Waste Collectors Win $1.2 Million Grand Prize After Pooling Money To Buy Lottery Ticket

Aug 10, 2023

Lotteries are a form of gambling that involves drawing numbers at random for a chance to win a prize. Unlike other forms of gambling, lottery players risk a small amount of money against great odds that can win them a lot of money. Because of this, it is a relatively safe option for gamblers, making it the most common form of gambling in the USA. This is supported by a 2021 study by Statista, which revealed that 37% of gamblers in the USA favor playing the lottery over other forms of gambling.

The history of public lotteries dates back to the reign of Augustus Caesar, when a decision had to be made on municipal repairs in Rome. However, the first public lottery intending to share prize money took place in 1466 in Bruges (now Belgium) with the aim of helping the poor. 

Over the years and with the impact of technology, the manner in which lotteries are played has changed drastically. Different countries have different laws governing lotteries, but in many countries, they are run at the state or provincial levels.

Since lotteries became popular in modern history, they have impacted the lives of millions of people worldwide. While some people suffered ill fates after winning whopping sums from lotteries, others have gone on to better their lives.  

In one such case, playing the lottery positively impacted the lives of 11 women from Parappanangadi in the southern Indian state of Kerala, who pooled funds to participate in the draw in June 2023. According to a BBC report published on July 31, 2023, the women hit the jackpot after pooling funds from their meager salaries.

The women, who range in age from 20 to 70, are part of a sanitation group that collects waste from their town. A job for which they were paid 250 rupees per day. This amount, equivalent to $3.02, is what the women were paid for a day’s job. 

As a result of their meager salary, the women had to rely on loans to support their household and send their children to school, thus plunging them neck deep in debt. The women, who occasionally pooled funds to buy lottery tickets, bought a 250-rupee ticket for a monsoon bumper prize lottery in June that saw them win a 100 million rupee (the equivalent of $1.21 million) grand prize.

“I am still in shock,” Radha told The Guardian about their win. “It’s unbelievable. We had to check with multiple people to make sure that we won and still we couldn’t believe it. We all come from very poor families with lots of debt and liabilities.”

Needless to say, the win brought joy and relief to the lives of the struggling women. One of the women, Cherumannil Baby, who lost her home in a 2018 flood, plans to build a house with her winnings. For K Bindu, the win was bittersweet, as she lost her husband to kidney failure.

"He used to buy lottery tickets with the money we kept for dialysis," Bindu told the BBC. "He left us without finishing the construction of our house. I have to complete it now."

Like the aforementioned women, other women in the group plan to settle their loans, build houses, pay hospital bills, and fund their children’s education.

What’s more, the women are not leaving their jobs. One day after confirming their win, they resumed work as usual.

What do you think of the sanitation workers winning the grand prize at the lottery? What do you think about them returning to work the next day? What would you do if you hit the jackpot? Let us know and — and be sure to pass this article on to friends and family members.