After winning more than $1.5billion, many wouldn't even know where to start when it came to spending their newfound wealth.
But, the winner of the second biggest-ever Mega Millions jackpot in the US had a clear idea of what to do with at least some of her winnings. The lucky South Carolina winner chose to stay anonymous after her incredible lottery win but decided to share at least some of it with others.
In March 2019 Alabama was struck with a deadly tornado outbreak. Over the course of six hours on March 3, a total of 41 tornadoes touched down across parts of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina.
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The strongest of these was a tornado that devastated rural communities in parts of Alabama through to Georgia, killing 23 people and injuring at least 100 others. It's a death toll that represented more than twice the number of total tornado deaths in the US in 2018.
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The woman's lawyer said she decided to donate as she claimed the money when the tornado struck Alabama in early March. Jason Kurland said: "It just felt like we were having this great event when there were people suffering nearby."
Homes were destroyed and people killed after a series of tornadoes touched down across parts of the US (AFP via Getty Images)The winner didn't announce exactly how much she was donating to the charities. She donated to the Alabama Red Cross to aid tornado relief along with several South Carolina charities.
"We spoke with the charities and agreed it would be best not to announce. We want to announce the charities to spread awareness," he said. The other organisations she donated to included the Ronald McDonald House of Charities of Columbia, South Carolina; In The Middle, a charity that helps women with breast cancer; the City of Simpsonville Art Center; and the One SC Fund for Hurricane Florence relief.
"Words can't describe the feeling of such incredible luck," said the winner in a statement through her lawyer. "I do realise that such good fortune carries a tremendous social responsibility, and it gives me a unique opportunity to assist, support and contribute to charities and causes that are close to my heart."
A total of 41 tornadoes touched down in the course of six hours (DAN ANDERSON/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)The lucky woman did some research about how to claim her winnings before taking home her prize. She chose to take home the one-time lump sum payment of $878 million (£697 million), at the time it was the largest jackpot payout to a single winner in US history.
But, she decided to lay low for several months, and held off on claiming her winnings until March 4. She spent those months researching a professional team to help her preserve her anonymity and manage her new fortune, her lawyer said.
Her decision to keep her identity private was made for her safety, according to her lawyer. South Carolina is one of the few states that allows lottery winners to remain anonymous. The other states where people can stay anonymous are Delaware, Kansas, Maryland, North Dakota, and Ohio.
In Michigan, a woman who won $70 million in 2020 is fighting for lottery winners to remain anonymous after she fell victim to identity theft and was targeted by scammers who took money from their victims. Fraudsters pretended to be Cristy Davis on social media after her win was announced, asking people for their bank details under the guise of sharing her winnings. If victims share their information, the scammers go on to clean out their savings.
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