They WON the Lottery!

Powerball is improving!

Just when you thought the most exciting lottery game on the planet couldn’t get any better…it’s getting better!

With the addition of Florida to the states that sell Powerball tickets, there are changes being made that many people will find very exciting. Here are some of the big ones:

1. The starting jackpot will now be $20 million – that’s the largest starting jackpot of any lottery game in the world.

2. Currently the average jackpot is around $95 million. The average jackpot in the new games is expected to be around $141 million.

Lottery Winners

Newest millionaire is now a philanthropist

More lottery winners should follow the example of Kris Schoonmaker in California.

Schoonmaker recently got married to Allana, who is from the Philippines. In Allana’s home province, there are more than 15,000 children that are homeless and in need of medical aid. The first thing Schoonmaker plans to spend his new money on is to build an infirmary or some type of medical facility.

It is refreshing to hear that there is a lottery winner that is thinking of others first, rather than what kind of house to buy, how many cars go get, and how big of a diamond ring to put on his (or his new wife’s) finger.

Lottery Losers

Richie’s Randazzo’s counterpart

Remember Richie Randazzo? He’s the guy that used to work as a doorman in New York City – until he won the lottery, kept his job, got a little lazy about showing up, and got fired.

Ray Otero can’t stand to hear that story.

Otero is the building superintendent at an apartment complex across the street from where Randazzo used to work. Randazzo, the guy that won, hardly spent any money on lottery tickets. Otero, on the other hand, spends $500 to $700 per week.

Lottery Winners

Powerball winner throws a street party

Charlie Crouch knows how to throw a party – especially after winning $200,000.

With a nickname like Crazy Charlie, this kind of thing should be expected. He has lots of friends in the biker community, and invited them all to a party with full buffet and live music. This was all to celebrate his recently lottery win.

The party was attended by lots of bikers and local residents, some of whom have been friends with Crazy Charlie for more than 20 years.

Lottery Losers

Another lottery winner goes to prison

Thomas Turnour won $10 million in the California SuperLotto game. Unfortunately, becoming wealthy doesn’t prevent you from doing stupid things.

Turnour was driving his pickup truck, drunk, and smashed into the back of a car that was stopped at a red light. The impact of the crash pushed the car into two other vehicles, and three people were killed.

Turnour pleaded guilty gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, and also to the charge of causing injury while driving intoxicated. He was sentenced to more than 17 years in prison.