lottery winner

Read the latest news and reports about lottery winners on Newser.com

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>

Days After Claiming Prize, $167M Winner Is Behind Bars

James Farthing plans to split the money with his mother

(Newser) - No sooner had a Powerball winner cashed in his $167.3 million ticket this week than he was behind bars. James Farthing learned Sunday in a call from his mother that he had won Kentucky's biggest prize ever, which he claimed the next day. On Tuesday, records in Florida...

They Figured Out How to Scam the Texas Lottery—Legally

Zeljko Ranogajec, others figured out that if you buy up every number combination you can still make bank

(Newser) - If you forked over your hard-earned cash to play the lottery in Texas in the spring of 2023, you may be a little torqued at what you're about to read. The story out in the Wall Street Journal is about "the Joker"—aka John Wilson, formerly known...

$1M Lottery Winner: 'I'm Not Homeless Anymore!'
Homeless Man
Hits $1M Jackpot
Apr 17, 2025 9:45 AM CDT

Homeless Man Hits $1M Jackpot

'I'm not homeless anymore!': Un-IDed Californian needed money, deserved it, says store manager

(Newser) - A $1 million scratch-off lottery ticket went to a person who not only "deserved it," but "actually needed it," according to the manager of the California store where the ticket was sold. The unnamed winner, a regular customer at Sandy's Deli-Liquor in San Luis Obispo,...

Thieves Stole Guy's Card, Bought $523K Lottery Ticket

And the card's owner has a deal for them

(Newser) - Thieves used a stolen card to buy a winning French lottery ticket worth $523,000. But they vanished before cashing in—and now they're among France's most famous fugitives. The man whose card was stolen, identified in police documents as Jean-David E., is offering to split the cash...

Powerball Winner's Mansion Destroyed in Palisades Fire

Newish billionaire Edwin Castro loses $3.8M luxury home in Malibu

(Newser) - Edwin Castro's good-luck streak has ended. The California man—who won $2.04 billio n in a 2022 Powerball drawing, scooped up tens of millions of dollars' worth of luxury real estate, and won a lawsuit alleging he wasn't the rightful owner of the winning Powerball ticket—has...

Winner of $1.1B Jackpot Comes Forward After 9 Months
Winner of $1.1B Jackpot
Comes Forward After 9 Months
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Dec 28, 2024 3:55 PM CST

Winner of $1.1B Jackpot Comes Forward After 9 Months

New Jersey winner has chosen to remain anonymous

(Newser) - It took three-quarters of a year, but the winner of the fifth-largest Mega Millions jackpot ever has finally come forward to claim their prize. The lone winning ticket was purchased in March in New Jersey , but no one came forward to submit the ticket and claim the $1.128 billion...

Someone in California Just Became a Billionaire

Winning Mega Millions ticket worth $1.22B sold in Golden State

(Newser) - At least one Mega Millions player has plenty of dough to ring in the new year after drawing the winning number. After three months without anyone winning the top prize in the lottery, a ticket worth an estimated $1.22 billion was sold in California for the drawing Friday night,...

She Lost Her Job, Then Had Stroke of Huge Lottery Luck

South Carolina woman wins $300K from a scratch-off ticket just days after being laid off

(Newser) - They say the universe always balances out, and for one South Carolina woman, that certainly seems to be the case. UPI reports on a "reversal of fortune" for the unnamed woman from the Lowcountry region of the Palmetto State, who recently visited a store called the Old Pantry in...

Clerk Allegedly Stole Customer's $1M Lottery Ticket

Customer didn't realize he'd won until lottery officials called him

(Newser) - A Tennessee man went to a Murfreesboro Shell station to buy some lottery tickets and have them scanned, and police say that instead of informing the customer one of his tickets was a $1 million winner, the clerk took the opportunity to nab it for himself. Meet Patel is accused...

Michigan Breakfast Club Claims $840M Powerball Jackpot

Group consists of a lawyer and a 'thrilled and nervous' couple

(Newser) - A mid-Michigan couple and a lawyer from the west side of the state were announced Tuesday as winners of an $842.4 million Powerball lottery jackpot from a ticket purchased on New Year's Day. The Breakfast Club lottery group opted for a cash lump sum of $305 million after...

