A recent lottery winner Wally Markham bought his club club (he was a member) because it was in danger of closing up.

The story first showed up in an Associated Press report. You see, Markham bought a Hot Lotto jackpot in November, netting about $3.5 million after taxes.

The retiree invested most of his winnings, but first set aside enough to buy the faltering La Porte City (Indiana) Country Club.

Markham was already a member of the country club and even volunteered there, mowing the greens and doing odd jobs.

“It was going downhill, and they were financially in trouble,” said Markham, who worked 36 years at the John Deere plant in Waterloo.

Markham declined to say how much money he has put into the country club, which celebrated its reopening recently.

“It’s just a nice place,” Markham said. “The city of La Porte should be happy with what they’ve got. The only reason I bought it was for them. They have a lot of people that like to play golf.”

1. $90 million, Powerball, May 16

2. 50 million euros (about $67 million in U.S. dollars), Euro Millions, May 15. Euro Millions is played in nine European countries including the U.K., France, Spain, Portugal and Switzerland.

3. $50 million, Canadian dollars (about $50.3 USD), Lotto Max, May 18

4. $25 million, Mega Millions, May 15

5. $17 million, California’s SuperLotto Plus, May 16

6. $16.4 million, New Jersey’s Pick 6, May 17

7. $10.6 million, Washington (state) Lotto, May 16

8. $10.5 million, New York Lotto, May 16

9. $9.7 million, Ohio’s Classic Lotto, May 16

10. $6.3 million, Illinois Lotto, May 16

The win happened back in March.

Lance Cram, (48), a plumber and his teaching assistant wife Marie, (46), were out buying onion seeds to sow in their allotment when they purchased their winning Lotto ticket.

Lance said: “We are both keen gardeners and were in our local shop picking up a few bits for our allotment when we stopped at the kiosk to buy our usual lines for the Lotto draw that evening. The next day I was supposed to be at work, but we were sent home early due to bad weather.”

“I arrived home and, as we’d missed the draw show the night before, I asked Marie to switch on the computer so I could go online and check our numbers, before heading off to the rugby to see my team Hull play at home.When I saw all six of our numbers come up, I couldn’t believe it. I shouted “flippin’ eck Marie” and called her in from the kitchen to take a look – we called Camelot straight away.”

Lance decided to continue with his afternoon as normal and meet with friends as planned at the rugby game, but didn’t let on about his change in fortune. His luck continued when his team maintained their unbeaten home record winning 14:10 against Wakefield Wildcats, despite the torrential rain.

It wasn’t until the couple’s eldest son came back from university for the weekend, the following Thursday, that they broke the news to their two boys, aged 15 and 18, and finally toasted their win with champagne. Telling Marie’s parents, who are in their 80′s, had to be handled carefully but they were over the moon and they all marked the occasion with a celebratory meal at the local Frankie and Bennys.

News of the win is still sinking in for the couple, but Marie will be replacing her old banger with a new car and they hope to take the whole family back to Florida for a holiday. Although they love their house and don’t have any plans to move, the money means that they now have the option of extending their existing three bedroom semi if they want to create more space.

So I went to someone I knew at the Powerball headquarters and asked the same question. Most players, by the way, know all this (so forgive me if you already know), but for new players or those of you reading this from countries other than the U.S.:

You can generally claim a prize of under $600 at any retailer in the state where you bought the ticket, but be advised that some retailers will not carry the cash needed to pay higher prizes.

Sometimes, a convenience store that has safety concerns may not carry the cash. In a few places, there are “super retailers” that can pay up to $25,000. Look for a clerk wearing a cape and tights.

Each state lottery has its own central computer system. There are about seven different system platforms operated by three different vendors in a highly competitive market. The state lottery systems are not interconnected. As powerful and as fast as computers are, you might imagine the power and cost needed to develop a system in each state to record and store play numbers for the entire claim period for all states and that is always connected to every other state so each state is instantly aware of plays made and cashed.

A system of transferring money back and forth between states would also have to be maintained as states cash each other’s tickets. While this system would be convenient for the rare player who travels, the vast majority of winning tickets are purchased by someone who is close to the lottery terminal where it was purchased. You do NOT have to cash the ticket at the same store, but you do have to cash the ticket in the same state. You can also claim any prize – and prizes over $600 – at the state lottery headquarters. You can even claim winning tickets by mail. Click on a state at the map link below to find the address and possibly a claim form:

Wherever you live, there is money to be won.

