Lotteries

Current issues, news and ethics
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Post by Admin »

First do something for your fellow mankind and then leave to Allah to judge other people. You are not informed about our Holy Prophet's stance on Horse races - are you calling also our Holy Prophet Muhammad [PBUH] a gambler? First inform yourself of what is Islam.

When you die, Allah will not ask you how many Namaz you did and how many Roza you kept, this is of no importance for mankind. he will ask you what did you do for your fellow human being.

I suggest you get first some knowledge on the subject by reading the following:

http://ismaili.net/Source/horser1.html
shiraz.virani
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Post by shiraz.virani »

When you die, Allah will not ask you how many Namaz you did and how many Roza you kept, this is of no importance for mankind. he will ask you what did you do for your fellow human being.
This is sooo refreshing to hear from an ismaili muslim.

"You must work together with mutual forbearance and with respect for each other. Only thus shall we achieve the harmony and happiness which is necessary for the true advancement of our faith"

Kampala, Oct 25, 1957
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Post by agakhani »

Quite correct
Those who participate in promoting gambling are also responsible for this evil habit.
Those who permit their horses in races where people bet are promoting this evil habit, it does not matter if they place bets or not.
Sister ZZNoor,

If I accept your above comment then 'Astagafirullah' you are forcing me to believe that Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) was also "PROMOTER OF GAMBLING" OR in other words you can call him as a "CAMEL RACER"!!!! because many time he used to organized Camel, Horse and pony horse racing on some Friday after prayer this is not my words but let me give you reference for this before you ask me for reference as your old habit
You can find this story of camel racing in well known book name Sirat_Un_Nabi of a well known Sunny Ulema, Alama Mowlana Sibli Nomani' he was strict Sunny scholar, he wrote in this book that prophet used to organize camel and horse racing and he used to give some gift to the winner!! is not this gambling?????

Any comment on this, sister? BOLTI BANDH KAR DI NE BAHENJI?
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Post by zznoor »

Posted: 05 Jul 2013 08:28 am Post subject:
Br Agakhani, as

No I did not say Prophet was gambler.
It was Admin who said all kind of gambling was bad (12/9/12). I pointed out that those who run horses in modern day racecourses are promoting gambling even though they do not bet. People bet on those horses and many loose their shirt.
There was a scathing response from admin linking an article on Ismaili.net justifying racing by implying that prophet also participated and organized horse racing. Prophet did not breed horses for races.
No matter what
It is wrong to participate where gambling occurs.

Ramadan Karim to all
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Post by zznoor »

shiraz.virani wrote:
When you die, Allah will not ask you how many Namaz you did and how many Roza you kept, this is of no importance for mankind. he will ask you what did you do for your fellow human being.
This is sooo refreshing to hear from an Ismaili brother
Kampala, Oct 25, 1957
According to Quran and islamic belief Nanaaz and Roza are fird and you will be asked to account for it.

Period
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Post by shiraz.virani »

Sahih Bukhari Book 52. Fighting for the Cause of Allah (Jihaad)

Narated By Anas : The Prophet had a she camel called Al Adba which could not be excelled in a race. (Humaid, a sub-narrator said, "Or could hardly be excelled.") Once a bedouin came riding a camel below six years of age which surpasses it (i.e. Al'Adba) in the race. The Muslims felt it so much that the Prophet noticed their distress. He then said, "It is Allah's Law that He brings down whatever rises high in the world."

Volume 4, book 52...Hadith 124



Sahih Bukhari Book 52. Fighting for the Cause of Allah (Jihaad)

Narated By Abu Ishaq from Musa bin 'Uqba from Mafia from Ibn 'Umar : Who said: "Allah's Apostle arranged a horse race amongst the horses that had been made lean, letting them start from Al-Hafya' and their limit (distance of running) was up to Thaniyat-al-Wada'. I asked Musa, 'What was the distance between the two places?' Musa replied, 'Six or seven miles. He arranged a race of the horses which had not been made lean sending them from Thaniyat-al-Wada', and their limit was up to the mosque of Bani Zuraiq.' I asked, 'What was the distance between those two places?' He replied 'One mile or so.' Ibn 'Umar was amongst those who participated in that horse race."

