Here’s a great way to start the New Year. Cash in a $129 million winning lottery ticket.

You should try it some time. [Don't we all wish?]

A husband and wife from Georgetown, Kentucky have stepped forward to collect a Powerball lottery jackpot worth nearly $129 million before taxes.

Rob and Tuesday Anderson both work at Johnson Controls, which makes auto parts for the Toyota plant.

Rob Anderson says he went to a local Marathon convenience store on Christmas Eve to buy three $1 tickets to give as stocking stuffers, but the clerk mistakenly printed a single $3 Quick Pick ticket.

Anderson decided to keep the ticket, which turned out to contain the winning numbers.

He says there are no big plans for the money at this point.

We’re really grounded people. My wife has taught me well, so to speak, to hang on to that dollar and see how far it gets you.

We’ll still clip coupons, we’ll still look for the clearance racks,” he said.

The prize is the largest won in Kentucky since the state lottery was created in 1989.

Awesome. And a happy new year to you both.

A Columbus, Georgia  man has claimed victory since winning a half-million dollars playing the Georgia Lottery. Lawrence Brooks, 57, won his $500,000 top prize playing the instant game Atlanta Falcons $500,000 Touchdown.

The grandfather of 12 purchased his winning ticket on game day at Ray’s Food Mart, 3802 Hamilton Road in Columbus.

“I got home, scratched it and went back to the store,” he said. “By the time I’d gotten back home, I had missed most of the game.”

The Falcons fan and his wife, Gail, are jumping for joy and are making special holiday plans.

“I’m going to buy the truck I’ve been wanting,” he shared. “I’m going to take care of my grandchildren.”

Overjoyed, Brooks added, “I am happy, happy, happy.”

Pamela Peck and her husband clutch an over sized $1 million check.

Pamela Peck, of Bradenton picked the right time to buy a Merry Millionaire Scratch-Off ticket from a Florida vending machine.

The ticket was worth $1,000,000.

Peck chose the one-time, lump-sum payment for her winnings in the amount of $650,000.00. She purchased her winning MERRY MILLIONAIRE Scratch-Off ticket from the ITVM in Publix, located at 5584 Cortez Road West in Bradenton.

According to Peck, “There were two MERRY MILLIONAIRE slots in the ITVM and I just pushed the button for the one that felt right.”

Always good to go with your feelings.

Peck said this is the first Scratch-Off ticket she has purchased from a vending machine, and she still can’t believe she won.

Congratulations, Pamela.

Linda Branch is gonna have one great Christmas (or Chanucah…or whatever religion she practices).

Branch is the winner of the Nov. 17 Mega Money game in Florida. It’s a game where you pick four numbers plus a Mega ball from two fields.

According to Branch, she always plays the same numbers every week.

“All the numbers represent my kid’s birthdays,” she said.  Winning is not new to Branch, who previously won the state;’s Fantasy 5  years ago, however, this is her first million-dollar win.

Branch said she plans to invest her new winnings after she buys a new house and car.

Branch chose the one-time, lump-sum payment option for her winnings in the amount of $885,970.20.  She purchased her winning MEGA MONEY ticket at Winn Dixie, located in Neptune Beach.

GAMES WE PLAY:

The Nov. 20 Mega Millions jackpot is $27 million.

The Euro Millions jackpot has reset to 15 million euros, after last weeks win by a ticketholder in France.

The Powerball jackpot on Nov. 21 is a pretty cool $32 million.

And finally, for all you Californians, the SuperLotto Plus jackpot on Nov. 21 is $25 million.

Good luck, everyone.

MY BOOK:

Offers up strategies that some people use to win. It’s also filled with anecdotes (mostly odd and funny) about winners. I’ve had a great time on radio stations around the country, talking about the book. If you have a talk radio station in your town (no matter how small), let me know about it.

The book is to your right, and available on amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com

Fate works in strange ways, doesn’t it?

One day tragedy, the next, you win a lottery that helps ease the pain.

A quarter-million dollar Georgia Lottery prize will help one Mableton family rebuild their lives following the metro Atlanta area’s historic flooding last month.

Michael Sussmann, 38, won $250,000 playing the instant game Millionaire Jumbo Bucks.

“I’m feeling much better,” said a visibly overjoyed Sussmann.

“I don¹t think it has sunk in. I¹m still in awe.”

Sussmann and his wife, Cassie, together have three children, ages 11, 10 and eight. The couple, whose home received tremendous water damage, plans to purchase a new home.

“Before we won, we were trying to figure out what to do,” he said. “After the flood, all you could see was the roof. It was devastating. We salvaged what we could.”

Gateway Newsstand in Atlanta’s Cumberland Mall sold the winning ticket.

“I said, ‘Oh my goodness,’” he recalled. “I almost fell out.”

So you see, sometimes good things happen to good, deserving people.

GAMES WE PLAY:

No big winner in Europe’s Euro Millions game so the jackpot rises to $116 million (in USD) on Oct. 30.

The winning numbers on Oct. 23 are 6,18,20,29,31 and the lucky stars 2,8.

There was also no jackpot winner in the Oct. 23 Mega Millions game so the jackpot on Oct. 27 is $28 million.

The winning numbers on Oct. 23 are 27,45,48,54,56 and Mega ball 2.

3 tickets matched 5 of 6 numbers, only missing the Mega ball.

They were bought in California (2 tickets, each worth $153,925) and Massachusetts ( 1 ticket worth $250,000).

The Powerball jackpot on Oct. 24 is worth $31 million.

Good luck, everyone.

MY BOOK: check out my book for strategies on how to play and many cool stories about winners. And let me know if there is a talk radio station near you. I’ve been interviewed almost everywhere…in big cities, but I’d love to chat in your town as well.

One of the biggest lies perpetrated by the anti-lottery crowd is that ONLY poor people play the lottery.

