The biggest lottery wins. Chances of winning the lottery

Jackpot and won $ 758.7 million - the biggest prize ever for one lottery ticket... The largest winnings paid to lottery participants are in the RBC photo gallery.

Biggest Jackpot Ever

In January 2016, the American Powerball lottery had the largest jackpot in history, worth more than $ 1.5 billion. Holders of three tickets managed to guess the winning combination, each of which decided to receive a prize immediately, and not within 30 years. For this reason, the amount paid was $ 327.8 million to each. This lottery caused a serious stir in the country - the organizers expected ticket revenue to reach $ 1.3 million per minute in evening hours peak.

Biggest single ticket win before today

In July 2016, participants in another popular American lottery, Mega millions, were able to hit a jackpot worth $ 536 million. The winners who bought a ticket in Indiana chose not to disclose their identities so as not to endanger their children. They also preferred to receive their winnings in one payment - it was about $ 378 million.

Most big win Powerball until today

The biggest Powerball single ticket win so far was in 2013. Then, in the same lottery, $ 590.5 million was drawn, and an 84-year-old American from Florida became the owner of the lucky ticket. The winner chose to receive the prize in one payment, its size was $ 370.8 million.

Jackpot $ 487 Million

Another big Powerball win in July 2016 was married couple from New Hampshire. The lottery jackpot was $ 487 million. The winners also decided to receive the winnings in one payment of $ 341.7 million. They immediately spent part of this amount on charity.

Real shock

Two months earlier, a $ 429.6 million jackpot had been drawn in Powerball. The winners were a 70-year-old New Jersey resident and her seven daughters, one of whom called the incident "God's intervention" and "a real shock." The first thing the family decided to do, she said, was to pay off the mortgage and education loans. They also decided not to stretch out payments for 30 years, so they received $ 284 million.

European record

Photo: Simon Jacobs / Zuma / Global Look Press

EuroMillions, the most popular lottery in Europe, also has huge winnings. Biggest Jackpot here is € 190 million, and since the founding of the lottery in 2004 it has been won twice. In 2012, Adrian and Gillian Bayford from Great Britain became the owners of this amount, and in 2014 a resident of Portugal guessed the winning combination.

Two months before the record

In June 2017, two months before the current record, another Powerball was drawn big jackpot in $ 447.8 million (a lump sum of $ 279.1). The winner bought the ticket in California from a small liquor store. The lottery organizers decided to encourage the sellers, who were given a check for $ 1 million.

Russian record

Photo: Sergey Kiselev / Kommersant

Biggest Winning Ever Russian lotteries in May 2017 went to a resident of Sochi, who bought a Gosloto ticket “6 out of 45”. The winnings amounted to RUB 364.686 million. The record fell on the 2943rd draw. The previous record win for Russia (358 million) took place in 2016, and was won by a resident of Novosibirsk.

Russia is a country of those who like to take risks, those who are not averse to trying their luck once or twice in a variety of ways. It is not for nothing that the phrase "who does not take risks, he does not drink champagne" has become so popular among the people. And sometimes, fortune really smiles at the brave and desperate. To participate in the lottery, of course, one does not need to have remarkable courage, but one must be desperate enough to believe in winning. But these people succeeded! 🙂

WuzzUp presents to your attention 10 of the luckiest people in Russia who managed to win a fortune in the lottery.

10. Yuri Ivanov from Togliatti - 952 thousand rubles

In 2008, a resident of Togliatti, Yuri Ivanov, unexpectedly for himself practically became a millionaire. It happened on the eve of Epiphany, when the man was playing the next lottery. According to the owner of the amount of 952 thousand rubles, he saw winning numbers in a dream. For 23 years Yuri has been waiting for fortune to knock on his window. Over the years, the player has thought over different strategies to win, and now the day has come when the lucky guy was able to guess all the numbers. Ivanov did not say what he would spend the won amount on, but he assured that he would dispose of it reasonably. The Togliatti resident is going to continue playing the lottery, as he is sure that he will be able to win an even larger amount. Well, let's wish him luck.