Volume 4, book 52....Hadith 122


Do you wanna say anything sister ZZNOOR ???
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Post by agakhani »

According to Quran and islamic belief Nanaaz and Roza are fird and you will be asked to account for it.
It is ok to believe that Allah will ask about performing Namaaz according Quran but about Roza I don't think so because Roza were their before Mohammed (PBUH), please read following Quranic ayas on 'Roza" in which Allah clearly stated that roza were before you!:-

"O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may guard (against evil). "
means Roza is not just for Muslims it was before Islam started it was for Muslims. it was for Christian and Jews.
In Hinduisam fasting is thousands and thousands ( five thousandth) year old, their Rishi/Maharshi and ordinary peoples were used to keep fasting called "UPVAAS' in their language, according Hindu scriptures.
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Post by shiraz.virani »

Volume 1, Book 8, Number 412 :

Narrated by 'Abdullah bin 'Umar

Allah's Apostle ordered for a horse race; the trained horses were to run from a place called Al-Hafya' to Thaniyat Al-Wada' and the horses which were not trained were to run from Al-Thaniya to the Masjid (mosque of) Bani Zuraiq. The sub narrator added: Ibn Umar was one of those who took part in the race.


In Sahih Muslim it is reported that Allah's Messenger said, "Ride horses, for they are the legacy of your father Isma`il (Ishmael)."
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Post by zznoor »

shiraz.virani wrote:Volume 1, Book 8, Number 412 :

Narrated by 'Abdullah bin 'Umar

Allah's Apostle ordered for a horse race; the trained horses were to run from a place called Al-Hafya' to Thaniyat Al-Wada' and the horses which were not trained were to run from Al-Thaniya to the Masjid (mosque of) Bani Zuraiq. The sub narrator added: Ibn Umar was one of those who took part in the race.


In Sahih Muslim it is reported that Allah's Messenger said, "Ride horses, for they are the legacy of your father Isma`il (Ishmael)."
Show me where Shahabas bet on these horses. Show me even one Sahaba lost his shirt betting on Horses?

To defend Aga khan running his horses is useless. Do not compare with horse race in Prophet's time.

If I were religious or any kind of leader, I will set best example. My Murids will say let obey what he commands and live like him.

I read Ismailis say obey his Farmans, but do not concern yourself with his life style.
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Post by shiraz.virani »

Show me where Shahabas bet on these horses. Show me even one Sahaba lost his shirt betting on Horses?
Oh come on !!!....1st you have a problem with horse racing and now betting on the horses...If somebody bets on imam's horse or any other horse for that matter why would you blame the imam ??

This is the most idiotic argument to start with. It is an established fact that during the time of rasool[saw], he himself used to organize and in some cases participate in racing where the winner used to get prizes and gifts. Whats happens at the derby ?? What does the winner get ??

"And (He created) horses and mules and asses for you to ride and as zinat." (16:8)

"Zinat" means "ornament, amusement, or entertainment." Hence, the horses, mules and asses, in which horses are prominent; are meant not only for riding, but breeding and racing.


Sunan Abu Dawud, Book 14, Hadith 2573

Narrated AbuHurayrah: The Prophet said: If one enters a horse with two others when he is not certain that it cannot be beaten, it is not gambling; but when one enters a horse with two others when he is certain it cannot be beaten, it is gambling.

To defend Aga khan running his horses is useless. Do not compare with horse race in Prophet's time.
I just proved you from your own sunni sources that running one's horse in the derby is not gambling....Its pure entertainment.
If I were religious or any kind of leader, I will set best example. My Murids will say let obey what he commands and live like him.
Oh please !!!...None of your respected sunni brothers has achieved what this man has achieved in 50+ years of his imamat. Your brothers are busy toppling syrian regime where as it was my imam who promoted pluralism in those parts of the world.