1. $70 million, Powerball, May 9

2. $50 million Canadian dollars (about $50.3 in U.S. dollars), Lotto Max, May 11

3. 32 million euros (about $42 million in USD), Euro Millions, May 8. Euro Millions is played in nine European countries, including the U.K., France, Spain, Portugal and Switzerland.

4. $27 million, Lotto Texas, May 9

5. $17 million Canadian dollars (about $17.1 in USD), Lotto 6/49, May 9

6. $15.2 million, New Jersey Pick 6, May 7

7. $15 million, SuperLotto Plus, May 9

8. $12 million, Mega Millions, May 8

9. $10.1 million, Washington (state)  Lotto, May 7

10. $9.5 million, New York Lotto, May 9

Good luck everyone.

Linda was outside cleaning off her car after a light snow storm came through, while her mother was indoors checking the winning numbers on the computer.

Her mother yelled outside, “Linda, you got it!”

Linda threw her broom in the air and ran inside to see if her 87-year-old mother was seeing things correctly.

Sure enough, Linda won the $136,584.50 jackpot.

Linda plans to put the money toward retirement savings. She continues to play in hopes she gets lucky a second time around. 

But 2012 has been pretty lucky for a few players….. Here are the two big winners so far this year. Are YOU gonna be next? Or me? I hope so.

• March 30, 2012 – $656 million jackpot – 3 winning tickets ($218.6 million each)
  • Anonymous in Ottawa, KS
  • Ticket bought in Red Bud, Illinois – unclaimed
  • The Three Amigos in Milford Mill, MD
• January 24, 2012 – $72 million won by Marcia Adams in Atlanta, GA

1. $102 million, Mega Millions, next drawing is 5/1

2. $50 million Canadian ($50.3 in USD), Lotto Max, next draw 5/4

3. $50 million, Powerball, 5/2

4. $25 million, Lotto Texas, 5/2

5. 15 million euros, about $19.8 million U.S. dollars, Euro Millions, 5/1

6. $14.2 million, New Jersey Pick 6, 4/30

7. $13 million, SuperLotto Plus, California, 5/2

8. $9.7 million, Washington (state) Lotto, 4/30

9. $8.6 million, Ohio’s Classic Lotto, 4/30

10. $8.5 million, New York Lotto, 5/2

NOTE: I don’t yet have results of Germany’s 6 aus 49 Lotto, played on 4/28. Jackpot in play was 16 million euros, or about $18.4 million in U.S. dollars.

Good luck everyone.

I can’t tell you how many people complain that it seems unfair when only one person wins a huge jackpot.

That’s why pools are so cool.

It spreads the wealth.

And that’s what happened in Philadelphia recently after a group of 48 transit workers hit a $172 million Powerball lottery jackpot.

The workers, who will get about $3 million apiece, are choosing to remain anonymous, but range in rank from senior managers in the purchasing department to “a favorite janitor,” according to Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) spokesman Richard Maloney.

“They have all asked to be anonymous on this. When you get a windfall, it’s easy to be joyous for a second, and then, you know, you don’t want everybody in the world to know,” Maloney said.

“Some are talking about retiring; some have already said ‘no, we’re going to continue working.’ It’s a lot of money, but if you’re a young person that’s not a whole lot of money,” Maloney said.

The workers range in experience with the company, from just under a year to close to 40 years service, and all work in the headquarters in Philadelphia. The “floating pool” the workers took part in has been going on for years, with certain members joining in or sitting a week out depending on personal choice, Maloney said.

It turns out, an IT technician who usual contributes to the pool did not this time.

“She didn’t pay up recently, they sent her an email and she didn’t respond so she was out on the winnings,” SEPTA employee Mitch Schwed said.

Maloney said the 48 SEPTA employees range the whole gamut of workers from upper management, finance, purchasing and union members.

This week, for the $172 million Powerball, workers each put in $5 to buy 120 tickets.

The winning ticket was sold three blocks down from SEPTA headquarters at the News Stand at the Gallery, 9th and Market streets in Center City.

Maloney said that despite winning it big this week, no employees had tendered their resignation or booked trips to Hawaii yet.

“Not so far. While it’s a lot of money for anybody, for a young person who still has a career, to continue working, it’s a nice cushion. If they’re nearing retirement, it’s a nice nest egg,” Maloney said.