Better late than never

Two uplifting lottery stories emerged in the press this week, showcasing players who received very welcome surprises in the lottery context.
The first involved a 25-year-old Spanish woman who wishes to remain anonymous after winning the world record in lottery prizes – Euro 172 million and change – in the EuroMillions mega lottery .
Despite massive worldwide coverage of the record-breaking prize, the Majorca-resident winner was not aware that she had become a very wealthy young woman until three days later.
She had been ill with ‘flu, and only discovered her stunning windfall early this week after she returned to work, still feeling ill but scared of losing her job in the tough economic climate in Spain!
The woman was eventually contacted by Jose Mieres, director of the website through which she bought her ticket.
Mieres recalls: “When she found out she was shocked and incredibly emotional at the same time.
“She was asking lots of questions, and we immediately put in place the protocol for these cases.
“She will come to Madrid and we will tell her how to act during the first days. We will explain to her the process of collecting their winnings and we will give her financial advice if she asks for it.”
The winner, who is unmarried but has a boyfriend, picked all seven numbers – 4, 23, 24, 29, 31 and Lucky Stars 8 and 9 – in Friday night’s draw. She had been using the website regularly since 2006.
The jackpot had rolled over six times because no one had matched the correct numbers
And from Portland, Oregon in the United States comes the tale of a $2.6 million lottery jackpot winner who only found out he was a wealthy man five months after the draw!
KGW.com reports that Gordon Carnese, who says he plays the lotto frequently, was cleaning out his car’s glove compartment and found several tickets he’d yet to check on. He took them into a Portland convenience store and learned that he’d won $2.6 million on Megabucks.
Carnese opted for 25 annual payments of $69 680 after state and federal tax withholdings.
He told lottery officials he’d continue to play but would check his tickets more frequently.

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