Winning the lottery is a dream for many of us out there. Perhaps this is because it's an equaliser. Most extremely wealthy people are born with a silver spoon -
wealth begets wealth. There are a few stories of people who have become wealthy on their own, but this is usually due to a great business acumen or athletic talent. The only people that see millions of dollars cheques are movie stars, athletes, CEOs, and the sons and daughters of such people.
But with a single lottery ticket, normal folks can enter a world of luxury and financial security without Harvard business degrees or Michael Jordan-level athletic ability.
If you're occupied all day, it's sometimes difficult to get out and buy a ticket at the local shop. For
Jenn Burston, a 27-year-old mum-of-two and part-time administrator, playing the lottery online was the winning solution.
According to an interview with the Mirror, Burston always buys her lotto tickets online. Last December, she purchased her usual Lucky Dip, and when she checked her numbers, she thought she had won 3000 pounds. She took a second look and realised she had something much more valuable -- her ticket netted her £3 million! What a dream Christmas that must have been for her and her family.
Not only is buying lottery tickets online convenient, but it also allows you to
play the world's biggest lotteries like Powerball or Mega Millions. American lottery tickets that are not available for purchase in stores around the world, but thanks to the internet, it is now possible to dream of winning the huge Powerball jackpot without even stepping foot in a Powerball state.
How do people spend their lottery winnings?
For those who are lucky enough to hit the jackpot, how do they spend their winnings? A
study conducted in 2012 by the National Lottery, revealed that lottery millionaires spent the most money on real estate. 82% of the 3,000 lottery winners surveyed bought a new home, spending an average of GBP 900,000 on the property.
Investments and gifts to friends and family were the second most costly thing for lottery winners. Hopefully their relatives were grateful and the investments were made wisely.
Cars and holidays were also top priorities for lottery winners. Over 460 million pounds was spent on vehicles by the 3,000 millionaires. Audi was the most popular choice for the winners and the average amount spent on a single car was a little over GBP 46,000.
The US was the most common holiday destination, followed by the Caribbean, Dubai, and the Canary Islands. Most of these holidays were luxury-level with 68% of winners staying in five-star hotels during their trips.
What if your dream of winning the lottery came true? What kind of house would you buy? Would you quit your job and travel around with the kids as much as possible? These are just hypotheticals right now, but with the lottery, you never know when luck will come your way!