The same guardians of kaaba are funding extremists in syria, iraq etc etc...Instead of talking all nonsense please go and show some love to your fellow brothers and sisters who have gone astray.
I read Ismailis say obey his Farmans, but do not concern yourself with his life style.
We do not see any problem with the way he is living his life. He is sacrificing his personal life for us which not 1 parent would do for his child in today's time.

Now that its been proved from your own sunni sources please don't come up with such kind of idiotic arguements. As I told you last time, there are many other like me on this forum who have high respect for you. We already have one NUSERI to kill our time. ;)

Btw Ramadan Kareem to you as well
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Post by shiraz.virani »

Sunan Abu Dawud, Book 14... Number 2568:

Narrated Abu Hurayrah: The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: Wagers are allowed only for racing camels, or horses or shooting arrows.

Sunan Abu Dawud, Book 14, Number 2571:

Narrated Abdullah ibn Umar: The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) used to hold a race between horses and kept the one in the fifth year at a long distance.

Sunan Abu Dawud, Book 14, Number 2572:

Narrated Aisha, Ummul Mu'minin: While she was on a journey along with the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him): I had a race with him (the Prophet) and I outstripped him on my feet. When I became fleshy, (again) I had a race with him (the Prophet) and he outstripped me. He said: This is for that outstripping.

Sunan Abu Dawud, Book 14, Number 2575:

Narrated Imran ibn Husayn: The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: There must be no shouting or leading another horse at one's side. Yahya added in his tradition: When racing for a wager.
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Post by Admin »

zznoor wrote:
shiraz.virani wrote:Volume 1, Book 8, Number 412 :

Narrated by 'Abdullah bin 'Umar

Allah's Apostle ordered for a horse race; the trained horses were to run from a place called Al-Hafya' to Thaniyat Al-Wada' and the horses which were not trained were to run from Al-Thaniya to the Masjid (mosque of) Bani Zuraiq. The sub narrator added: Ibn Umar was one of those who took part in the race.


In Sahih Muslim it is reported that Allah's Messenger said, "Ride horses, for they are the legacy of your father Isma`il (Ishmael)."
Show me where Shahabas bet on these horses. Show me even one Sahaba lost his shirt betting on Horses?

To defend Aga khan running his horses is useless. Do not compare with horse race in Prophet's time.

If I were religious or any kind of leader, I will set best example. My Murids will say let obey what he commands and live like him.

I read Ismailis say obey his Farmans, but do not concern yourself with his life style.

Unfortunately we Ismailis obviously do not think that following your intellect is better than following the intellect of our Imam whom we consider Akl-i-Kul - and yes we do as he wishes us to do we do not need to do what he does. We do have the intellect to distinguish between what we are told to do and what we are told not to do.

There is no rational in your argument that the horse race during Prophet's time was allowed and the same horse race during the Aga Khan's time has all of a sudden by some command of the Holy Spirit become Haram. Maybe people's thinking is twisted to the point of becoming Haram but not the Horse Race itself.
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Post by a_27826 »

zznoor wrote: Prophet did not breed horses for races.
if not for racing, then for what purpose did the prophet bred horses for ?

horses are bred for horse racing and not for them to sit and do nothing.

According to your Abu Hurayrah (Dawud, Book 14, Number 25730)

The Prophet said: If one enters a horse with two others when he is not certain that it cannot be beaten, it is not gambling; but when one enters a horse with two others when he is certain it cannot be beaten, it is gambling.
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Post by princelakhani »

zznoor wrote:
shiraz.virani wrote:Volume 1, Book 8, Number 412 :

Narrated by 'Abdullah bin 'Umar

Allah's Apostle ordered for a horse race; the trained horses were to run from a place called Al-Hafya' to Thaniyat Al-Wada' and the horses which were not trained were to run from Al-Thaniya to the Masjid (mosque of) Bani Zuraiq. The sub narrator added: Ibn Umar was one of those who took part in the race.


