Dream homes, vacations and bills: Where have past lottery winners spent their money?

There are endless possibilities for lottery winners once their checks clear and they’ve got full access to the thousands or even millions of dollars they’ve won.

Some use the money to buy new homes and catch up on bills. 

Others buy cars or go on vacation, but more frequently, lottery employees talk to people who want to use their money to do good for those around them.

“Just last week, we talked to a player who wanted to use a portion of winnings to pay off the mortgage of her church,” wrote Kentucky Lottery spokesperson Travis Ragsdale in an email Friday morning.

Find out what other lottery players around the country have done with their winnings below.

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California

Edwin Castro won the $2.04 billion Powerball drawing in November 2022 and went the lump sum route, taking home $997.6 million, according to the California Lottery.

Since then, he had purchased two multi-million dollar homes in California, as well as a vintage vehicle. 

Castro was living in a one-bedroom home when he won the lottery. One of his new homes is a nearly 14,000-square-foot mansion that boasts an infinity pool, five bedrooms and seven bathrooms. 

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Colorado

A Colorado woman who won the lottery in June 2022 made plans to treat her family to a vacation.

The mom of three, named Teanna, had previously packed up her family and moved about an hour from Castle Rock, Colorado to Peyton to support her sick mother.

In 2022, she won $3 million, she planned to take her little ones to Disney World. While many people use their winnings to pay off bills, save for retirement or buy new cars, she flirted with the idea of buying a ranch because it had long been a dream of hers.

Connecticut

Lottery winners in Connecticut have shared heartwarming stories about how they planned to spend their money.

Some have used their winnings to pay college tuition or buy motorcycles. Lottery winnings have also been deemed blessings by some families, including Manchester resident Sharita Stevenson, who in 2019 won the lottery and bought a new car her family desperately needed.

"This is a blessing for me and my family right now,” she told the lottery at the time. “A financial blessing. I'm going to buy my husband a new truck for his birthday--we share one car right now--so this will help my family a lot. The rest will pay for bills and the holidays."

Last year, a woman named Carol Ann Moran cried "happy tears" when she found out she won. Set to get married in May 2022, she said the $100,000 prize would help make her dream come true.

Connecticut Lottery Corporation works with nonprofit Credit Unions Building Financial Independence so winners can brush up on their financial literacy. The free program is called Wise Winnings, said a spokesman for the lottery.

Iowa

An Iowa woman this month announced plans for her winnings that would take a huge load off her financially.

Megan Balmer bought a lottery ticket on July 10 in Garwin, Iowa, about 85 miles northeast of Des Moines. The life-changing purchase earned her $2 million.

At the time, she said she planned to pay off her mortgage, student loan debt and that pesky credit card debt that lingers over the heads of many Americans.

“That’s huge,” she said at the time. “That’s such a relief to be able to say that I did those things.” “And I’ll save some for retirement and my kids for their college. That’s right around the corner, I’ll blink and it will be there.”

Also in Iowa, a woman named Tammy Gordy won the $2 million Powerball prize in June.

Upon winning, she made plans to finish building a new home. Her family lost their home in 2001 when a tornado swept through Wapello County, about 90 miles southeast of Des Moines.

"It's going to go into better details!" she told the lottery at the time. "I'm talking a walk-in closet and a Jacuzzi tub, that's what I'm talking about."

Another Iowa winner, Earl Lape, took home $21.28 million after winning in April. While he used some of the money to invest and make sure his descendants will be taken care of, he also did a little something to help children battling illnesses.

Part of his prize went to the University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital in Iowa City and Blank Children's Hospital in Des Moines, the lottery said on its website.

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Kentucky

Kentucky resident Crystal Dunn won $146,000 playing the lottery online and once she picked up her check, she headed to a supermarket, bought $2,000 in gift cards and handed them out to people in the store, the Kentucky Lottery said.

Louisiana

While winners don’t always walk away with millions, the lottery has helped some players make their dreams a reality, including Quinnella Lemelle, who won $14,000 back in May and Monique Coward, who walked away with $5,000.

Both women said they planned to use their money to support their businesses.

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North Carolina

​Last month, a North Carolina woman played special birthday numbers to play Powerball, winning a $200,000 prize.

“I’ve been playing those same numbers for over 20 years,” Tamara Laughinghouse​ told the North Carolina Education Lottery. “They are the different birthdays in my family.”

​S​he originally won $50,000 ​and thanks to the 4X multiplier​, her prize ​i​ncreased to a whopping $200,000​.​

She told the lottery she plans to visit Italy since her great-great-grandfather is from there. She has always wanted to visit, she said.

She'll also donate some funds to her high school. The money will go towards scholarships for current students.

Oregon

Oregonians who’ve won the lottery seem to have been bitten by the travel bug recently.

One winner, a Portland man named Alvin, made a plan to save some of his winnings and pay for a 10-day bike excursion through Tuscany, the lottery said in May.

Another winner, Juan, spent $10 to play and won $75,000. The money is going towards his new home.

So, what would you do if you hit the jackpot?