Question - how often do your clear out your wallet or your purse? Throw away old bills, receipts, bits of paper - even lotto tickets? And if you do throw away your old lotto tickets, do you make sure you've checked them first? Every inch of them? Or do you just chuck them away, often without even noticing?
If you're a rabid clearer-outer (it's a word) who discards slips and tickets and receipts with only a cursory glance, you could be more than just a neat freak - you could be a lottery loser too. Our inbox is packed with tales of lotto players who could have been winners, if only they'd checked their ticket stub a little more closely. And it makes us want to cry - especially when we hear about stories like this one…
We don't know how much our rubbish is worth, but if we're being generous, we'd say about 10 bucks. There's a British couple that has us beat hands down though, with a rubbish bin worth an unbelievable €129 million - thanks to their winning EuroMillions ticket being thrown away.
Yup, you read right - a winning EuroMillions ticket of €129 million was simply thrown away without being checked, making it the most heartbreaking rubbish dump ever for one unlucky couple back in 2010. If they'd remembered to check their ticket before throwing it away, they would have been number 589 on the list of Britain's wealthiest - but unfortunately after their massively expensive mishap, they stayed right where they were. And probably a lot more frustrated too.
Of course we all think it could never happen to us. We'd never throw away a lotto ticket willy-nilly - we'd check it and re-check it first, and only throw it away when we were absolutely sure it was worthless. That's exactly what happened to a Michigan couple with their lottery ticket. Thinking it was a loser after they checked it, they were about to throw it away - before a friend stepped in and pointed out that it was actually worth a cool $2 million!
"I didn't know the ticket was a winner, and our friend wanted to look it over," says the husband. "When he told us the ticket was a $2 million winner, we were shocked." We'd have been shocked too, especially if we'd later realised the ticket was worth a small fortune. We hope they gave their friend a little something for his trouble!
There are many benefits to playing with GiantLottos.com - quick and easy purchasing, 24/7 access to the world's top international lotteries, exceptional customer service - but by far one of the most useful for lottery players is our notification service.
Should you ever win a sum of money on your chosen lottery, we'll let you know right away - so there's no need for obsessive checking and re-checking to find out if you're a winner or not. And because your ticket is a virtual one, rather than a paper one, there's no danger of you ever throwing it away. If your ticket's a winner, you'll know about it, and you'll be able to claim your lottery cash right away. Just part of the first-class experience you'll find here at GiantLottos.com.
So keep reaching for your jackpot dreams with GiantLottos.com, and keep an eye on your inbox for our notifications. You never know when that winning email could come your way!