In Sahih Muslim it is reported that Allah's Messenger said, "Ride horses, for they are the legacy of your father Isma`il (Ishmael)."
Show me where Shahabas bet on these horses. Show me even one Sahaba lost his shirt betting on Horses?

To defend Aga khan running his horses is useless. Do not compare with horse race in Prophet's time.

If I were religious or any kind of leader, I will set best example. My Murids will say let obey what he commands and live like him.

I read Ismailis say obey his Farmans, but do not concern yourself with his life style.

Or you mean is that since there is lot of fixing and gambling in football, cricket and all other games so even playing any sport is is haram since end of the day it became part of the gambling. Thoughts?
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Post by kmaherali »

A Spaniard Selling Lottery Fortune

In a nation of the heaviest lottery spenders in the world, hundreds of thousands flock to its most popular ticket office, in the village of Sort, which means "luck" in Catalan.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/20/world ... 05309&_r=0
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Post by kmaherali »

Illustration of how one can lose money in gambling...

http://graphics.latimes.com/powerball-simulator/

******
21 lottery winners who blew it all

The biggest ever Lotto jackpot in the UK has gone unclaimed - which means it will roll over to £57.8m on Saturday.

But even if your numbers come up, winning the lottery will not solve all of life's problems.

In fact, many people's lives became notably worse after they got super rich, and they managed to lose it all quite quickly.

Mandi Woodruff and Michael B. Kelley contributed to this report.

Slide Show

http://www.msn.com/en-ca/money/personal ... lsignoutmd
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Post by kmaherali »

Georgia lottery winner murdered in home invasion

A Georgia lottery winner’s luck ran out after he was murdered in a home invasion on Thursday.

Craigory Burch Jr., 20, recently won almost half a million dollars from the Georgia lottery’s Fantasy 5 in November. Two months later, robbers broke into his home and gunned him down.

CURSE OF THE LOTTERY: TRAGIC STORIES OF BIG JACKPOT WINNERS

Jasmine Hendricks, his girlfriend, who was in the house during the break-in, ran for help after the deadly attack, according to WALB.

Threee masked robbers blasted open the door with a shotgun and held Burch at gunpoint, demanding his money and wallet, she said.

"When they came in, he said, 'don't do it bro. Don't do it in front of my kids. Please don't do it in front of my kids and old lady,'" she told the local station. "He said I'll give you my bank card."

Burch then threw his pants to the robbers, who rummaged through the clothes to find his wallet. When the search came up short, the three shot and killed him before fleeing.

Police are stilling hunting for the killers who targeted the recent lottery winner.

Burch, a forklift driver, bought his winning ticket on Nov. 29 from a gas station and won the $434,272 jackpot prize.

“My right eye and hand had jumped for the past two weeks,” Burch explained in December, saying he had a feeling this was a lucky ticket.

“I knew that I would come into money.”

His friends said he used his $434,272 winnings to help buy Christmas presents for people in need. His mother, Leslie Collins, gave a tearful message to the thieves behind the slaying on Thursday:

"I want them to know what they took from me. They took a part of my life away from me."

ang@nydailynews.com

http://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/world/geo ... lsignoutmd
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Post by kmaherali »

'You don't know what misery is!': Britain's youngest Euromillions winner blasted by Loose Women viewers after moaning about her riches AGAIN

Britain's youngest EuroMillions winner was blasted by TV show Loose Women viewers today after insisting her stupendous windfall has ­ruined her life.

Jane Park, who was only 17 when she scooped £1million (equal to C$1.6 million)with her first-ever ticket, was on the ITV daytime show after saying she was considering legal action against lottery bosses for negligence - which she's now said she's not.

She claims someone her age should not have been allowed to win.

More...
http://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/world/you ... ailsignout
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Post by kmaherali »

Lottery winner Jane Park sells house and sells furniture on Facebook and moves back into her mom's house

Lottery millionaire Jane Park has sold the house she bought after scooping the jackpot as a teenager.

