Often, one hears about winners of the UK National Lottery and of games around the world who won their fortunes in the midst of otherwise trying times, and these stories tend to provide a bit of comfort, along with their instant appeal, to readers, whether they face similar difficulties or simply empathize with those in need. One such story has recently developed in the American state of South Carolina, where Cassandra Ramsey won a $100,000 prize on a scratch-off lottery game. Initially thinking she had won $1,000, Ramsey was reportedly overcome with joy upon learning about her considerable prize.

Just 19 years old, Ramsey and her boyfriend had been experiencing great challenges with finding employment while raising their sixteen month old daughter, Taylor. Since winning the prize, the couple have purchased a trailer and have paid off their vehicle, hoping to start enjoying a better quality of life as a family. Ramsey notes that she had been playing scratch-off games daily for a year; not too long to wait for such a considerable sum.

The young mother reports plans to donate some of her winnings to her local church, and to ensure that her daughter has an especially warm and happy Christmas season. As for Ramsey and her boyfriend, finding steady jobs remain high priorities, and spending their winnings responsibly is a primary goal that should help them establish a more comfortable lifestyle as they mature and grow as adults.

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There are plenty of items that regularly come to mind when imagining what could be bought with a winning lottery ticket. Fancy cars, international travel, luxury homes, and designer clothes are typical choices for many people, and there are of course scores of personally relevant purchases that might be made. But every once in a while, a lottery winnings purchase comes to light that can truly give pause to onlookers, and a recent divulging of one such purchase at the fifteenth anniversary of the National Lottery in the UK has certainly gotten some special attention.

The odd items in question are comprised of a pair of hips given to Carol Moreton, partner of Mark Page who won £4.7 million in a lottery draw in 2007. Moreton, suffering from a bout of osteoarthritis, had lost a significant amount of height and had difficulty with even the most basic of ambulatory and flexibility tasks, and had been told that she was too young to receive the operation that could replace her ailing hips. After his windfall, Page pledged to help Moreton receive the surgery she needed to get back on her feet, and back to her optimal health, and today the pricey hips are working overtime as functional transplants and the spotlight of the national media. There may well be stranger lottery winnings purchases out there, but we haven’t stumbled upon them quite yet –what’s the oddest purchase you’ve noticed?

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A good jackpot always helps to make lottery games seem a bit more enticing, but there’s nothing “bit” about today’s EuroMillions jackpot, which sits at over 90 million euro as a result of having rolled over five times without a jackpot winner. The incredible amount, comprising more than many people would find themselves able to spend (though we’re sure some courageous attempts could be made), has created quite a stir in the lotto world, with plenty of tickets being scooped up, lots of syndicates keeping their eyes on the prize, and countless hopes being directed towards the chance to realize such an enormous windfall.

It’s not all that common that a game experiences a five-time rollover, but it’s certainly good for business when it happens. Amidst economic struggles in which many industries are facing a decline in consumer interest, citing a greater conservative streak and a reticence to take chances, EuroMillions along with the National Lottery is doing just fine, and is attracting increasingly large numbers of players and observers to its game. Though it may seem tragic when a juicy jackpot goes unclaimed, the eye-popping amounts that can result from such circumstances are certainly fun to dream about, and provide plenty of imagination material for those who haven’t yet experienced their own slice of lottery luck with a luxury shopping spree.

Will the historic sum be bestowed upon a single lucky player today or will the game rollover for another week? Like many, we’re waiting with baited breath.

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It’s no secret that the National Lottery is able to resolve the stickiest of financial problems and help the loftiest of dreams take flight overnight, but there are certainly some lottery winning stories that are especially adept at warming the hearts of those who play on a regular or even occasional basis. One such story belongs to the home of Luke and Emma Pittard, two Wales residents who knew lives beset with hardship as minimum wages had them living with their parents, separated by long bus rides and plenty of hours of work. The couple was on the receiving end of a lottery ticket worth £1.3 million, a sum that neither Pittard had imagined they’d ever see, much less spend.

Helping their parents to pay off mortgages and make necessary purchases, the couple promptly devoted a sizable portion of their winning money on their dream wedding in Cardiff, followed by the purchase of a home in which they now live with their two children. Citing their thankfulness for being able to finally live as a couple, Luke and Emma have enjoyed a fair amount of large living since their win, including international travel and the purchase of occasional gadgets and tech toys. But the couple remains humble, with Luke still spending two days a week at his old job at McDonald’s, and Emma planning on joining her sister in a business enterprise.

How would a National Lottery win influence your life and the lives of your family?

