8 Real-Life Lottery Winners’ Experiences That May Help You Win Jackpot

How many of you wished of winning a lottery at least once in your lifetime? I guess we all have wished for this huge sum of money. But who would risk winning millions when there is a chance of ending up with committing suicide or murder? Thankfully, some people are lucky who won a lottery that made a positive difference in their lives.

Imagine a simple life that you are living right now, turning into a lavish lifestyle after winning millions. While for some, this huge jackpot ruined their life, others celebrated their win. Surely, most of us will never become part of this financial bliss, but some people had experienced the luxury of this free money.

Let us read about real-life lottery winners’ stories and their experience of winning the jackpot.

1. Stefan Mandel - 14 Times Lottery Winner

Source = Cloudfront

Winning the lottery is one in a million chance. But Stefan Mandel, an economist from Romania, won the lottery 14 times. You might be wondering how can this be possible? The trick is simple. He played smarter and bought all the possible combinations of the lottery.

He grew up in an area where people lived in poverty. It was in the late 1950s when he first came up with the idea of trying his luck in a lottery. He wanted to find a sure-short idea to win the lottery, so he tried for a long time until he discovered the perfect formula that could predict 4 out of 5 winning numbers.

Four years after coming up with the formula, he and his three friends put the formula to the test. Surprisingly, he ended up winning the jackpot. He split the winning amount into four people, and that’s not bad for the first victory.

He then migrated to Israel and then to Australia. As an Australian citizen, he started doing business in British Commonwealth countries. He participated in several lotteries and surprisingly, won almost all.

After his 13th win, several laws were passed, and it became difficult for him and his team to continue their lottery business without getting into trouble. In 2004, he was arrested in Israel. Do you know why? He tried to replicate the Virginia State Lottery stunt but was not able to give his investors the odds of winning. While he became famous, it is still not known what his net worth is. Would you ever replicate Mandel’s strategy?

2. Sheelah Ryan Won the Lottery to Help Others

Source = Playhugelottos

I can never think that one could give all their winning amount to help underprivileged. But Sheelah Ryan, who won $52 million in the Florida State lottery, gave all her winning amount for the underprivileged. Many lottery winners said she felt that she won the money to help others.

Sheelah created The Ryan Foundation group to help several organizations that provide aid for these people. She had only six years to enjoy her money before dying of cancer. But The Ryan Foundation continued to help organizations that helped children who needed operations and aided senior citizens. With her jackpot, Sheelah became the biggest individual lottery jackpot winner in American history.

3. Paul and Sue Rosenau Used the Winning Amount to Fight the Disease that Killed Their Granddaughter

Source = Townnews

Paul & Sue Rosenau are another great example and an inspiration to all, who used the winning amount for the right cause. They won $181.2 million from a Powerball drawing in 2008 and knew what they had to do with this money.

Five years before their granddaughter Makayla died of a rare disease, they bought the ticket. She died of Krabbe disease that affects 1 out of 100,000. So it didn’t receive much funding as people didn’t know about this incurable disease. They founded The Legacy of Angels to make people aware of the disease and to raise funds for the treatment of this disease. Through this, they hope to save other families from the pain that they had experienced.

4. James Allen Hayes - A Lottery Winner Turned Bank Robber

Source = Thedailybeast

35-year-old James Allen Hayes when won $19m was working as a security guard supervisor. He became the second-largest lottery winner in Ventura County. With this amount, he was guaranteed to have annual payments of $684,000 after taxes for the next two decades.

Everything was set for him. The future looked bright, but destiny had other things planned for him. He got divorced after winning the lottery. His ex-wife got half of his winnings, and he got addicted to drugs. He started consuming $1000 worth of heroin and turned into a bank robber. He managed to rob 11 banks, but only got $40,000 in total. It was in 2017 when the FBI finally caught him. He is sentenced to 20 years in jail.

Can you ever imagine that this could happen with a millionaire? But where is his wife, maybe she is enjoying with the cash won by his ex-husband.

5. Richard Lustig and His Secrets to Win the Lottery

Source = Jpost

From the 1990s to the early 2000s, he won the lottery seven times and collected $1,052,205.58 as a winning amount. He was a businessman and used his fame in writing a book on how to win the lottery. He started a business out of his success and even promoted his lottery-related events and programs.

The 40-page book with the title “Learn How to Increase Your Chance of Winning the Lottery” became an instant bestseller, retailing at $40 per copy. His book ranked at the #3spot on  Amazon’s list of best-selling help books at the time and even got featured by media outlets like ABC News and CNN Money.

While some say that the tips in his book are useful, others claim that his advice is illogical and freely available on the internet. Lotto Dominator is another book that has his name attached to it. The book also claims to increase your chances of winning in the lottery.

Would you ever buy a book or plan your strategy to win the lottery?

6. The Winner Unknowingly Got Married to His Granddaughter

Source = Yimg

It was in 2016 when an incredible story of a Florida Lottery winner was published everywhere. What was it? A 69-year-old lottery winner married a young girl and later found out that she was his granddaughter.

The lottery winner wished to remain anonymous after winning the jackpot of $7,000,000 in the Florida Lottery and settled down in a new home worth $2,000,000. He divorced twice before and did not want to live the rest of his life alone. He started trying online dating, and surprisingly, it didn’t take him long to find his love again. The two chatted and felt a strong connection. Finally, the duo got married. The three months after they exchanged vows, they found out the shocking truth.

When they were flipping through the man’s old albums, she noticed his father in a few photos. The story took a strange turn after she got to know that his father is the son of his new husband. It is a kind of story that attracts the public.

What are your thoughts about it? Does this story sound true to you?

7. Ron Yurcus Bought a Ticket but Forgot About it

Source = Financesonline

Yurcus bought a lottery ticket in 2012 but forgot about it after a few days. It wasn’t until three months later in November, while cleaning the desk that he uncovered the lottery tickets and decided to check the numbers. He was shocked to know that one of the tickets he bought was worth 1million dollars, which he had won three months before.

The next time you buy a lottery ticket, don’t forget to check the numbers now and then (at least you can check it once a week).

8. Marvin and Mae Acosta - The Winners of the Biggest Lottery Jackpot Ever

Source = Playhugelottos

It was in January 2016 when the US Powerball had rolled over for the largest prize in the game’s history. The winning tickets had been purchased from California, Tennessee, and Florida. Over 26 million tickets won other prizes. One of the tickets belonged to a couple from Chino Hills, California named Marvin and Mae Acosta. They won a huge sum of $1.58 billion on 13th January 2016.

Since they decided to take the prize as a lump sum, the couple took home $327.8 million before taxes.  In a statement released, the couple said that they planned to donate some of their winnings to trust and a few charities. They were also praised by the California Lottery’s Director Hugo Lopez for taking the time to plan their future.

They became the targets for scammers. But it is a good thing they spent months preparing a team of lawyers and financial advisers before claiming their prize.

Final Words

What is the first thing that you would do after winning the lottery? Maybe you would buy a house, 3-4 new cars, or pay off your loans.

Winning millions overnight is not always the case; sometimes, it turns into a dreadful one. But there’s always a hope of winning a huge amount in the form of lottery.

The stories of these lottery winners have given us several tips. Firstly, we should help underprivileged and others in need with that extra money. After all, it is the money that you got for free. Secondly, never to spend money on useless things, and get addicted to drugs or alcohol, instead, invest that extra money for your future.

Just in case, if you are trying your luck in the lottery, don’t forget to read about the mistakes that lottery winners did, while buying the ticket. Also, remember that if you can’t afford to lose the money you are spending to buy a ticket, then better you don’t play.