Jane, 21, who was just 17 when she won £1 million ($1,642,377) with her first ever lotto ticket, also flogged the contents of her home on Facebook.

She is now back living with her mom following the sale of the three-bedroom property in Prestonpans, East Lothian.

More...
http://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/world/lot ... ailsignout
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Post by kmaherali »

Canadian couple win lottery for the third time

A Canadian couple have been left speechless after winning the lottery for a third time, scooping almost $8.1 million.

Barbara and Douglas Fink had already won the lottery in 1989 and 2010, but bagged their biggest jackpot so far with their most recent win.

The couple, who live in Edmonton, Alta., said they will use the money to support their daughters and grandchildren, as well as buying a new house.

More...
http://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/ca ... ailsignout
[/b]
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Post by kmaherali »

Family Who Won $429 Million Lottery Aims To Use Money To Fight Poverty
“We can make it so they now have the ability to obtain employment, get their proper education... and get their own food.”


We’ve all fantasized about what we’d do if a few million dollars just found its way into our lives. For the Smith family of Trenton, New Jersey, philanthropy was at the top of their list after they won a $429 million Powerball jackpot last year.

At a post-win press conference last May, the family, which consists of Pearlie Mae Smith and her seven children, said they planned to spend their earnings on their community ― and they meant it.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/fam ... mg00000003
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Post by kmaherali »

A $6-million lottery ticket is at the heart of a brewing court battle pitting an Ontario couple against each other

CHATHAM — The war over a $6-million lottery ticket sold here has torn apart a couple that should instead be sharing experiences “we could only dream of doing.”

That’s the pained perspective of Denise Robertson, 46, who has gone to court to win what she believes is her share of the massive jackpot her longtime live-in boyfriend, Maurice Thibeault, won Sept. 20 – before moving out without telling her about it.

“I am greatly saddened and disappointed by what has happened here,” Robertson said in a statement issued Thursday by the Windsor law firm representing her, Colautti Landry.

“This could have been a very happy and exciting time for us as a couple to do things we could only dream of doing.”

A court injunction successfully sought by Robertson’s lawyers has frozen the payout while officials with Ontario’s lottery regulator, the OLG, review the matter. Thibeault, who quit his job at a local granite company after buying the winning ticket, couldn’t be reached for comment.

More..
https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/a ... ailsignout
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Post by kmaherali »

Missouri Woman Wins Lottery Twice in One Day

A Missouri woman scored a cash windfall twice in one day with two lottery wins in just 24 hours.

On Nov. 29, Veronica Buchanan reportedly won $1,000 from a $10 Monopoly scratch-off ticket she bought at the Bellefontaine BP gas station.

She tested her luck again later in the day and bought another $10 scratch-off ticket. That ticket was worth $100,000.

This isn’t the first time someone has won two big prizes in one day.

Earlier in November, a North Carolina woman won more than $1 million between two lottery prizes in a single day.

Michelle Shuffler said she and her husband didn't normally play the lottery, but he had a few bucks in his pocket so they decided to give it a shot on that day.

Clearly, it paid off.

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/world/mi ... ailsignout
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Post by kmaherali »

20 lottery winners who blew the lot

THE WINNERS WHO WERE LEFT WITH NOTHING.

Believe it or not, statistics show 70% of lottery winners end up broke and a third go on to declare bankruptcy. Runaway spending, toxic investments and poor accounting can burn through a lucrative windfall in next to no time. From rags to riches then back to rags again, these 20 unlucky lottery winners found out the hard way.

Slide show:

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/money/persona ... ailsignout
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Post by kmaherali »

Why We Keep Playing the Lottery

Blind to the mathematical odds, we fall to the marketing gods.