Will take this, fools.

In my book I document and cite studies showing that EVERYONE across the board plays lotteries. Lawyers. Senators. And yes, even physicians. [Of course, it's also true that some people who can't afford to...play.]

Anyway… the $189 million Powerball jackpot of Oct. 3 was just claimed by a Florida doctor.

Here’s to you, Doc.

The jackpot was claimed by the W. Steemer’s Trust, William A. Steele, M.D., 56. of Orlando is the trustee. They took a one time payout of $101,160,403.68.

Steele said he waited several days before checking his ticket. “I’m still in shock,” he said.

In photo above is Steele, with his very happy wife, Frankie.

GAMES WE PLAY:

$200 million is up for grabs on Oct. 16 in the Mega Millions game.

Powerball’s jackpot on Oct. 17 is $20 million.

Good luck, everyone.

Take, for example, Montana, which recently gave away a truck.

The first winner in the BIG Montana Truck Raffle Game, a Scratch game by the Montana Lottery, has come forward. Tom Schmidt of Missoula claimed a 2009 Ford F-150 Lariat Crew Cab truck from Montana Lottery headquarters.

Schmidt, a regular Scratch and Lotto player, bought some BIG Montana Truck raffle tickets. His  older son, Matt, asked to scratch a couple of the tickets. Moments later, Matt called Tom and said, “I think you won a truck!”

Tom wanted to be sure and had Matt check the ticket at Mullan Station Convenience in Missoula, where he bought the ticket.

“The terminal said ‘File Claim’ when he scanned it, and that’s when I knew we had won,” Tom explained.

Schmidt immediately called his wife, Dian and told her the good news. While making arrangements to pick up his new truck with Lottery staff, Tom admitted that he’s recently had knee surgery and has had a hard time getting around lately. “Now I have a new way of getting around,” Tom said.

Schmidt and his family plan to keep the truck. “I wasn’t really in the market for a new vehicle but I’m glad I got one! We always have stuff to haul,” He said.

This isn’t Tom’s first string of good luck. On May 27, he won a $20,000 Montana Cash jackpot prize. He also enjoys playing Montana Sports Action and has claimed one Fantasy Football prize and four Fantasy Racing prizes.

“Everyone thinks I’m pretty lucky,” Tom said.

So, I urge everyone to keep an eye out for games that offer prizes other than money. They tend not to  be played as often by the masses, thereby upping your odds.

Also watch for second-chance contests, where you turn in non-winning tickets and are entered in a sweepstakes drawing.

GAMES WE PLAY:

There was no jackpot winner in the Oct. 10 Powerball game so the big prize rolls to $30 million on Oct. 14.

The winning Oct. 10 numbers are 13,32,45,49,50 and the Power ball is 30.

Three tickets matched 5 of 6. They were bought in Connecticut ($200,000), Iowa ($1 million, because the ticket was Power Played) and Wisconsin ($200,000).

The Oct. 13 Mega Millions jackpot is HUGE: $170 million.

The Oct. 16 Euro Millions jackpot is 43 million euros, or about $67 million, in U.S. dollars.

Good luck, everyone.

When Seamus Duffy won the UK National Lottery he was unemployed; he couldn’t work because arthritis in the back of his neck forced him to leave his job. That, coupled with six children forced him to cut back on his spending.

Money was tight.

The only little luxury that he would allow himself was one lottery ticket per week. I guess he’s like most of us, dreaming about winning the lotto. Luckily for him, his one little luxury paid off with a big win!

So what does the Northern Ireland man plan to do with his new riches?

First of all, he wants to help his family. Aside from his six children, he also has one grand-child, five brothers, three sisters, elderly parents, and a wife.

And, for himself? Seamus Duffy wants to buy a new Land Rover and take a vacation overseas. He’s never been overseas in his life and this will be his first time.

Rome is burning …. up with fast cash. About $400,000, in fact.

The game was called Fast Play and Lisa Churchwell Chastain, of Rome, Ga., instantly won the top prize a few days ago.

Chastain scratched her ticket in the story, The Rome Food Market, in Rome, she said.

“I was very excited,” she said.

Well, no doubt. I would be too. Wouldn’t you?

Chastain  said the win came at a most opportune time. Like…to pay her bills.

Don’t you love the lottery?

GAMES WE PLAY:

No one won the Oct. 6 Mega Millions jackpot and so it rolls over to a sizable $145 million jackpot on Oct. 9. The estimated cash payout would be $93.1 million, said Mega Millions officials.

The winning Oct. 6 numbers are, 9,33,51,53, 56 and the Mega ball 39.

The Oct. 7 Powerball jackpot starts at $20 million, after last week’s $193 million win (in Florida).

The Oct. 9 Euro Millions jackpot stands at 28 million euros, or about $46 million, in U.S. dollars.

Good luck everyone.

Well, here’s kind of a cool story that just happened in Florida. Miron Popescu, 72, of Fort Myers, Fla (one of my favorite west coast haunts when I lived in West Palm Beach) won the Sept. 23 Florida Lotto jackpot of $22 million and chose the lump sum of about $12.9  million.

I don’t have his photo, but I do have the photo of the retailers who sold him his ticket…a bowling alley of all places.

Coral Lanes in Cape Coral sold the ticket and the Fla Lottery gave them $55,000 as a bonus.

Not bad, huh?

So it pays to be a retailer.

GAMES WE PLAY:

The Oct. 6 Mega Millions game carries a hefty $122 million jackpot.

The Oct. 7 Powerball jackpot is $20 million, after one winning ticket in Florida hit the $193 million Oct. 3 jackpot.

The Oct. 9 Euro Millions jackpot is 28 million euros, or about $46 million, in U.S. dollars.

Good luck, players, wherever you are.