9. Uralets from the village of Vargashi, Kurgan region - 1 million rubles

A resident of Ural from the village of Vargashi, Kurgan Region, did not expect to become a millionaire on Christmas Eve. It happened on January 6, 2008. It was on that day that a resident of the village decided to play the lottery and hit the jackpot of 1 million rubles. In an instant, the man became the richest in the village. By the way, this is the biggest lottery win in such a remote area from the Russian capital... Prior to that, villagers managed to win no more than 200 thousand. The owner of the million chose not to disclose his name, respectively, and nothing is known about how the money was spent either.

8. Alexander Osterenko from the Samara region - 2.5 million rubles

In 2011, a resident of the Samara region, Alexander Osterenko, unexpectedly became a millionaire, winning an amount of 2.5 million rubles. The idea to buy a lottery ticket in the mail came young man spontaneously. When Alexander began to remove the protective layer, he was very surprised to see the printed amount. Osterenko disposed of the money wisely, having bought an apartment for himself.

7. Unknown train passenger - 11 million rubles

As practice shows, you can become a millionaire simply by buying a ticket from the Russian Railways company. So the unknown passenger of the train, having indicated the number of his railway ticket in the lottery ticket, became the proud owner of 11 million rubles. The lottery winner was sought for about two weeks in order to present the money prize. This is the biggest prize in the Russian Railways lottery. True, a little later, a considerable amount was won at Russian Railways - 8 million rubles. If nothing is known about the first lucky person, then there is some information about the second owner of millions: the money went to the Kemerovo region to a pensioner who asked not to disclose any information to the media about her. It can only be said with complete certainty that these passengers bought lucky tickets in the literal sense.

6. Nadezhda Mukhametzyanova - 29 million rubles

Nadezhda Mukhametzyanova, together with her husband in 2001, on December 30, became the owner of 29 million rubles, hitting the jackpot in the "Bingo Show". One of the six tickets the family had bought on the eve of the game brought luck. Such a fabulous sum of unemployed spouses never dreamed of. Alas, one of the biggest lottery winnings did not bring happiness. The money was spent on the purchase of housing and the purchase of two cars of the domestic auto industry, but most the spouses managed to lower the amount by slot machines and a drink. The purchased cars were damaged in an accident, the apartment was burned down in a fire. Soon, the millionaire who appeared on television screens turned into a beggar. Five years later, Nadezhda died, earning a trophic ulcer. After that, the husband of the deceased gave up drinking and now leads a reclusive lifestyle with his remaining sons.

5. Muscovite Evgeny Sidorov - 35 million rubles

In the spring of 2009, Muscovite Yevgeny Sidorov won 35 million rubles in the Gosloto lottery. The man's bet cost 560 rubles. An ordinary locksmith became a millionaire in an instant. The man decided to dispose of his winnings very wisely: together with his family, he went to his homeland, to the Lipetsk region, where he decided to go into business. Now Eugene has his own farm, in addition to this, the millionaire is engaged in carp breeding. The man spent the winnings not only for his own needs: in his native village, Sidorov repaired the road, and also cleaned the local cowsheds and ponds. The newly minted businessman lives happily with his family in a new home and drives the Nissan Navara, which he has dreamed of buying for so long.

4. Albert Begrakyan - 100 million rubles

In 2009, a resident Leningrad region Fortune smiled at Albert Begrakyan, and he became the owner of a large sum of money - 100 million rubles. This is one of the biggest winnings in the Gosloto 6 out of 45 lottery, where the probability of winning is 1 in 8 million. The millionaire spent all his finances in literally two years. Albert provided a full report on what such large sum... The man invested about half of the money received in the construction of a hotel, about 16 million was spent on acquiring real estate in St. Petersburg, about the same amount was spent on repairing the purchased St. Petersburg apartment. The rest of the amount was spent on purchasing a premium car for myself, buying a car for my father. Also, the generous millionaire bought an apartment for his sister, gave out about 12 million to friends and donated about 2 million to charity.