Excerpt:

It may seem easy to understand why we keep playing. As one trademarked lottery slogan goes, “Hey, you never know.” Somebody has to win. But to really understand why hundreds of millions of people play a game they will never win, a game with serious social consequences, you have to suspend logic and consider it through an alternate set of rules—rules written by neuroscientists, social psychologists, and economists. When the odds are so small that they are difficult to conceptualize, the risk we perceive has less to do with outcomes than with how much fear or hope we are feeling when we make a decision, how we “frame” and organize sets of logical facts, and even how we perceive ourselves in relation to others. Once you know the alternate set of rules, plumb the literature, and speak to the experts, the popularity of the lottery suddenly makes a lot more sense. It’s a game where reason and logic are rendered obsolete, and hope and dreams are on sale. And nobody knows how to sell hope and dreams better than Rebecca Paul Hargrove.

More...

http://nautil.us//issue/4/the-unlikely/ ... 5-60760513
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Post by kmaherali »

Disappointing stories reveal what it's really like to win the lottery

Lottery players everywhere dream of hitting a multimillion-dollar jackpot with a winning ticket.
But there's a dark side to coming into a windfall of sudden wealth if you're not careful.
Here's what it's really like to win the lottery.
Becoming substantially wealthier thanks to a tiny piece of paper would make your life so much better, right?

In fact, recent research has suggested that lottery winners are more satisfied with life than those who lost the lottery and that this happiness is lasting, Business Insider previously reported.

But winning a lottery jackpot can also have some unwanted side effects.

(Note: All figures in U.S. dollars unless otherwise indicated. Please check out our Currency Converter for the latest values.)

Click or swipe to view the gallery.

Slide show:

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/money/topstor ... b9#image=1
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Post by kmaherali »

A B.C. man won $1M in the lottery. His coworkers are now suing him for their cut

Four people claiming to be former co-workers of a B.C. lottery winner have launched a lawsuit trying to claim their share of the million-dollar prize.

The civil claim filed by Ding Jiu Du, Haret Dagane, Elwood Prado and Tounkham Homsombath in B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver alleges that Hung Sengsouvanh collected money from them to buy the winning Lotto Max Maxmillions ticket, which was left over from a contribution to a Christmas potluck party at the Surrey lighting factory where they all worked.

Each worker, including Sengsouvanh, contributed $5 towards the $25 ticket, the lawsuit says, plus an additional dollar each for a chance to win an additional $10,000 prize. Sengsouvanh then volunteered to buy the ticket.

More...
https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/a ... ailsignout
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Post by kmaherali »

Powerball winner, 90, sues son, says money invested poorly

ORLANDO, Fla. — A 90-year-old Florida woman who took home $278 million from a winning Powerball ticket six years ago is suing her son and his financial advisers, claiming the money was put into low-return investments while she was being charged $2 million in fees.

The lawsuit filed by Gloria Mackenzie last month in state court in Jacksonville against her son, Scott, and his financial advisers, alleges breach of fiduciary duty, breach of contract, negligence and exploitation of a vulnerable adult.

Scott Mackenzie had power of attorney over his mother's finances.

As the widow of a mill worker, and with little money until she was in her 80s, Gloria Mackenzie says she had scant education in managing a large sum of money and relied on her son.

"Prior to her good fortune, Gloria was living in a small, rented duplex ... for $375 a month," the lawsuit said. "Her income was modest, fixed, and derived from her monthly Social Security and small widow's pension."

More...

https://www.msn.com/fr-ca/actualites/mo ... li=AAggNb9
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Post by kmaherali »

The lottery curse: How the unfathomable good fortune of winning $50M can go terribly wrong

What would you do if you won $50-million in the lottery?

Would you play it safe, follow the official guidance, not move right away, give a little to your friends and charity, invest and save, change the locks, de-list your phone number, make social media private, and tell the lottery people you won’t be paraded before the whole world as a million-dollar mark?

Or would you join the ranks of those whose experiences with unfathomable luck have left the cultural impression, rich in schadenfreude, that a big lottery win is a veiled curse?

Examples abound in the Canadian experience, and not all are tragic moral outrages like the 2003 manslaughter of Ibi Roncaioli of Toronto, by her physician husband Joseph, who gave her anesthetic injections, years after her $5-million lottery win had been squandered and lost.

