9 Lucky People Who Became Rich Overnight After Winning Jackpots In 2022
Most of us like to think that luck will shine on us someday. That is why some people invest in lottery tickets or try their luck at random draws every now and then. Why? because everyone hopes for their life to turn around.
There's no telling when your fortune might change, and for these 9 people, it changed so drastically that they became millionaires overnight after hitting jackpots. From winning a lottery to winning lucky draws, here are stories of how some people stumbled upon unimaginable riches:
1. The casino tracked down a tourist who didn't realise he'd won the jackpot
On January 8, 2022, an Arizona-based lucky man named Robert Taylor went to Las Vegas on holiday, where he tried his luck on some lucky draws at the Treasure Island Hotel & Casino and had no clue about his winning. In January 2022, Robert won a $229,368 (over Rs 1.7 crore) jackpot at a Las Vegas slot machine, but he didn't realise it until a month later, in February. Actually, due to a software malfunction, no one at the casino knew that Taylor had won big. But later, when the malfunction was sorted out and the casino staff came to know about this jackpot, Taylor had already gone back home to Arizona, so the Nevada Gaming Control Board (where the casino was) was then asked to track him down and hand over the cash to the winner.
2. A man buys a lottery ticket for 34 years and finally wins the Rs 2.5 crore jackpot
Hailing from a village in Bathinda, Punjab, Roshan Singh, who runs a clothes shop and has been in the business since 1987, has been buying lottery tickets for over three decades, occasionally winning Rs 100–200 but never giving up on his luck and continuously pushing his luck with lottery tickets. And his wish came true in April 2022, when he got a call from a lottery ticket dealer who told him that he had won Rs 2.5 crore at the Punjab State Baisakhi Bumper Lottery.
"I was hopeful that I would win one day, at least a small amount like Rs 10 lakh, if not more," Roshan told the BBC.
"But by the grace of God, we got the first prize. We didn't sleep all night. After deducting all taxes, we will get Rs 1.75 crore. God has listened to our prayer," he added.
3. A woman won Rs 9.5 lakh every month for 30 years
What would be your reaction if you got to know that you would get Rs 9.5 lakh per month without doing anything? Of course, many of you would quit your jobs and start living on hills or travelling around the world for your entire life. The same thing happened to England-based Laura Hoyle, who was stunned after she found out that she had won the top prize of £10,000 (Rs 9.5 lakh) a month for 30 years on the lottery. Laura had seen a notification in her app, but she wasn't sure if it was true. So, she called the National Lottery to confirm her suspicions, while her partner Kirk filmed her reaction.
"I was physically shaking as I told the lady, ‘I think I’ve won the lottery.’ It was so weird saying those words. I kept thinking this must be a joke; it can’t be happening to us. And the ridiculous part was that, as I waited for Camelot to call me back, I still had to join work meetings online. I could hardly speak, let alone make any sense," Laura was quoted as saying by The Mirror.
Since the win, Laura has given up work to pursue ghost hunting, and manufacturing engineer Kirk has paid for his Master's degree.
4. A woman won a Rs 1.5 crore jackpot after purchasing a lottery ticket.
A woman from South Carolina, United States, who won a Rs 1.9 crore lottery jackpot in 2020, won another Rs 1.5 crore lottery with a ticket purchased from the same store in June 2022. The woman bought a "20X the Money" scratch-off ticket from the Spring Valley Convenience Store in the city of Columbia and won the top prize of Rs. 200,000 in June 2022, according to the South Carolina Education Lottery. "I had a lot of fun with the first winnings and enjoyed every bit of it," the woman told SCEL. "This time I'm going to buy a house," she added.
