5 Rags to Riches Stories of Lottery Winners

Formerly Homeless Alcoholic No Longer Homeless

László Andraschek, who lived for seven years in a homeless centre in Győr, Hungary, won 636 million Hungarian forint (US$2.8 million) in a local Hungarian lottery draw in September 2013. Recalling the moment he learned of his lottery win, Andraschek said he told himself: “It’s over; I don’t have to think about where to borrow more money to pay the debts. My life was a constant struggle of plugging holes, and I could only ever do that by creating new ones.”

At the time of his lottery win, Andraschek was a year behind on rent payments and had defaulted on several bank loans. After the win, Andraschek purchased six properties for himself and his family but he also made a large donation to the homeless hostel where he had once lived. He also planned to set up a charitable foundation for people in need.

Andraschek said he would spend his money carefully. “I have become rich, but I have not become a different person. I could buy a large-screen TV because I can afford it, but I won’t buy three because I can afford it.”

African Migrant Rescued from Sinking Boat and Poverty

In 2007, Ngame from Senegal was saved by the Spanish coastguard when the wooden boat in which he was trying to get to Europe along with 65 other migrants was sinking. After arriving in Spain, Ngame and his wife struggled to survive on temporary agricultural work.

Eight years later, in December 2015, Ngame was one of thousands who had purchased tickets to the Loteria Navidad. Having matched the winning raffle number 79140, his El Gordo jackpot prize was worth €400,000.

“I want to give thanks to Spaniards and the Spanish government for rescuing me when I was in the sea,” Ngame said. Having recently been laid off by a greenhouse owner and told to fend for himself, Ngame quipped that his lottery win was a souvenir for his former employer.

From Bankruptcy to Jackpot Winner

Juan Rodriguez, a 49-year-old Colombia native who became a US citizen in 1986, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection in November 2004 when he had only US$0.78 in his bank account and owed US$45,000 to creditors. The New York court ruled that Rodriguez, who earns about US$30,000 annually in his job at a Manhattan parking lot, would not have to repay his debts.

In addition to what he had in the bank, Rodriguez had US$50 cash in hand. In a story that sounds like something straight out of a lottery ad, he spent US$1 to purchase a Mega Millions lottery ticket and when his five numbers and Mega Ball matched those drawn on 19 November 2004, he was the sole winner of a US$149 million jackpot.

Rodriguez elected to take the US$88 million lump sum payout of the prize and at the time was the “richest man in New York Lottery history,” lottery officials announced. It was not clear if the bankruptcy court would reverse its earlier decision and require Rodriguez to pay back his debts.

Will Your Win Be a Rags to Riches Story?

Playing the lottery is, and should remain, a form of entertainment and you should never consider it as a way to make money, or to improve your financial situation.

That said, if you play the lottery online now with official lottery tickets to the biggest lotteries in the world, perhaps one day you’ll have your own rags to riches stories to tell!