was more along the lines of "NO WAY! No way did this just happen!"
Brennaman scratched the ticket, $7 Million Mega Cash, in the passenger seat of his brother's car as the two headed back to work at Forest River, Inc., an RV manufacturer in Goshen. They had just left the Chalet Party Shoppe at 2703 Caragana in Goshen where Brennaman had unknowingly just written himself into the Hoosier Lottery record books. The thirty-something man found himself holding a $7 million winning ticket.
He had just won the largest prize ever offered on a scratch-off in Indiana.
As the weight of his win set in, Brennaman's disbelief was replaced by an overwhelming sense that "everything just changed." Brennaman turned to his parents and his family for support, and to share the excitement! He brought his parents, two brothers and his significant other with him to Hoosier Lottery headquarters Nov. 2 when he presented his ticket to Hoosier Lottery officials.
As he waited briefly for his winnings, Brennaman talked about his plans. His main goal is to turn the money into a legacy that makes life better for his whole family. He sees winning as an opportunity for his family to go into business for themselves and invest in a way that turns the initial windfall into something sustainable beyond their next generation.
"There's no reason we can't all live comfortably," said Brennaman. As the winner of the biggest scratch-off prize in the history of the Hoosier Lottery, Brennaman finds himself in a position to make it happen.
Two more $7 million top prizes are unclaimed on the $7 Million Mega Cash game at this time. There are also five prizes of $250,000 and more than 75 prizes of $25,000 unclaimed at this time.
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Congratulations Arlen and good luck with your plans for the future!
Nice win! Congratulations! Two more big winners left! Now, I have something else to play when I go through Indiana!
Congratulations to the thoughtful winner :)
Congratulations go to Arlen Brennaman!!!
After taxes, he will have about three million dollars left. I hope that he will still be able to fulfill his plans.
Congrats to Arlen, enjoy!
What a lovely win! Congratulations to the Brennaman's!
Uh oh, taxes
Best wishes to him! I hope his business is a screaming success that brings prosperity to his family for generations.
Congratulations to the winner
Lottery brings "a lot of opportunity." - sure does!!! Congratulations and enjoy the opportunities
Ok, so far this guy SOUNDS 'normal' with the win. Really hope it stays that way, seems like a great person to win. Appears concerned about family and the long term. Looking forward to hear about how he uses this money in a positive way.
I can picture his reaction when he won, seems like a guy who means what he said.
I'd watch it with the two on either side of him, back row. I hope he doesn't get too
generous. Keep the original plan front and center - enjoy and be smart with your win!