Woman Wins $1M Lottery Prize Twice in 10 Weeks

Christine Wilson used some of the money to buy an SUV, says she'll save the rest

(Newser) - A Massachusetts woman won a $1 million Massachusetts State Lottery prize—then, 10 weeks later, won the same amount again. Christine Wilson won both jackpots by playing scratch-off tickets she'd purchased at two different stores, People reports. Both times, she opted for the $650,000 (pre-tax) cash payout option,...

$1.3B Powerball Winner Has Been Fighting Cancer for Years

Cheng Saephan says he plans to 'find a good doctor for myself'

(Newser) - One of the winners of a historic $1.3 billion Powerball jackpot last month is an immigrant from Laos who has had cancer for eight years and had his latest chemotherapy treatment last week. Cheng "Charlie" Saephan, of Portland, told a news conference held by the Oregon Lottery that...

Someone Has Finally Won That Huge Powerball Jackpot
Winner of
$1.3B Jackpot
Comes Forward
UPDATED
Apr 10, 2024 1:30 AM CDT

Winner of $1.3B Jackpot Comes Forward

But officials say it will take weeks to verify Oregon win

(Newser) - A person with a ticket matching all six Powerball numbers in Saturday's $1.3 billion jackpot came forward Monday to claim the prize from last weekend's drawing, but the winner won't be announced for at least a couple more weeks until their ticket is verified and arrangements...

Someone Has Won $1.12B Mega Millions Jackpot
Powerball at Nearly $1B
UPDATED
Mar 28, 2024 12:00 AM CDT

Powerball at Nearly $1B

After the latest drawing with no winner

(Newser) - The Powerball jackpot increased to an estimated $935 million after no one matched the six numbers drawn Wednesday night, the AP reports. The numbers selected were: 37, 46, 57, 60, 66, and the Powerball 8. The drawing came a day after a player in New Jersey won a massive Mega...

Man Sues DC Lottery After Not Winning $340M Jackpot

John Cheeks says lottery website posted wrong numbers as the winners, but he still wants his cash

(Newser) - When John Cheeks checked his Powerball numbers the day after the Jan. 7, 2023, drawing, he saw them listed as the winning combination on the DC Lottery's website, with a $340 million jackpot at stake. "I got a little excited, but I didn't shout, I didn't...

Man Running for Congress Just Hit the Jackpot

Republican Josh McConkey will fund campaign in North Carolina with his half of $1.5M winnings

(Newser) - A North Carolina physician hit it big in the lottery earlier this month, and that money came just in time for him to fund his run for Congress. WNCN reports that Dr. Josh McConkey, who's also a colonel in the Air Force Reserve, matched all five balls in the...

Somebody Just Had a Pretty Rich New Year's Day

Michigan Powerball player cleans up $842M jackpot

(Newser) - Someone in Michigan won a massive Powerball jackpot on the first day of 2024, the first time it has been won on New Year's Day since the game's start in 1992. The winning numbers drawn were: 12, 21, 42, 44, 49, and the red Powerball of 1. Final...

For 2 Years in a Row, Man Has Won $10M at Same Store

Clerk at Brooklyn store says Wayne Murray is still buying scratch-off tickets

(Newser) - After Brooklyn man Wayne Murray won the $10 million jackpot in a scratch-off game last year, he didn't change his routine or move out of his East Flatbush neighborhood—and he doubled his money with another scratch-off ticket from the same store. The New York Lottery says Murray, who...

Winner of $1.35B Jackpot Says His Ex Violated NDA

He's suing her for allegedly telling his father, stepmother about big win

(Newser) - A Maine resident is suing his ex-girlfriend, and he probably won't have much trouble paying the legal bills. The man, who kept his identity secret after winning a $1.35 billion Mega Millions Jackpot in January, is suing the woman, the mother of his daughter, for allegedly letting his...

$1.73B Powerball Jackpot Won by California Player

That'll be $1.73B, or $756.6M for the cash option

(Newser) - A player in California won a $1.73 billion Powerball jackpot Wednesday night, ending a long stretch without a winner of the top prize. The winning numbers were: 22, 24, 40, 52, 64, and the Powerball 10. The winning ticket was sold at Midway Market & Liquor in Frazier Park,...

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>
Most Read on Newser