What would be your stories of winning the lottery?
We’ve all dreamed of winning the lottery, especially when the take-home prize is millions of dollars. Many dream of buying a house, traveling, buying their dream car or boat, or starting a business. Dreaming about the possibilities is always fun.
From the bizarre to the heartwarming, there are many lottery-winner stories about what people have done with their winnings. We’ll look at some of these lottery stories, but first…
Lottery fun facts
When you dream about winning the lottery, do your dreams include putting money away for the future? Sadly, many people don’t think about it.
What’s even more shocking is how many lottery winnings go unclaimed. What’s that amount? Over $2 billion! That’s a lot of lost lottery winnings because of misplaced tickets.
Speaking of lottery winner stories, have you ever wondered how people pick their numbers? Many people don’t have a specific strategy, choosing randomly or going with their lucky number. From bizarre purchases to exotic treats, we’ll get into some lottery winner stories that will inspire you… and others that will leave you scratching your head.
Reliving her childhood
Debbie Mather loved fireworks as a child. So when she won $6 million in 2005, she set out to fill the skies with fireworks again. How? She bought a fireworks factory! As of 2023, she’s been lighting up the skies to share her childhood wonder of watching fireworks.
Happy accidents
A man in Massachusetts won the same lottery twice. He had forgotten that his family had given him a season pass to the Massachusetts lottery (meaning he is automatically entered into each drawing), so he bought a ticket using his favorite lottery numbers. Both the lottery ticket he bought and the one from his subscription used the same numbers. As a result, he ended up with the winning ticket twice! Talk about happy accidents!
Get a little, give a little
When Crystal Dunn of Kentucky won $146,000, she gave a little back, even though she hadn’t won a considerable amount (like the millions of dollars available in Powerball). What did she do? She visited her local supermarket, purchased $2,000 in gift cards, and walked around the store handing them out to complete strangers.
A story of good karma
This is a lottery winner's story that warms the heart.
A drunk driver killed Cynthia Stafford’s brother. She took in his five children to raise as her own, becoming an instant single mother. She also helped her father make ends meet. Money was tight, and was barely making it work. She and the five kids lived in a small 1,000-square-foot house, and she struggled to get all the bills paid.
One day, a number popped into her head: $112 million. A believer in the law of attraction, she started focusing on that specific dollar amount. She tried several ways to bring that luck to her. She slept with a piece of paper with that amount written on it under her pillow. She meditated, focusing on that number, and visualized how she would feel with that money in the bank.
She focused on this number for three years. And you know what? Three years later, she won that exact amount in the lottery. She cared for her family’s financial problems and opened up her own film company, a lifelong dream.
Pay it forward
A winner of the Canadian lottery waaaay overpaid for his burger and fries. While he was waiting for his meal, he happened to hear that the owner’s daughter had been diagnosed with cancer. He decided he wanted to help, so he wrote a $10,000 check to pay for his meal and told the owner to “keep the change.”
Straight to the moon!
David Copeland took his $1 million lottery winnings and got ready to blast off. He’s purchased land on the moon, Mars, and Venus. He still works as a chauffeur for hire and lives a frugal life. As one who was always sensible about his money, he has continued to be and is waiting for life on another planet to begin.
Bringing joy to children’s eyes
When high school teacher Les Robins won $111 million in Powerball, he could have used the money in many ways. He remembered the joy of attending camp as a kid and thought it was a shame that kids today didn't have the same experiences he grew up with.
He purchased 226 acres of land and opened Camp Winnegator with his winnings, which has been in operation for over 10 years. The camp offers children a low-cost place to go where they can swim, play in the lake, make crafts, and ride horses.
Ready to dream big?
We hope these lottery winner stories have inspired you to dream big. There’s no shortage of ways to spread joy.
If you’re ready to order your tickets and create some lottery winner stories of your own, Jackpocket is ready to take your order!