3. Valery T. from Omsk - 184 million rubles

Valery T. from Omsk hit the jackpot of 184 million rubles on February 10, 2014. This is one of the biggest lottery wins of all time. Valeria was made happy by the Gosloto 6 out of 45 lottery when he made a multi-draw bet in the amount of 810 rubles. The winner was in no hurry to receive the prize, as he was stunned by the announced amount of the prize. It is known that after the jackpot was torn, a resident of Omsk was going to move from hometown to the warmer regions and buy housing there for yourself and your family.

2.Mikhail from Nizhny Novgorod - 200 million rubles

The biggest lottery win went to Mikhail from Nizhny Novgorod... The lucky guy hit a big jackpot of 200 million rubles in the fall of 2014. The rate of only 700 rubles helped the man to become a millionaire overnight. It was not possible to find out any specific data about the lucky one.

1. Resident of Novosibirsk - 358 million rubles

A resident of Novosibirsk became the owner of the largest prize in Russia in history. The lucky one won 358 million rubles in the Gosloto lottery on February 28, 2016. The winner chose to remain incognito.

Instructions

Oddly enough, but lotteries in different versions are in demand almost all over the world. So, for example, in America it has become a national hobby. As for Russia, the first appearance of the "happy" happened relatively recently - during the reign of Peter the Great. It was he who brought the "intricate and useful game" to home country... Today, more than 200 types of lotteries have been officially approved in Russia, including television and universal ones.

The most big wins marked in the Gosloto lottery. This is one of the oldest lotteries that for a long time was exclusively under the control of the state, but enjoyed trust. It was thanks to her that many were able to hit the jackpot, because in the 90s not only cash prizes were raffled off, but also apartments, cars, household appliances. The most impressive prize of one hundred million rubles was received by a resident of St. Petersburg in 2009.

Another lottery with significant winnings is Bingo. Here, the prizes can be different, ranging from small sums covering the expenses for the purchased one, and ending with large cash payments. It was in Bingo that a housewife from Ufa managed more than 29 million rubles a few years ago. Fixed in 1 and 3 million, in 150, 120, 90 and 70 thousand rubles, which are not considered large. Bingo is one of the most popular lotteries today.

Lottery « Russian lotto»Also differs in its large fund prizes. The largest declared prize in this lottery is 100 million rubles. in the entire history of the game, no one has won, however, a prize of almost 30 million rubles. could get a resident of the Yaroslavl region.

Another fairly profitable lottery is lottery Russian Railways... Its principle is that a person buying a train ticket receives his lucky lottery ticket in the form of a sticker. The combination of numbers on the sticker may turn out to be as happy as that of one Stavropol resident who was lucky to win 11.5 million rubles. The appearance of this lottery was, rather, a necessity, because even 7 years ago the company suffered significant losses due to the fall in demand for railway Passenger Transportation... The lottery, which is essentially nothing to consumers, has become part of a campaign to popularize Russian Railways.

note

If we talk about the lottery, then the world of people can be divided into two categories - those who believe in the possibility of winning, and those who doubt the adequacy of the former. But statistics show that the most stubborn players win sooner or later, albeit not always like that. large sums as they would like.

In order to calculate the chance of winning and understand which lottery is won most often, it is important to understand that. The lottery is a type of game where the possibility of success depends on the random coincidence of the dropped numbers. This one is so diverse that it is very difficult to choose one way or another of the game. According to data from accounting and law enforcement agencies, more than 60% of the total- these are fraudulent projects, the purpose of which is simply to collect money from the sale game tickets... Such fly-by-night lotteries can be found on the Internet, markets or just at the metro station. Gambling people cannot pass by ticket distributors and buy them in bundles, regardless of their reputation, venue and other important aspects. As a result, of course, nothing is ever won.

