Israeli Man Wins $25 Million First Time Playing the Lottery

Posted on: March 1, 2022, 08:42h. 

Last updated on: March 1, 2022, 03:37h.

Erik Gibbs Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Gaming Business, Global Gaming.

An Israeli man is living the high life after finding success at the lottery. While many people play for years, even decades, without winning, he won the first time he tried.

Mifal HaPais
A man buys a lottery ticket for Israel’s national lottery, Mifal HaPais. The largest jackpot recently hit for about US$25 million. (Image: Haaretz)

The 30-year-old unidentified man had never played the lottery before, according to his account of what happened. However, the first time he did, he hit the bullseye.

After that, he became an almost instant millionaire by winning 80 million shekels (about US$25 million), thanks to Israel’s National Lottery, Mifal HaPais. Not only was it a huge win, but it was the largest jackpot the lottery ever paid.

Of course, those who play the lottery often know that they have the same chance of winning as those who play for the first time. All the people who participate do so with the same probability that luck will smile on them, and that is, precisely, part of the charm of the game.

Lucky Lottery Draw

The man told local media outlet Times of Israel that he took a chance on the lottery because he saw the unusually high sum of the prize.

I saw commercials about the jackpot and decided, for the first time in my life, to fill out a lottery ticket,” said the unidentified lottery winner.

Describing his process for completing the winning ticket, he said he barely thought about it and had only learned the rules moments before. He added he developed a quick method and just dialed the main number while letting the lottery machine choose the rest of the numbers in each row.

In addition, he said he is not very sure what was the trick that allowed him to win. Whatever it was, it worked.

No Rush to Collect Millions

Despite the excitement, the winner did not immediately go to collect his prize. Instead, he went to work as usual and only went to deliver his ticket on Sunday afternoon.

From the time he won to the time he made the trip to collect, he had already begun making plans with his wife about how they could spend the money. He asserted that becoming a millionaire won’t change much, explaining that he makes enough through his job to support his family. He and his family are content with the way things are, but will use some of the money to guarantee his children’s futures are secure.

Hopefully, he holds true to his plan. Many people who have become overnight millionaires have asserted the same thing. They have promised that the money won’t change them or their lifestyles. However, when they suddenly have the cash available, an internal switch seems to change their mindset.

A report by the New York Daily News last year highlighted the “lottery curse.” In the US, 70% of those who have won the lottery were broke within seven years.

It’s possible to avoid the curse, as long as the winner approaches his or her newfound wealth with a clear mind, self-restraint and pragmaticism. Unfortunately, not everyone is capable of bringing all three together.