5. Truck driver awarded Rs. 8 crore
A Michigan-based truck driver had brought a scratch ticket to check whether his luck would shine or not, and when he found out that he won the lottery initially, he thought he had won a Rs. 1.5 lakh lottery prize, but he scratched the ticket to find out it was a Rs. 8 crore jackpot. According to the official Michigan Lottery website, the truck driver had purchased his Mystery Multiplier scratch-off ticket from the Speedway gas station on Cole Avenue in Mattawan. The truck driver was naturally left in shock after finding out how much he had actually won. "I scratched the ticket when I got back in my truck and couldn't believe it when I saw I'd won $1 million. I didn't believe it was real until I called the lottery office to confirm my prize," he said.
6. A UK man won Rs 1,879 crore in the jackpot
In July 2022, one unknown person in the UK made headlines after winning a whopping £195 million (Rs 1,879 crore)—the biggest national lottery win of all time. The winning EuroMillions numbers were 06, 23, 27, 40, 41, plus the Lucky Star numbers 02 and 12. One of the tickets matched all seven numbers to win the huge jackpot of £195,707,000.00 (Rs 1,879 crore)—the biggest winner of all time. Camelot’s Andy Carter, Senior Winners’ Advisor at The National Lottery, said: "What an amazing night for one UK ticket-holder who has scooped the biggest-ever EuroMillions jackpot of £195 million!
"This winner has just become the biggest National Lottery winner of all time, the fourth lucky EuroMillions jackpot winner here this year, and the 15th UK winner of over £100 million. "Players are urged to check their tickets and to give us a call if they think they are tonight’s record-breaking lucky winner," he added.
7. A woman won the lottery twice in just one day
Speaking of luck, an American woman won the lottery twice in just one day. Yes, you read that right. A 70-year-old woman was overjoyed after winning the lottery for £90,000 (Rs 83,43,406). To celebrate her win, the woman picked three 'Serious Money' tickets from Tiger Mart in Dover. One of the tickets turned out to be a $300,000 (£268.911) jackpot winner. The Delaware State Lottery said, "The woman's lucky day wasn't over just yet. On her way home, she decided to celebrate by purchasing three serious money tickets from N. Dover Tiger Mart in Dover. Amazingly, one of the tickets turned out to be a $300,000 top-prize winner. The pair soon returned to Lottery Headquarters to claim the woman's $300,000 top prize, making her total winnings for the day $400,000, and October 20, 2022, a day she won't soon forget."
8. A Rs 55 crore jackpot was won by an Indian employee in Dubai
In November, a 47-year-old man named Sajesh NS, who worked as a purchasing manager at Ikkayees restaurant in Dubai’s Karama area, hit the jackpot by winning 25 million dirhams (roughly Rs 55 crore) in the Abu Dhabi Big Ticket Draw. Sajesh said that he wants to help others when asked how he intends to use his money. "There are over 150 employees at the hotel where I work, and I would like to help out as many of them as I can by sharing a portion of my winnings with them," he was quoted as saying. He said he will sit down with his coworkers and discuss what they can do with their money. He, however, made it clear that every individual will have the right to decide what they want to do with their money.
9. An Indan man hits the jackpot with Rs 33 crore
Recently, Hyderabad-based Ajay Ogula won the EASY6 Grand Prize Emirates Draw, which carried a prize of Dh15 million (Rs 33 crore). Ogula, who has been working as a driver for a jewellery establishment since he went to the UAE nearly a decade ago, is the first person to win the Emirates Draw mega-millionaire jackpot. Ogula also stated that he intends to use the prize money to help people in his village.
"Congratulations to our Grand Prize winner, Ajay Ogula, on his epic win. Emirates Draw is not just about numbers and winners; it is about making a difference in people's lives and has been the goal from day one and will remain at the heart of all we do," Mohammad Behroozian Alawadhi, Managing Partner, Emirates Draw, said.
"Our entire team is ecstatic for Ajay Ogula, and we are confident that this win will positively change his life and all the people around him. We will continue our mission of giving back to the community through our Coral Reef Restoration Programme, designed in line with the UAE's government vision of sustainability; as well as support in transforming lives with our weekly prizes," he added.
