Who hasn’t dreamt about winning the big jackpot of a lottery? I think we’ve all been there. Despite of this I have rarely bought a single lottery ticket in my entire life. I guess I always figured that I wouldn’t stand a chance winning anyway. But so did Nandlall Mangal – a 42 year old New Yorker originating from India who won $245.6 million playing the US Powerball. So here I am writing about 5 things that I learnt from his incredible jackpot win.
1. Anyone can win the jackpot
You don’t have to be rich and you don’t have to be smart. You just have to be lucky – pick the right numbers at the right time. Nandlall Mangal was nothing but a humble carpenter and construction worker. As a high school teacher I’m sitting here thinking that it could’ve been me who won. But you know what’s really crazy? Nandlall didn’t even play on a regular basis.
The only time this Indian New Yorker bought a lottery ticket was if the jackpot had a higher prize pool than $100 million. However, even then he didn’t always play. He was very occasional with his purchases and what’s more he never invested very much. When he won the big jackpot he only bought a single ticket for $6 and that was enough.
2. Neglecting the ticket may boost your chances of winning
All jokes aside, Nandlall Mangal didn’t keep up to date with his winning lottery ticket. After he bought it he placed it on his kitchen table, left town for a week and didn’t think about it. He had no idea that his life had changed until he came back and checked the internet. Imagine his surprise when he realized that he was $245.6 million richer.
3. Lotteries can be played online
Nandlall Mangal didn’t enter the lottery over the internet. He bought his ticket in Stop & Shop on Hylan Boulevard in Staten Island, New York. However, when I researched about where I should go to get my Powerball ticket I stumbled upon a lottery review site known as gamblingbaba. I quickly realized that most lotteries, including the US Powerball, could be played online at various gambling sites – quite convenient I must say.
4. The US Powerball jackpot is frequently won
I used to think that this rarely happens – perhaps once a year, but I was totally wrong. Reading about Nandlall Mangal’s win I came to understand that he was just one of many jackpot winners that year. On average it seems like the US Powerball jackpot is won every 40 or so days. It even promises life changing winnings every time as these seem to be ranging from $50 million to hundreds of millions.
5. If you don’t play you can’t win
This was my biggest revelation. A lot of people say that playing the lottery and the likes is a waste of money as the odds are always against you. I used to hear myself saying this too. But you know what? I’ve changed my opinion. Sure the odds aren’t in my favor, but if I don’t play I can’t win. And what else in life is going to give me the opportunity of making all my dreams come true for only a couple of bucks every week? It’s not like I’m going to miss this money anyway, but if I win I sure as hell will be forever grateful to my decision of playing.
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