How to choose the type of lottery

Every lottery lover has repeatedly seen messages in the media about the lucky ones who received big win on the coveted ticket. Those who do not just envy, but carefully monitor the tendency of victories, have already managed to understand that the most probable chance is to "break the bank" in state lotteries... Such organizations are licensed, their activities are monitored by government agencies, and the risk of being deceived is reduced to zero. When purchasing a ticket, you cannot rely on it original design or low cost. As a rule, they try to draw attention to newly opened games with a striking design, the size of the accumulative base of which is very small. The low price of a lottery ticket reduces the chance of winning, as the organizers are forced to sell a large number of coupons in order to recoup the costs of the game and ensure the winning of a certain number of positions. The reputation of the organizer, the reviews of the participants in the games and the number of participants who received large sums of money are also of great importance.

How to calculate a winning combination

In TV lotteries, such as "Russian Lotto" or "Golden Key", calculate the probability of receiving big prize impossible, as in instant lotteries. In games of this type, you can only rely on luck and a natural gift for determining the lucky ticket. Draw lotteries, where it is necessary to select and cross out a certain number of numbers on the playing field, such as the well-known Soviet "Sportloto", make it possible to directly participate in the process, but the chances are no more than in a TV game. Players with years of experience and a mathematical mindset claim that it is possible to predict and calculate winning combinations of numbers, but none of them has provided practical proof of their theory.

Statistics from various global communities of lovers of such entertainment indicate that tickets are more often than others. instant lottery, but the winnings are negligible and only pay off the funds spent on their purchase. Serious victories are possible only in major games, but with the acquisition a large number tickets.

Believe me, there are such huge lottery winnings that the numbers do not fit in the mind. Another question is whether the data on the winnings is true, whether the dummies received them, did they receive them at all, etc.

Such stories are needed, at least for the sake of people continuing to buy and further lottery tickets, feeding the founders of the business.

Today we will tell you about the biggest lottery winnings.

More recently, I heard on TV that the Russian family (mother and grown daughter) won 500 million rubles in the lottery, they took pictures for the media, smiled (talking about the November 2017 win, Voronezh). And the evil commentators echoed - "here are stupid, they will be found and robbed, it is clear that from the village", " ex-husband now he will find out about the state that has fallen on his head and will allegedly come to restore the family, new relatives will appear. "

And I had other thoughts: “Well, a person in our country cannot win 500 million rubles ... and abroad he cannot ... especially a billion dollars. And if someone got such a prize in our country, then they are probably “dummies”, only they just look too simple for dummies. "

Do you believe that a person on the street who buys a random lottery ticket can win huge sums of money, hit the Jackpot, as they say?

We see on TV a lot of stories where mere mortals won in lotteries, neighbors give interviews, confirming that these same “Petya and Vasya, Masha and Sasha” from the first floor, always unemployed and cheerful, won a couple of million rubles. And no one expected, but "lucky". About where the newly-made millionaires spent their money, usually no one tells us, the viewers, or they give me little information ... However, few details are known about several families, especially those that have squandered great wealth into nowhere. For example, about the family of Nadezhda Mukhametzyanova.

But this is all on the screen, and personally have you had examples when your neighbors "hit the Jackpot" ?? I do not have. Unless I myself have won a couple of times in contests for several thousand rubles, but this is not a lottery. Among my acquaintances, including those who actively buy lottery tickets, there is not a single one who would win. I don’t know if it’s true or fiction that it’s possible to win, but a person, especially a Russian, will always hope for luck and luck more than anything else.

Let's talk about the largest lottery winnings among Russians.

Yuri Ivanov from Togliatti won about 1 million rubles. As the hero says - he regularly bought tickets for 23 years, and the numbers winning ticket he dreamed in a dream. What a story that is quite capable of cheering those who have spent a few salaries and half their lives on lottery tickets waiting for a prize - wait, perhaps still ahead!

1 million rubles was won by a resident of the village of Vargashi, Kurgan region, and became the luckiest villager who hit the jackpot in lotteries, because before that, the inhabitants of the provinces did not receive more than 200 thousand rubles.

Alexander Osterenko from Samara region won 2.5 million rubles in 2011.

11 million rubles was once won by a Russian Railways passenger on a passenger ticket, they were looking for him for two weeks. Yes, according to the media, this is possible - to win a multi-million dollar amount just by buying a Russian Railways ticket. A little later, another lucky man with Russian Railways won 8 million rubles.