Some are funny, like the two hapless weed dealers from St. Catharines, Ont., who went to trial to determine whether one of them bought a $5-million scratch ticket for himself or both of them, while the other guy waited outside the convenience store in his mom’s car. Faced with this question, the presiding judge observed: “If the ticket were a child and the parties vying for custody, I would find them both unfit and bring in Family and Children’s Services.”

Some are epic. The Lavigueur family of Montreal won $7.5-million in 1986 and were soon plagued by early deaths, a suicide, lawsuits, opportunists, and eventually a miniseries that dramatized their mansion burning down after it was bought by an outlaw biker.

Most famous was Raymond Sobeski of Ontario who won $30-million in 2004, did not tell his wife, got a divorce, claimed the win, became a villain in the media, got sued by the wife, sued her lawyer and a newspaper, settled with the wife before trial, got back together with her, and kept on fighting all the way to Ontario’s top court.

Randall “Randy” Rush, 53, thinks he did pretty well, all things considered. And there is a lot to consider, lotto-wise, because Rush did more than fend off efforts to defraud him after his $50-million Alberta lottery win in 2015.

His experience as a $50-million target has given him a new purpose in life, as he is set to publish his memoir and commission others, trying to turn himself into a powerful champion for victims of financial scammers.

“There’s no John Walsh out there of white-collar crime,” Rush said in an interview, referring to the man who created America’s Most Wanted and became an anti-crime activist after his son Adam’s murder in 1981.

Rush’s origin story as a lottery winner superhero seeking vengeance on fraudsters began soon after his win, when Rush got involved with a man pitching an investment opportunity, a company that would be the next Amazon, the next Facebook, and it just so happened that this man was the son of Rush’s friends from church. What are the odds? Here was a chance to help friends and “diversify” his assets at the same time, Rush said.

He was in a good mood right after winning. Obviously. He did the press conference, the shopping spree, the luxury travel. Several people approached him for investment, but his plan was to play it cool for a while. He had what he called a “checklist” of what not to do. But he immediately quit his job at a heavy equipment rental company in Edmonton, where he had been making well into six figures.

The “Would you quit your job if you won the lotto?” question is a common interest of human resources consultants, as a measure of attitude. Among actual winners, surveys have noted a historically increasing majority of lottery winners who keep working. On the whole, what research exists suggests big lottery winners are no happier than the general population, and occasionally a lot less so.

It often starts with a story like this. Within a few weeks, Rush was investing in this man’s mobile phone app that linked online shopping to social media. Eventually he was in for a total of $4.6-million. A few months later he was suing, first in the United States, then in Canada, claiming he was lied to about the company being on track for tens of millions in revenue.

The story played out in courts in Alberta and Arizona and is now mostly resolved in Rush’s favour, leaving nothing but a documentary trail of wild details about expensive cars, failed schemes, and a corporate launch party on the roof of a swish hotel, with beats by a lower-tier DJ, and no sign of Justin Timberlake or Taylor Swift, as Rush claims he was led to expect.

There is a bit of a Tiger King vibe in the court record, with all that small city swagger, flashy cars, expensive baseball caps, big nights out in Vegas, men like peacocks, each playing the other until it all falls apart.

Lottery winners are not your usual rich people, not at first anyway. Rush’s new book, 13 Billion To One: Winning The $50 Million Lottery Has Its Price, out soon, is dedicated to his cat, Conway Kitty, “Who’s been there from the start and loves me for me.” (Conway Twitty was a country music star, and the cat was with Rush, who was getting cat food, when he checked his numbers in a St. Albert grocery store.)

In the interview, Rush described learning some hard lessons. Some of his friends were worse off because of his donations to their bank accounts. One was a gambler, for whom cash was like gasoline on the fire.

“It was a very hard lesson in what giving is,” he said.

He said it taught him that quick money amplifies character, including a person’s flaws and weaknesses. Money “makes you a bigger person of who you are,” he said.

On this theory, the victims of the lottery curse would probably have gone off the rails anyway, but without all that money and fame, no one would notice.

