Three days before Jesse Green won $2.5 million playing the lottery in 2006 he joked about how impossible it would be to actually win.
"I ate those words," Green said.
For many winners, playing the lottery is a part of their weekly routine.
Earl Fritz, a 64-year-old retired electrician, said he pairs scratch-off tickets with beer at Ms. Carolyn's Bar several times a week.
Last June, Fritz won $1,000. Then later that week, he won $777,777 with the game Super Lucky 7's.
Allan Moore, of Hephzibah, likes to shop around for tickets.
"When I'm riding, if I look at a store and feel it, then I'll stop," Moore said. "If I don't, then I just keep rolling."
The 56-year-old said his lottery-playing history extends back to his time in the military when he would play in Korea and Germany.
Despite his $1 million win in 2005, Moore continues to play almost daily and promises he will win big again.
"You'll be hearing from me again," he promised. "I'm going to win another big one. I just feel it.
"I don't know when it's going to come or if it's going to be this year, but I'm going to win it."
But what is the secret to winning?
"It's like fishing or deer hunting," Green said. "You've got to be in the right place at the right time."
Being in the right place in 2006 allowed Green to step down from his position as an investigator with the Richmond County Sheriff's Office.
The 55-year-old Hephzibah man now works as a deputy.
"I enjoyed what I did," he said, "but it was a lot of stress. I don't feel like I should stress myself out and have a heart attack when I don't have to."
Moore said the secret to his frequent wins lies in the "blessings" he gives from his winnings.
He frequently donates to the Shrine Club and soup kitchens and buys turkeys for needy families during the holidays.
Since his big win, Moore has won smaller lottery prizes and bingo tournaments. He even won slot tournaments during his celebratory trip to Las Vegas.
Other than a vacation, Moore said he hasn't really done much with his money.
"When you look at the TV and it shows the lottery winners and how many are broke, it motivates me to not be like them," he said.
Although saving is key, Moore said he is considering buying himself a new car this year.
Green also hasn't done much with his money other than going on a cruise to celebrate.
For Fritz, it isn't about what he's done with his money, as much as what his wife thinks the money has done to him.
"She thinks it's changed me," he said with a laugh, "but I don't believe that."
He purchased a car for his wife after winning and gave his step-daughter $100,000.
"You can't expect it," Green advised for hopeful winners. "If it happens, it happens, but don't overshoot your means and finances."
A tax on stupidity, the more stupid, the more you play, the higher the tax!
I agree with jusuts and sdrwtcn on this one. This is a disturbing article to be published in a city that has such a high poverty rate. It's already proven that the most lottery tickets are sold to the poor. It is most deffinately a tax on stupidity. The odds are worse than gambling in the casino and it has just as many if not more people addicted to it. I play but it's less than $5/month.
I'd rather the poor spend money on the lotto than crack or meth. At least one has some chance of having a happy ending.
Congratulations on your winnings but I never thought I'd say this but I agree with justus4.
I'd rather the poor start supporting themselves rather than living in debt and/or being supported by tax payers.
The lottery is a tax on the poor, desperate, and those that can't do simple math.
Recent news articles suggest alot of companies hiring do not want unemployed people, they want to hire people who already have jobs. Some food for thought on the poor bashing...
justus4 you are 100% right. (wait, what did I just say?)
Often I am in line behind someone buying lotto tickets, and they have a handful of twenties. It's unbelievable to me. I feel guilty when I waste a dollar on one from time to time. Some people really spend a lot of $$.
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