Nadezhda Mukhametzyanova on December 30, 2001, with her husband and children, won 29 million rubles in the "Bingo Show". At the same time, as the sources say, the spouses bought two apartments, two cars for the money they won, but they spent a lot of money on drinks and slot machines. Cars broke down after accidents, the apartment burned down in a fire, the wife died a few years later from a trophic ulcer, and the husband lives unsociable in the second apartment with his sons.

In 2009, a resident of Moscow, Evgeny Sidorov, won 35 million rubles in the Gosloto lottery. The man spent his winnings very prudently: he went with his family to his homeland, to the Lipetsk region, organized his own farm and carp breeding production.

100 million rubles went to Albert Begrakyan from St. Petersburg in 2009 ("Gosloto 6 out of 45"), of these, the lucky one built a hotel for 16.5 million rubles, bought real estate, a car, and helped his family.

In 2015, a resident of Kaliningrad won 126.9 million rubles in the mobile lottery.

In 2014 ("Gosloto 6 out of 45") Omsk Valery T won 184 million rubles. His bet in the lottery was 810 rubles.

In the same 2014, a certain Mikhail from Nizhny Novgorod won 200 million rubles.

In 2016, a resident of Novosibirsk hit the jackpot in the Gosloto lottery as much as 358 million rubles, the name of the lucky one left in secret.

At the end of autumn 2017, a pensioner from Voronezh won 506 million rubles in the Stoloto lottery(however, earlier it was said that this is a man). And this is the biggest lottery win in Russia. People comment on this event in different ways, and that now the grandmother will have to hide, otherwise she stupidly appeared on TV that they would be persecuted, while others write:

“Don't worry, no one will be hiding anywhere, because there was no woman from Voronezh who won 500 million rubles. This is a lottery promoting itself so that fools1 buy tickets more actively. Do you really think that an ordinary person can win 500 million rubles? "

“They found a grandmother from a remote Siberian village, gave 50 thousand or whatever she needed, gave her a different name, and so, buy our tickets to NG, what kind of PR they did to themselves all over the country, how they will raise sales2.

“Yes, there are no 500 mln. And this grandmother was paid 20 thousand. For this number on TV. Now she is sitting in the village of Glukharevo and no one will find her .... ”.

It was somewhat certain known cases when big winnings (26 million rubles) were not given to the Russians, for example, one person has been trying to get the winnings out for several years to no avail.

And now about the largest lottery winnings in the world.

In 2000, the American got $ 363 million.

In 2002, a West Virginia resident ripped off D a jackpot of $ 314.9 million.

Colombian Juan Rodriguez, who worked as a watchman, won $ 149 million in 2004.

In 2004, a US citizen won $ 209 million.

In 2005, the American won $ 340 million.

In 2006, the American won $ 230 million.

In 2006, America again, the prize is $ 365 million.

In 2008, the 84-year-old Missouri retiree won $ 254 million.

In 2007, Mega Millions raffled off $ 390 million.

In 2013, three US residents won $ 488 million, the prize was shared among three.

In 2014, a California retiree hit a $ 425 million jackpot.

In 2012, two US residents won $ 587 million each, the prize was split in half.

$ 590 million was won by a resident of Florda in 2013. At that time, such a Jackpot became a record.

In 2012, "Mega Millions" raffled off as much as 640 million dollars !! The prize was shared by two lucky ones.

Well, now an unrealistic amount !! And I, frankly, do not believe that ordinary people got it.

In 2016, the Powerball lottery won the world's largest prize - $ 1 billion 586 million, which went to three lucky winners, each half a billion dollars.

So far, the records in the world and in Russia are as follows: in Russia, the biggest gain was $ 500 million, in the world $ 1.5 billion for three.

In Russia, only 1% of the population plays the lottery, while, for example, in France, the United States plays 65-70% of the population.

Truth. That's how long I don't go to the post office - half of the queue is buying lottery tickets. I can't imagine how things are going in France then if there are 70 times more lottery fans than here.

