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Winning the lottery is one of those once-in-a-lifetime events, right? Many people across the globe make this their ultimate goal, while others simply happen to win seven-figure amounts by accident. To make it even more interesting, there are some stories about winning the lottery or involving the lottery that you simply can’t believe. So, if you’re interested in learning more about some of the most peculiar stories involving winning the lottery and the odd events that followed, keep reading. We won’t promise that reading this article will take you any closer to getting a prize but at least you won’t feel so bad for not winning!
Getting Sued for Winning the Lottery
Tonda Lynn Dickerson, a waitress at a Waffle House in Grand Bay, Alabama, received a winning lottery ticket from one of her regular customers, Edward Seward, in lieu of a tip. However, her colleagues at work claimed they had made an oral agreement that the winnings would be divided equally among them. When Tonda refused to share the prize, her coworkers sued her, but fortunately for her, the case was dismissed since such an agreement was not legally binding in Alabama.
However, Tonda’s legal woes didn’t end there. Seward, the customer who gave her the ticket, sued her for failing to fulfill a promise of giving him a pickup truck if any employee won the lottery. Eventually, the case was also dismissed. Nevertheless, to avoid further legal issues, Tonda established a corporation, which resulted in her losing over $1 million in taxes.
Winning $315 Million with Orange Juice Refund
After purchasing an expensive bottle of orange juice for $5 at a ShopRite in Hackensack, Tayeb Souami, a 56-year-old accountant for a food-importing company and resident of Little Ferry, was asked by his wife to return it. On his way home, he stopped at a Powerball counter and used the remaining money from the orange juice to buy two tickets, with a jackpot of $306 million catching his eye.
The next day, while planning to take his car to the carwash, Souami stopped at a red light and noticed a 7-Eleven store on his right. Curious about the lottery numbers, he checked his tickets and was thrilled to discover that he had won the grand prize of $315.3 million. The cashier described it as “big!” Souami plans to use the winnings to refinance his home, take care of his family, pay off college loans, and invest in a college fund for his daughter. He even jokes, “I love orange juice now.”
Voltaire Made a Fortune Rigging the Lottery
Voltaire, known as a renowned revolutionary thinker and writer, also dabbled in the world of unusual lottery wins. In his younger years, he was exiled from Paris and faced financial struggles. France was also in the midst of a severe financial crisis in 1719, with bankers being held responsible for creating financial instruments that caused debt to disappear, only to reappear multiplied when it was discovered that the collateral did not exist.
The lottery craze in Europe began in 1694 when the English Parliament established a lottery to raise one million pounds for the country’s treasury. The first lottery winners drew significant attention, causing the trend to spread across Europe.
Everything changed for Voltaire when he met mathematician Charles Marie de la Condamine in 1728. De la Condamine proposed a plan to make money by purchasing enough bonds to ensure sufficient lottery tickets for a win, without technically breaking the law. Voltaire’s charisma, strong connections, and aversion to the French government helped establish a syndicate of wealthy patrons who could afford to purchase the required bonds and lottery tickets. While not comparable to the size of European Lotteries today, it was a great opportunity to make a profit!
Remarkably, the plan worked, and the syndicate collected their winnings multiple times until the authorities caught on and brought them to court. To put their winnings into perspective, 500,000 livres at the time would be worth approximately $121 million today. It was an impressive feat for one of history’s most celebrated writers.
Final Thoughts
The world of lottery wins can be full of surprises and unexpected turns. From coworkers suing over a winning ticket to using an orange juice refund to hit the jackpot, these stories showcase the oddities that can come with winning big. Even renowned historical figures like Voltaire have found ways to profit from lotteries. While winning may not always lead to a happily-ever-after, it’s always interesting to hear about the unusual paths to getting there.
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