It’s one of those questions that everybody has been asked at least once in their life – what would you do if you won the lottery? For most, it is a mere pipe-dream – something to fantasise about but nothing more than that, but for a few very lucky people, this fantasy becomes a reality.
For some the sudden vast swathe of wealth rushing into their pockets brings with it a tide of happiness – all they have ever wanted, but for others, it can get a little overwhelming. Becoming millions richer in an instant makes it very difficult to keep one’s life the same, and it is no surprise that there are some lotto winners with some incredible stories – here are a few of the best straight out of South Africa.
First, a true rags to riches story – earlier in 2013 a 54-year-old man won R6.5m after taking a chance on a R20 ticket in the January 19th draw. Used to living off just R750 per month, the man suddenly found astronomical wealth right at his feet, literally, as he hid the winning ticket in his shoe to keep it safe before handing it in.
Those feet, admirably, have stayed firmly on the ground since his big win. He had made his money through odd jobs prior to his win and said he wanted to keep the same lifestyle, devoting the money to his children by relocating them to live with him in Johannesburg so they could attend better schools.
The same, sadly, cannot be said of Jason Canterbury, who won R6.7m in 2003 at the age of just 18. Jason’s tragic story saw him lose all his money before he was sentenced to 28 years in jail for murder in 2008, having turned to drugs and crime as a way of supporting the lifestyle he had briefly enjoyed after his win.
Perhaps the most incredible of all the South African lottery tales though, is that of a 38-year-old man who defied odds of 336,000,000-1 to win the top prize not once, but twice.
The man picked up R30m in November 2009, less than 10 years after an R11m win, stunning lottery chiefs. “I have no idea what his secret is. He’s just a lucky bloke,” said Thembi Tulwana, spokesman for South Africa’s Lottery operator Gidani.
Like our first case, this man planned to invest the majority of his winning in the futures of his children, so perhaps it is they, not he himself, who are truly lucky ones.
With so many new ways to win big at the lotto popping up each day, and the ever-increasing prevalence of online lotteries, there are now more chances than ever to win big like these people did. Go online and find lotto results here at the click of a button to see if you could be joining them – you never know – you might even win twice.