One of the problems with quick wins is that they are ephemeral. Gifts of fate, "freebies" disappear as quickly as they appear. And the millions that have fallen on their heads sometimes bring more troubles than joy. For example, a person who did not know the price of making money does not know how to behave with it, he starts spending everything chaotically or is afraid of it. Families break up, people become greedy, angry. But of course, good examples there is. When people started up winnings in a profitable business, but for this it is necessary that the person initially had business experience and was able to make money. And everyone who lived in booze-parties - they let everything down on them ...

« A person has a material threshold: the amount of money that he is used to managing. It is established subconsciously. As a rule, income increases gradually: the salary was increased - the psyche adapted to the increase. And when a huge amount falls from the sky, this is an overwhelming work for the body. A person simply does not know how to manage such money. Doesn't know what to do with them. It becomes a burden, not a happiness.

Plus, distant relatives and old acquaintances begin to show up. This is additional stress. And here mechanisms that are beyond the control of consciousness are activated. You are just trying with all your might to get rid of the money. That is why such winnings often simply go nowhere. Or even worse - they get drunk very quickly. This makes it easier. It is almost impossible to cope with such stress on your own. It is better to seek help from professional psychologists. "

Of course, I want to say - someone is lucky, so I would, at least a couple of millionaires just like that !!! But as the sage said, it is better to teach a person to fish than to give it to him ... Those who do not know how to fish will eat and will be hungry again, and those who know how to fish will always be full.

An excerpt of a dialogue from an old Soviet film, when a Sportloto ticket cost 60 kopecks, and maximum win was 20 thousand rubles:

“I won not won, what's the difference? Not in this case! And the fact is that for 60 kopecks I have a hope to win 10 or 20 thousand rubles !!! "

Who has ever thought of buying a lottery ticket and trying their luck, especially in the midst of the ongoing financial crisis? A couple of extra million could easily solve money problems and become a ticket to happy life for anyone an ordinary person... But Fortune is an unpredictable and capricious goddess. Not everyone is lucky: someone buys tickets often, but never wins. Others get millions on the first try. Who are the lucky ones who are lucky enough to win the largest sums?

Jack Whittaker

This man is the owner of the largest lottery win in the United States in history - as much as $ 315 million. Moreover, Whittaker was far from the poorest man - at the time of such happy event he served as president of one of the largest construction corporations. However, the day of the ticket purchase did not make Whittaker any happier. Jack decided to take the winnings not in parts, but in whole at once. After deducting taxes, he was left with an amount almost three times less than the initial win - only $ 113.4 million.

As befits a good Christian, Whittaker donated ten percent of this amount to the foundation of charitable religious organizations. He also presented the lucky ticket saleswoman with a car and a house.

But on this white stripe in Whittaker's life ceased. Jack was arrested several times for drunk driving. In the summer of 2003, thieves broke into his car and stole almost half a million dollars. In January 2004, he was robbed again for $ 200,000. And in the same year, Whittaker was arrested - the reason was the threat to kill the manager in the bar, where he was a regular and drinker.

And the last straw was another robbery - now Whittaker's bank accounts were damaged. In September 2006, fraudulent check robbers cleared all the bank accounts of the lucky former. That was the bleak end of the biggest lottery win.

Brad Duke is a smart winner

But there is also opposite story- and this is a win for Brad Duke, who worked as a manager in Ohio. He approached the money he received in a much more rational way. The $ 85 million, which was one of the largest lottery wins, was split by him into several parts. Duke invested 45 million in securities of those companies where the risk of loss was minimal and the profit was the highest. He decided to invest another 35 million in companies with high risks, but high revenues - oil and gas corporations. For those 5 million that remained, Duke traveled with friends to Hawaii, paid for his studies and a loan for housing.

Juan Rodriguez Win

Another of the biggest lottery winnings went to a Colombian native named Juan Rodriguez. The amount was no less than $ 149 million.

Rodriguez worked as a watchman, and the constant lack of money was the reason for incessant scandals with his wife. At the time when poor Juan had only one dollar in his pocket, the amount of his debts was already about 44 thousand dollars. It was then that he decided to try his luck and buy a lottery ticket. However, this story was overshadowed only by the fact that ten days after the win, Juana's wife filed for divorce. In a court ex-wife said he "could have won more."

