Some of the biggest lottery winners are proof that your luck doesn’t run out as you get older. And it may be the very reason why they continue to live their lives to the fullest. After all, playing the lottos gives you hope for a better life that can sustain you through difficult times.
Keep reading if you’re curious about some of the oldest lottery winners in the world.
Ruby Sorah
Ruby was 90-years old when she won an incredible $43 000 000 jackpot. Along with her husband, she made only one purchase with her winnings. The couple bought a spark plug for their lawnmower and decided to split the rest of their massive jackpot between their family members. This generous action came as no surprise to their friends and neighbours who consider the Sorah’s to be down-to-earth, warm-hearted people.
At this stage of their lives they’re probably not too worried about the future and are glad they can secure their families finances for the years to come. But it is an incredible act of generosity, and an example for all future lottery winners to follow.
Gloria Mackenzie
Gloria still holds the title for the biggest single-ticket US Powerball winner. In May 2013, Gloria was 84-years-old when she won a $590 000 000 Powerball jackpot. But she owes much of her luck to a well-mannered player who let her jump the queue to purchase her ticket. She did use some of her winnings to purchase a five-bedroomed home. Considering that she was living in a rental home when she won, this was a sensible move.
Gloria also donated $2 000 000 to Schenck High School in Maine so they could fix their leaking roof. Although the school offered to change their name in her honour, she declined. It seems that even big US Powerball winners can be generous and modest.
Nguyen Van Het
For most of his life, this Vietnamese man had lived below the poverty line. Then, at the age of 97 he won a jackpot worth $400 000. While that hardly compares to sum won the biggest EuroMillions winner, for Nguyen it was an incredible win. He purchased his ticket using ‘lucky money’ (also known as Tet). This is a gift given before the Lunar Year.
News of his big win spread and it wasn’t long before people were queueing up at his front door. Nguyen has a big heart and couldn’t resist trying to help out as many people as he could. But a neighbour eventually decided to call the local officials in to stop him from giving it all away. Would you be willing to give away your jackpot like Nguyen? Perhaps that’s something to think about the next time you play Powerball online?
Gracie Vera Coulson
Way back in 1999, Grace Vera Coulson was only 87 years-old when she won a £5 000 000 jackpot. Gracie was actually part of a syndicate which a combined age of 405. The group of five pensioners had been playing the lottery for two years before they hit that jackpot.
They were living together at the Boultham Park House residential home in Lincoln and did mention that they would use their winnings to purchase some electric wheelchairs. Now you know why it’s so important to have friends as you get older. They give you love and support and make the ideal lottery syndicate to play with.
Lena Eaton
You never know when luck will strike which was certainly true for Lena Eaton. In 2012, the 91 year-old became the luckiest grandmother in the world when she won two jackpots in the space of three months. The first check she collected was for $300 000 and the second was for $99 000, giving her a grand total of just under $400 000.
Lena used the money for some much needed home maintenance and shared the rest of her winnings with her family. She also mentioned that she would like to do some travelling as she had never really been anywhere. If you won a jackpot at that at that age wouldn’t you want to plan the holiday of a lifetime?
There is so much one can learn from these lottery winners. Perhaps age does make you kinder, but it’s lovely to see how generous they are with their winnings. They seem to want for very little and it’s clear that looking after their families is what really makes them happy. It’s also inspiring that they never gave up on winning the lottery. Although, it seems they play more for fun than with the purpose of winning the jackpot.
And that’s a good attitude to have. Every time you buy lottery tickets online, it should be because you enjoy the challenge of trying to predict the winning lotto numbers, not because you’re fixated on becoming the biggest EuroMillions winner. With a positive attitude, you’ll always be a winner.
