Winning a prize of epic proportions that accounts for dozens of millions of dollars cannot be reduced to “becoming rich.” There is a lot more that changes when that happens, to the point of a complete transformation of the winner’s life. That is a side that not many people know, especially because winners tend to be discrete after they claim the prize.
Quick Jump
Top 3 Stories of Lives Changed By a Lottery Jackpot Prize
Leaving the stories that went wrong aside, which we have covered in our lottery curse article, let’s focus on positive changes in their lives thanks to the jackpot prize. More than stories of lottery winners who are still rich, we will lay our attention on how their routine, preferences, and activities changed with millions in the bank.
Edwin Castro: Living the Movies Dream
Edwin Castro had to publicly claim his prize of $2.04 billion, the biggest jackpot in the history of Powerball and the entire world, as California‘s legislation does not allow trust or anonymous claims. The resident of Altadena went from a simple mechanic to a multimillionaire after taking the $997.6 million lump-sum payment.
Without any reason left to keep his daily job, he started to spend in mansions, which is a big change considering he used to live in a one-bedroom home, not to mention a vintage Porsche and other luxurious cars.
In total, he reportedly spent $76 million in new homes, with special mention to the $46 million mansion in Bel Air with six bedrooms, an infinity pool, a cinema room, and everything else a true star could want. He honestly became the protagonist of his own opulence movie, living with the best of everything in the city of nightlife and fun, Los Angeles.
Still, Edwin is aware of where the lottery profit goes, as well as the lottery taxes, and said that the public education in California was the real winner. Indeed, considering that over $1 billion went to taxes, that means the education system in the state benefited a lot from this prize. Had someone from another state win that prize, California would not have gained that huge extra.
Therefore, Edwin went from a mechanic to someone who can spend millions in homes and cars and still have plenty to spend. Also, the life of thousands of students in California went better somehow thanks to that prize!
Cynthia Stafford: Bearer of the Lottery Secret
Cynthia Stafford, another inspiring lottery winner with a complete life change from California, says she is blessed in her social media. That is definitely the case, as she used to work 3 jobs before she scored the $112 million Mega Millions jackpot.
From the moment her name as a winner became public, Cynthia revealed that she already knew that she was going to win that exact prize amount. She does not claim to have made perfect lottery predictions beforehand but actually used the power of will. That possible secret of hers has everything to do with how the jackpot changed her life because that story also turned into her business – or at least one of them.
Thanks to that story, she wrote a book with the self-explanatory title “Seeing: How to Visualize Your Way to Success” and even a course to people who want to understand her method. She believes that visualizing the prize and her winning was what made her win, even by buying just a few lottery tickets each month.
As a result, her jackpot and the story she tells made her become some form of lottery coach. She also invested in varied businesses, including a film production company.
Rick Knudsen: Living At the Top of the World
Our third example is also from California. It is one of the states with the most lottery winners from Mega Millions, not to mention the one with the best lottery stories. Rick Knudsen is the name of the winner who took home $80 million from the total jackpot of $180 million.
Souce: megamillions.com
He used to be a construction executive, and his first accomplishment as a jackpot winner was to build a mansion still under construction at the top of a mountain in San Bernardino County. His prior experience in house development made it possible for him to pay less for it and finish the job for the five-bedroom mansion.
He continued, buying 865 acres of land where he built several different businesses, including a restaurant, a steakhouse saloon, a caretaker’s house, and two barns. More than an opulent act of a new rich man, the eatery is a place of reunion for citizens and visitors. In short, his life went from developing the house of others to creating a complex villa for himself and his friends.
That dream lasted from 2014 to 2018, when he had to sell and move to another real estate to adapt to the needs of his son’s medical conditions.
Can a Jackpot Prize Change Your Life?
Any jackpot worth millions will change your life, regardless of how discrete you want to be, unless you are already a millionaire. Being able to stop or reduce your day job is usually the first obvious impact, but you also need to change routine, and sometimes even get away from some undesired people.
Some people invest in businesses, while others prefer to spend as much money on luxury as possible. There is no rule as to what you should do with your lottery money, but you will most probably do better by hiring help after winning the lottery. There are people specialized in planning and managing lottery money, even if you win from international lottery sites, and that can make your life much easier.
