Lottery Winners Giving Away Their Millions

It takes a lucky person to win a massive lottery prize, and it takes an exceptional person to donate the bulk of it to charity. Believe it or not, there is more than one of these extra-ordinarily philanthropic people in the world. These are the stories of three lottery winners who gave most of their lottery winnings away.

There are many ways for lottery winners to spend their new-found wealth. We all dream about big houses, new cars and relaxing, luxury vacations. There is no reason why we should not have all of this and more if we hit the jackpot. You often also hear of winners donating some of their money to different charities or organizations. But a winner giving away most or all of his or her millions is not something that happens every day. Here are the inspirational stories of three very giving lottery winners who did exactly that!

French Winner with a Big Heart

A man from the Haute-Garonne area of southwestern France won €72 million in January last year in the EuroMillions lottery, and is giving most of his winnings away! All that we know about this anonymous winner is that he is in his 50’s, he is unmarried, and he is extremely big-hearted. This winner donated €50 million to a group of NGOs that help the disadvantaged. This donation was probably one of the biggest donations made by a lottery winner in France.

Homeless Hungarian Helps Family & the Homeless

A recovering alcoholic, László Andraschek has been struggling with hardships and financial shortcomings all his life. One day, he decided to buy a lottery ticket with his last coins. The inspiration to do so served him well in the end as the lucky ticket brought Ft 630 million (which meant around $2.8 million in September 2013). What does a homeless guy do when he wins the lottery? He first paid off all his debts, then he helped his relatives pay theirs, he purchased homes for his children, a new car and made a generous donation to a homeless shelter “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,” he told the Guardian.

Canadian Lottery Legend

Tom Crist has become a lottery legend for donating his entire lottery prize to charity. This Canadian winner was at a Californian golf course when he received the life-changing call from the Calgary lottery officials. He was the lucky winner of $40 million thanks to his lottery subscription! But this lottery winner did not jump up and down and shout it out to the world. He chose to keep his win quiet, and only told his children 7 months later because Canadian law required a winner announcement and picture. Crist is the retired President and CEO of a successful company and in his words: “I don’t really need that money.” Nevertheless, this is still an extremely generous act. He put the money in a trust in his late wife’s name, and he and his children chose charities to donate the money to.

Elderly Couple in a Million

Allen and Violet Large were a winning couple with a very large heart. This elderly Canadian couple from Lower Truro, Nova Scotia, won $11.2 million in Lotto 649 in 2010, and kindly donated 98% of their win to a number of different organizations. These included hospitals, churches, fire departments and the Red Cross. In Violet’s words “What you’ve never had, you never miss.” Allen Large still buys lottery tickets every week in his late wife’s memory and intends to donate any future wins again.

Lotteries Change Lives

The official lotteries themselves also donate large sums of money to various organizations and charities. For example, the UK National Lottery set up the National Lottery Good Causes Fund through which it donates funds to various U.K. community organizations. Many official lotteries around the world distribute all or some of the unclaimed winnings to communities, charities and social services, particularly to education. The lottery is all about changing people’s lives, whether it is the lives of the winners themselves or even of those less fortunate who can benefit from the many lottery donations!