Generous vietnamese

The oldest lottery winner in the world went to the largest lottery prize of $ 310,000. This amount went to a 97-year old man from Vietnam named Nguyen Van Het. Almost all of its conscious life he spent in need. No one expected the old peasant to decide to play the lottery.

He bought a lucky lottery ticket with money given to him by his relatives. Immediately after it became known about the win, neighbors began to gather around his house. The old man was so happy that he started giving out money to everyone. The authorities had to intervene so that he did not run out of money at all.

Retired from South Carolina

Another of the biggest lottery winnings of all time went to South Carolina resident Solomon Jackson. He won $ 260 million in a lottery called Powerball. The pensioner decided not to announce his plans for the future. The only thing known about the winner is that he worked as an employee all his life and retired in 2000. Jackson's prize was the largest lottery win in Powerball history. Happy ticket the pensioner bought it for only $ 2 at a gas station.

The story of Ralph and Mary Stabbnis

This story is one of the darkest examples of money luck being followed by a streak of serious setbacks. Married couple became the winner of the American lottery called Mega Millions in 2005. It was one of the largest lottery winnings ever held by the company at $ 208 million. The couple preferred to take the smaller part first, which was allowed by the lottery rules - 125 million. The rest of the amount was to be paid to them over several decades. The Stabbnis planned to pay off their debts, buy a farm, invest the money they won in keeping and raising cows, and live the life of ordinary provincials for the rest of their days.

Mary and Ralph have lived together for 23 years, they had three children. Both of them immediately left their previous jobs after winning - Ralph was an ordinary worker in a mining company, and Mary received about $ 7 an hour, working as a saleswoman. However, the win didn't make the couple happy. In the fall of 2006, Ralph Stabbnis was charged with attempted murder of a friend of his daughter's, as well as possession of weapons. Less than two months later, he died of a heart attack.

Lucky combination

Another Mega Millions jackpot turned out to be less unfortunate. It was split between the two winners - a Washington resident named Jim McCullar and an anonymous resident of Aihado. 380 million dollars - this was the largest lottery win in the world in 2011. What numbers did these lucky ones get? It was a sequence of numbers 4, 8, 15, 25, 47 and 42. Residents of the United States noticed that this sequence was repeated several times in episodes of the TV series Lost. In the story, they also brought the hero of the series named Hurley luck in the lottery.

The story of a poor waitress

However, more often than not, lottery winnings bring bad luck to their owner. So it turned out with a waitress from Las Vegas named Cynthia Jay. She decided to stop by the casino after work. She was not going to leave a lot of money in the machines - she had only 27 dollars in her hands. Cynthia decided to play a lottery called “ One-armed bandit". Gradually lost one dollar after another and was about to leave. Suddenly, a loud sound was heard throughout the casino, which notified all visitors about the winning of the jackpot.

The amount that Cynthia managed to win was about $ 35 million. It would have taken her 1165 years to earn this money as a waitress. However, the luck did not last long. Less than a few months after the win, Cynthia got into a serious car accident. The poor girl ended up in wheelchair... Later she stated that she would give all the money just to go and work as a waitress again.

Lotteries in the USSR

V Soviet time lotteries did not bring such misfortune. Perhaps this happened because they did not win astronomical amounts - lotteries were created mainly for the development of the economy. One of the most popular lotteries of the past was the Sprint lottery (USSR). The biggest prize was then 10 thousand rubles. In the first four days after the launch, the lottery sold 2 million tickets. Their cost was 50 kopecks. or 1 ruble. It was also possible to win a Volga car, which was much more interesting for Soviet lottery fans.

Also in the era of the USSR, sports lotteries were very popular - "Sportloto", "Sportprognosis". It is believed that these draws were the first type of bookmaking in the USSR. The prizes awarded to buyers of lottery tickets were often hard-to-find items such as televisions, refrigerators, washing machines and sewing machines.