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Traditionally, part of the fun of playing the lottery, whether it’s the UK National Lottery or another game, has been making the trip to a local store or outlet to pick up a ticket -–or a few. The act of purchasing a ticket and selecting its number is an experience that has long been hailed as especially exciting among lottery players, and many people who are used to traditional playing formats may feel uncertain about the prospect of playing the lottery online.

Buying online lottery tickets, however, can be just as much fun as the the old way of plugging in numbers and paying at a cash register. In fact, buying lotto tickets online has some distinct advantages over typical buying methods, as you can purchase and configure a ticket in your own time, in whatever manner you like –-even if it means picking numbers with a plate full of cookies in your pajamas at midnight. When you buy lottery tickets online, you’ll also skip the need to hang on to a tiny paper slip, and can avoid the risk of losing your ticket, as automated systems online always know precisely who has won.

If you haven’t yet branched out and tried buying your lottery tickets online, treat yourself to the novelty of the experience. Even if you find that clicking your way to major cash prizes just isn’t your style, you can return to those regular trips to your local lotto outlet.

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Imagine that moment you’ve dreamt about, at least a little, every time you’ve bought yourself a UK National Lottery ticket. The giddy reception, the sudden rush of excitement and awe, and the newfound ability to afford some of life’s greatest pleasures; all are common attributes of the idea of what it’s like to win. But for some unlucky UK resident, the experience of winning the national lottery was nothing at all like the scenario described. In fact, it was so different as to be in a class of its own.

Recently, a cash prize upwards of £50 thousand was forfeited as a result of the winning ticket holder not coming forward with their identity. Though the act of giving the money away to charity, which is what the UK National Lottery did, may seem unfair, the winning ticket holder had been given since their win in mid-April to claim their prize, which is ample time in any situation.

It’s unclear whether the winning ticket was simply lost, or of the owner failed to check their numbers after the lottery had concluded. Either way, the loss of the funds has been surprising for the company, and will no doubt be difficult for the ticket holder if and when the error is discovered. No matter how great that difficulty may be, however, the funds are permanently off-reach, and there is no chance of claiming them now, even if the proper ticket is produced.

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Questions about what we’d spend the money on were we to ever win the UK National Lottery were posed to us as early as grade school; the exercise is one which can help us examine just what we’d want if we could have just about anything that can be bought –-and about what we’d still want that money, as they say, just can’t buy. Many people have exhaustive laundry lists, if only mentally recorded, of what they’d get if their numbers came up, while others may simply have a vague idea of purchasing a few odds and ends, along with various high-profile luxury goods.

Not so, apparently, for Pat and Stan Cable, who took home a £3.9 million prize from the UK Lotto, but haven’t been around the world or moved into a new dream home. In fact, it’d seem that they were blessed with their dream home from the start; the couple still resides in a council house with at a rate of £65 per week. While the couple reports their intentions to purchase the house, the Cables haven’t spent much time –-or cash– reminding anyone that they’ve received a major lottery win.

With a caravan in the garage and a new vehicle capable of pulling some extra weight on rugged terrain, the couple hasn’t completely avoided the purchase of anything new, but the items haven’t been all that extravagant, something which isn’t generally expected of UK National Lottery winners. Perhaps the Cables will set their heart on buying something special, but old spending habits might die hard. Or it could simply be the case that among those of us who’d rush for the most desirable buy-ables if we won, there are some who would simply save it.

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There’s usually only good news to report in conjunction with the national lottery. Though obviously not everybody wins, the news of hearing about a certain person’s windfall, along with the hope that one will eventually see their name in the lotto headlines too, makes the whole affair pretty positive. But once in a while there’s something unsettling afoot in the world of the UK Lottery, and at the moment, that unsettling something is taking the shape of a recent post-based scam that’s apt to cause some havoc if players aren’t careful about their personal details.

UK National Lottery players are likely well aware of the threat of receiving solicitations through email in which spammers may attempt to gain access to personal account information through suggesting that a sum has already been won. Selecting a good email service that keeps unwanted mail out of sight is a nice measure to take for preventing possible problems online, but it’s not as easy to filter items that come through the post, and such pieces of mail may seem more legitimate.

Recently, a company proclaiming itself to be €mln!, in association with Euro Millions, has sent out letters insisting that recipients have won sizable amounts in the tens of thousands of pounds, and asks for some basic claimant and other information, which happens to include personal credit card numbers. Though many scrutinizing lottery players are sure to spot such a thing as a fake, these methods may grow increasingly sophisticated in the near future, so it’s a good idea to stay on the lookout to keep yourself protected. If you’ve entered today’s UK National Lottery drawing, we wish you the best of luck –and hope you’ll receive a real winnings notification!

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