People from all around the world play lotto. If you too love to play lotto or any of its various variants, then you should realize that like it or not, your life is sure to change if you manage to get the ticket bearing the winning lotto numbers.
Whether you enjoy playing lotto 649, supper lotto seven plus, hoosier lotto or any other version of lotto that is played in the US, Europe, Asia, Australia or even Africa among other countries in the world, you would have sincerely hoped to win the jackpot prize some day. Many other players with the same aspirations have realized their dream had come true when the announced results matched with their chosen numbers. However different players had different endings to their stories after winning the much awaited jackpot.
The Good. When Mary Ann Hrywnak entered David’s Check Cashing in 2006 to escape from the heat and bought a Quick Pick Lotto ticket, little did she know that it would turn into a $45 million winning ticket! This Broome County resident realized her good luck when she went out for lunch and got the ticket checked with the results. She accepted a one-time lump sum jackpot of around $22 million and in addition to spending the money for a new kitchen for her home and helping out her husband and a few relatives that had helped her in the past, decided that she would use a substantial portion of that prize money to start the Sonya Sinicki Cancer Foundation in honor of her husband John’s cousin Sinicki who had passed away due to the disease.
The Bad. In 1988, William Post won the $16.2 million Pennsylvania jackpot but within a few years lost it all and had to live again in a state of perpetual poverty. First, his former girlfriend sued him for a share in the jackpot and managed to win the case. Then, his own brother tried to hire a hit man to bump him off in order to inherit the rest of his winnings but landed up in jail instead. Post’s other siblings pressurized him to invest in a restaurant and car business that went bust and landed him in debt in addition to creating friction between them. Finally he was arrested and sent to jail for firing a gun over the head of a bill recovery collector. Within a year he was bankrupt and with debts over $1 million over his head. He now survives on $450 per month along with cashing in food stamps.
The Plain Ugly. When Zenovij Pacholuk and Dolores Coffey, a couple residing in LaSalle neighborhood won the Quebec jackpot of $27 million in 2007, little did they realize as to what extent others might go to relieve them of their money! The Montreal police managed to catch Edwin Scarlotte Mata Lima, an 18 year old from Mexico, who hatched a plan to kidnap Pachlouk from his home, threaten him to withdraw around $10 million from the bank and then kill the couple to cover his tracks. Fortunately, he was caught and jailed before he could put his plan in action.
These stories just provide an example as to how people’s lives change after winning the jackpot. People who cannot remain in control of their emotions and money often land up in abject poverty whereas people who think clearly often get to enjoy their earnings after guessing the right winning lotto numbers.