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Big lottery winners offer advice, cautionary tales as $500M Powerball drawing approachesNews Story
So you just won the $500 million Powerball jackpot, the second highest in lottery history. Now what? Perhaps it's time for a tropical vacation or a new car. There are bills to pay, loans to settle, debts to square. Past winners of mega-lottery drawings and financial planners have some more sound advice: Stick to a budget, invest wisely, learn to say no and be prepared to lose friends while riding an emotional roller-coaster of joy, anxiety, guilt and distrust. I had to adapt to this ne
Nov 28, 2012, 9:08 am - Lottery News

California man collects $120M Mega Millions lottery jackpotNews Story
There's no telling what Ronald Willis had in the back of his mind to buy. He wouldn't say. But whatever it is, he can probably afford it. The 55-year-old Rialto man became the state's newest millionaire, parlaying a Mega Millions ticket purchased at a Riverside convenience store into a $120 million lottery win on a draw Tuesday, Sept. 11. He came forward to claim the prize at the California Lottery headquarters in San Bernardino on Friday, Sept. 14, where he faced a line of television came
Sep 17, 2012, 10:30 am - Lottery News

8 lottery scam suspects arrested in JamaicaNews Story
Eight people accused of defrauding U.S. citizens through a multinational lottery scam were arrested during raids of several homes on a single street in Jamaica's capital, police announced Thursday. A police statement said officers detained six males and two females during the Wednesday night operation in Havendale, a middle-class community at the foot of the mountains that tower above Kingston. They also seized nearly $150,000 in cash, jewelry, eight flat-screen television sets and five cars,
May 21, 2012, 10:42 am - Lottery News

Man struck by lightning hours after buying lottery ticketsNews Story
A Kansas man was struck by lightning hours after buying three Mega Millions lottery tickets, proving in real life the old saying that a gambler is more likely to be struck down from the sky than win the jackpot. Bill Isles, 48, bought three tickets in the record $656 million lottery Thursday at a Wichita, Kan., grocery store. On the way to his car, Isles said he commented to a friend: I've got a better chance of getting struck by lightning than winning the lottery. Later at about 9:30 p
Apr 2, 2012, 1:45 pm - Lottery News

Spanish Christmas lottery pays out billionsNews Story
Days before Christmas, a tiny town of 2,000 in cash-strapped Spain found itself richer by 720 million (US$940 million) Thursday after scooping the top prize in the nation's famed Christmas lottery. Billed as the world's richest, the lottery dishes out some 2.52 billion (US$3.29 billion) to winners across the nation. The top prize dubbed El Gordo (The Fat One) was split among the holders of tickets bearing the number 58268. The number appeared on 1,800 tickets, giving winners 400,000 for th
Dec 23, 2011, 12:27 pm - Lottery News

Ireland TV network red-faced after huge lottery numbers blunderNews Story
Ireland's national television broadcaster is hoping the country's newest Lotto millionaire hasn't thrown away their winning ticket after watching the live drawing broadcast on Saturday night. RTE was forced to rectify a huge mistake on air, after broadcasting the wrong numbers for two draws, including the main Lotto results. Many people from Northern Ireland also play the Republic's lottery, as well as the British National Lottery, to increase their chances of instant riches. Lotto head
Dec 20, 2011, 7:34 am - Lottery News

Man to sue Austrian casino after $57 million jackpot deniedNews Story
A gambler who thought he had won 37 million (US$57 million) on a slot machine has been offered a free meal and 60 (US$93) instead, after casino bosses said the jackpot was due to a software error . Behar Merlaku, 26, played the winning machine at a casino in Bregenz, Austria. Despite only getting four of the slot machine's five required matches, Mr. Merlaku was told he had won the massive jackpot complete with a winning bell and flashing screen. However when he went to claim his prize,
Dec 14, 2011, 9:38 am - Lottery News

U.K. couple watched lottery drawing as they won £101MNews Story
It was only the third time they played the game Includes video report A couple from Cambridgeshire, UK, who won Friday's 101 million (US$157.7 million) Euro Millions jackpot have been named as Dave and Angela Dawes. The lucky pair were the only winners of the draw and have claimed the UK's third-biggest lottery prize. Mr. Dawes, 47, is a shift supervisor at Premier foods while his 43-year-old partner is a volunteer at the British Heart Foundation. The third time was the charm for
Oct 11, 2011, 10:23 am - Lottery News

Hoosier Lottery admits new office too lavishNews Story
Includes video report Less than a week after an Indiana TV station broke the story that the Hoosier Lottery overpaid for new offices, lottery officials are making some changes. In a news conference Wednesday lottery officials admitted mistakes were made. The Hoosier Lottery admits it did not follow state rules when it moved into a new multi-million dollar headquarters on Meridian Street. The WTHR segment called 13 Investigates first exposed the lottery's fancy new offices and that inves
Oct 6, 2011, 6:56 am - Lottery News

$49,000 Mercedes is Washington Lottery's marketing toolNews Story
Some folks may think it's just a new way for Washington's Lottery to take suckers for a ride. That's not quite the agency mission, insists Lottery director Bill Hanson. So what is it? Hanson said Friday the agency bought a $49,000 Mercedes Sprinter van as a marketing tool to boost Lottery ticket sales at the Puyallup Fair and other big festivals where it sets up for marketing. He said it is an idea the agency dreamed up to boost revenues and help fill the state's yawning budget hole.
Oct 3, 2011, 2:21 am - Lottery News