FEATURE – Lottery Winner Of The Month (March 2015)

April 13th, 2015   ·   Read 2 Comments...

Lottery Players Use Social Media To Post Big Win

The lottery has undergone quite a few technological enhancements lately. Many of the changes are aimed at improving service and upgrading security. Details of security enhancements are confidential; normally known only to a select group of lottery employees; only changes which improve convenience are there for us to see.

One of the improvements which has most impacted the way people play is the introduction of the online play options. Most people no longer have to physically brave long queues in order to purchase lottery tickets; they can now do so online. There have already been quite a few online entry winners reported that it does not surprise us anymore.

What came as a surprise was a recent report that a Facebook lottery syndicate exists (yes, a real one). Perhaps even more interesting is the fact they made the news after winning a £1,103,080 jackpot!

How It All Began

People have naturally been using social media to establish lottery playing syndicates; most of us were just not aware until “Gary’s Players” was reported to have won a million pound jackpot with EuroMillions. It was more than 2½ years ago when a finance manager from East Linton in East Lothian thought it may be more enjoyable to play the lottery as part of a syndicate. Gary Schei proceeded to use Facebook to message family, neighbours and friends all over the country asking them if they wanted to join his group (p.s. are you following us on Facebook yet?).

garysplayersfb

If you want to join a EuroMillions syndicate, check out the best options here now.

The number of people who agreed to join surprised Gary; 38 in all from all over the country, some he had not even met in person but all of them connected to him in some way. The members included Schei’s partner Amanda, his mother, a few neighbours, golf buddies, plus other family and friends. Some of the members paid for more than one share. Schei himself had four and another member paid for additional shares for his parents; 38 people had subscribed to a total of 52 shares in the lines they played each week.

Gary’s Players enjoyed a bit of success the past two years or so, accumulating 79 small wins in all; but 80 proved to be the magic number.

Their Win And What Makes It So Special

When Schei received the congratulatory email from the Lottery, the 80th such letter, he was immediately overwhelmed by the amount – more than a million pounds this time. Even divided into 52 shares that would mean a minimum of £21,213 for each member of ‘Gary’s Players’.

Schei immediately sent an email informing the group of their good fortune. He had to instruct them to keep from calling him as he was still waiting for the National Lottery office to make the confirming phone call. Once he received that, he began calling each of the members whose reactions were wildly ecstatic.

Everyone has a chance to win the lottery, but this one is special because it was won by a group formed over social media; and that is no mean feat. Money is a sensitive issue which can cause a lot of disagreements even among family and the closest of friends. Trust issues are sometimes magnified when people in a group have not even met personally. But Gary’s Players have overcome possible problems by playing and winning together for more than two years. And that makes their 80th win, their only significant win so far, even more special.

What The Future Holds

Though hardly life changing, the wins resulted in a lot of happiness for 38 members of Gary’s Players across the UK. Gary Schei says, there may come a day when the syndicate can celebrate together, though it is not easy to coordinate that many people from all over the UK.

For Gary Schei, who pockets more than £80,000 from four shares, most of the winnings will go towards paying mortgage. He is still considering travelling with family with what is left over. Two lucky parents are delighted after receiving more than £40,000 from shares paid for by their son. One winner has already indulged by purchasing a pink Harley Davidson, and still another has paid off loans and cut-up his credit card.

It is even more exciting to see what effect their win will have on other lottery players out there. Their Facebook friends and friends of friends would already have shared the story of Gary’s Player’s win many times over. Their example may lead to the sudden popularity of syndicates formed through social media. Now that is sure to benefit lottery players, the lottery, and the many recipients of the lottery’s generosity.

Playing The Lottery: What Really Works

Category: News Tags: - - - by

Your Comments ↓

  • Pankaj

    Could someone explain where and how I can buy Euro Millions Lottery. I can send a Bank draft only.

    • Lottery Blog

      There are lots of places you can play Pankaj, but these days bank drafts are not popular due to the extra admin. That said though, I know Wintrillions do accept a huge range of payment methods including various money order type options so they are probably your best choice (and they do offer EuroMillions).

Leave a Reply

Subscribe To Comments?