I despise the lottery. There’s less chance of you becoming a millionaire than there is of getting hit on the head by a passing asteroid.
— Brian May, English musician
Jiak beh liao (Hokkien for financial freedom forever)! That’s how a fellow colleague described the winner of the Supreme Toto 6/58 Jackpot March 30 draw which offered a prize money of RM97,751,643.85.
Actually there were two winners. A Penang punter became an instant multi-millionaire when he picked up a cool RM95,036,321.25 in the system bet. The other winner from Puchong, Selangor took home RM2,715,322.65 when he opted for the Ez Bet play.
The RM97.7 million prize money was the biggest in Malaysian history.
I have been a regular lottery punter for decades but my winnings are nothing to shout about. I guess I lost more than I won. The biggest that I ever won in Sports Toto was the second prize Jackpot several years ago which I had to share with several others. My share worked out to about RM35,500 – no big deal, not enough to cover my losses.
You bet I was very disappointed when the Toto website announced that night the jackpot was won. I was already dreaming or rather fantasising about winning the RM97 million.
What would I do if I had picked up the multi-million ringgit prize money?
Here’s what I would have done. Donate 8 per cent to religious organisations and 12 per cent to the poor and homeless; no, I won’t give a single sen to charitable organisations. I would rather approach the needy personally and give them the money. Don’t ask me why!
Then I would donate 20 per cent to the Sarawak General Hospital to purchase the latest medical equipment.
For education, I would set up an education fund to offer scholarships to needy bright students.
I would set aside another 10 per cent to open an eatery which would offer free breakfast and lunch for those who can’t afford a decent meal.
And finally I would set aside 5 or 10 per cent for all my friends and relatives who have been nice and helpful to me over the years.
The remaining 45 or 40 per cent would be invested gainfully with the help of financial advisers. Unfortunately, my fantasy came to an abrupt end on March 30 2022. No thanks to the Penangite!
Anyway, life has to go on.
Meanwhile, I have compiled below some of the world’s biggest lottery winners.
* US$685 million – RM2.884 billion (Powerball)
In May 2021, a Powerball player won a $685 million jackpot, making him one of the biggest prize winners of all time. The jackpot was the eighth largest advertised jackpot ever won.
* $687.8 million – RM2.89 billion (Powerball)
On the draw of October 27, 2018, two ticket holders from New York and Iowa, received an equal share of the jackpot amounting to $343.9 million.
* $731.1 million RM3.07 billion – (Powerball)
A single ticket scooped $731.1 million, the first jackpot of 2021 – on January 20. This jackpot entered the Hall of Fame of Powerball’s largest jackpot.
* $758.7 million – RM3.19 billion (Powerball)
Powerball’s third largest jackpot, even though at the time in August 2017, it was the largest single win of a jackpot in history.
Mavis Wanczyk, then aged 53, of Chicopee, Massachusetts, won prize. The first thing on her to-do list was to call her employer to say she wouldn’t be coming back.
* $768.4 million – RM3.23 billion (Powerball)
Manuel Franco from Wisconsin, was the biggest Powerball winner of all time. At only 24 and after playing regularly since he was 18, Manuel won $768.4 million on March 27, 2019. He is also one of the youngest Powerball winners.
The draw was the second largest jackpot in Powerball history.
* $1.05 billion – RM4.42 billion (Mega Millions)
The $1.05 billion jackpot of January 2021 was the largest prize ever won in Michigan, and third-largest prize won in the United States.
It was only the second time the game surpassed the $1 billion threshold. An Oakland County lottery club claimed the prize.
* $1.537 billion – RM6.31 billion (Mega Millions)
Mega Millions holds the record for the world’s largest lottery prize won on a single ticket, and a lucky ticket holder in South Carolina claimed the lottery jackpot.
* $1.586 billion – RM6.68 billion (Powerball)
The Powerball jackpot was split between three winning tickets in California, Florida, and Tennessee.
How I wish I was among these winners. Anyway, punters are ‘delusional optimists’ as they are perpetually optimistic about ending up a winner even against all odds.
So are you a delusional optimist?
