Here we are, dreaming about living life like the rich and famous, able to go anywhere in the world and experience things we’ve longed to experience without financial limitations. It must be nice to be rich and famous (or at least rich. I’ll happily take being rich). That’s why we do it. That’s why we play the lottery.
On the other hand, the rich and famous don’t need to play the lottery. They are already at the point to which we a striving to reach. The lottery probably isn’t even in their vocabulary. Celebrities don’t play the lottery.
No. this is false. Celebrities do play the lottery. As a matter of fact, celebrities that you may know very well have played and even won the lottery. So let’s delve into this surprising but true fact about the lottery.
Have you ever heard of George Clooney? Well, this big-time Hollywood actor decided that he wanted to try his luck at the lottery. He wanted to win the lottery jackpot so that he could donate the money to help fund Haiti earthquake relief. He purchased 1000 SuperEnaLotto lottery tickets for this purpose. His friend Elizabeth Hurley purchased an additional 500 tickets with the same intent to donate the jackpot to Haiti relief. Turns out that celebrities’ odds of winning the big jackpot are just as good as you and me. It’s notable to mention that Paris Hilton also once bought 1500 lottery tickets. She promised to donate 10% of it to charity if she won.
Hugh Jackman, probably best known for his portrayal of the Marvel comics X-men character, Wolverine, also dabbled in the lottery at least one time. Jackman bought lottery tickets for every member of the production team he worked with while doing a film. The total number of tickets purchased was about 500. He quipped that buying all of those tickets was what he called “paying taxes.” I don’t know if anybody in the production crew won anything, but the gesture did catch the public’s attention.
Sam Cowell, best known for hosting shows like America’s Got Talent and X-factor admits that he regularly plays the lottery despite being one of the wealthiest men in the United Kingdom. Apparently, his viewpoint is something along the lines of one can never have too much money. He didn’t say this directly. However, he did admit that if he should win a big jackpot he would remain anonymous. I guess that’s a good choice.
Rapper 50 Cent played the Powerball drawing not long after declaring bankruptcy. The jackpot at the time was $900 million. Unfortunately for him, he only had 3 out of the 5 numbers needed to win. He has since gone on to recoup some of his lost earnings while pursuing a career in acting and producing. And an NBA player named Chris Singleton once spent $10,000 on Mega Millions tickets, citing that he would either spend it on lottery tickets or blow it in the clubs. Tough choices, I know.
And finally, maybe heard of a singer named Madonna? She played the lottery also. But unlike the previously mentioned celebrities, Madonna actually won a large jackpot. While touring in Europe in 2012, the Queen of pop won the US equivalent of about $120,000 when she played the SuperEnaLotto lottery. It was the second-tier prize that she won after purchasing 100 lottery tickets. Pretty good return on investment. We all know that Madonna is as far away from being in need of money then and now, and surely she’s aware of the same. The pop singer donated the prize to a country in Southeastern Africa called Malawi. Apparently, Madonna has not only won a jackpot, but she has done it more than once.