H. Roy Kaplan, a sociologist at the University of South Florida, and a leading authority in the field, has found that lottery wins make introverts more anxious and suspicious of others. So did $50-million make Rush more like himself? Is he happier now?

“Absolutely” he said. Asked about his friends, he mentions his bankers.

Rush acknowledges he went through an “angry phase,” but denies that his new efforts to become an anti-scammer media star are motivated by vengeance.

But Rantanna Media, as he has named his publishing company (mixing his name with Carlos Santana’s), looks a lot like a rich man’s idle revenge. More than a mere vanity project, it looks like a passion project. His first book about his former business partner is called Bloodsuckers. He is looking to expand into books about abuse in evangelical Christianity, which he describes as a similar breach of trust.

“This is business,” he said. “This is completing a project.”

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/t ... ailsignout
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From Powerball winner to scandal: Jack Whittaker dies at 72
JOHN RABY
Associated PressJune 30, 2020, 12:17 PM CDT
In this Aug. 30, 2007 photo Jack Whittaker speaks during an interview in Mount Hope, W.Va. Whittaker Jr., whose life became rife with setbacks and tragedy after winning a record $315 Powerball jackpot on Christmas night in 2002, has died. He was 72. On Tuesday, June 30, 2020, Ronald Meadows Funeral Parlor in Hinton, West Virginia confirmed Whittaker’s death. (AP Photo/Jeff Gentner)
In this Aug. 30, 2007 photo Jack Whittaker speaks during an interview in Mount Hope, W.Va. Whittaker Jr., whose life became rife with setbacks and tragedy after winning a record $315 Powerball jackpot on Christmas night in 2002, has died. He was 72. On Tuesday, June 30, 2020, Ronald Meadows Funeral Parlor in Hinton, West Virginia confirmed Whittaker’s death.
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CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Andrew “Jack” Whittaker Jr., whose life became rife with setbacks and tragedy after winning a record $315 million Powerball jackpot on Christmas night in 2002, has died. He was 72.

The Ronald Meadows Funeral Parlor in Hinton confirmed it. A funeral home official who declined to give his name said Tuesday that Whittaker died of natural causes, but he refused to say when or where, and he said a service would be private.

Whittaker became an instant celebrity at 55 when he claimed what was then the largest U.S. lottery jackpot won by a single ticket. He opted for the lump-sum payout of $113.4 million after taxes, and flew off to New York with his family in a private jet to appear on network TV morning shows.

But he quickly fell victim to scandals, lawsuits and personal setbacks as he endured constant requests for money, leaving him unable to trust others. Several times, he was quoted as saying he wished he had torn up the ticket.

His wife left him. A friend of his drug-addicted granddaughter was found dead at his home in 2004. Three months later, his 17-year-old granddaughter was gone, too.

His daughter, Ginger Whittaker Bragg, died in 2009 at age 42 after struggling for years with cancer.

And in 2016, he lost a Virginia home to a fire.

He struggled with drinking and gambling. His home and car were repeatedly burglarized. At a strip club, thieves broke into his Lincoln Navigator and stole a briefcase stuffed with $245,000 and three $100,000 cashiers’ checks.

That time, at least, he caught a break — the briefcase was later found, with the money still inside.

Whittaker was charged twice with driving while under the influence and sued repeatedly, once by three female casino employees who accused him of assault.

In a 2007 interview with The Associated Press, Whittaker knew his legacy was already written.

“I’m only going to be remembered as the lunatic who won the lottery,” Whittaker said. “I’m not proud of that. I wanted to be remembered as someone who helped a lot of people.”

At that point, Whittaker said he still had plenty of money. How much remained at his death, and who might benefit from his estate, was not immediately clear on Tuesday.

Known for wearing cowboy hats and western-style clothing, Whittaker was a self-made millionaire long before he won the lottery, having built construction businesses worth $17 million.

A regular Powerball player, Whittaker, who then lived in Scott Depot, already had concrete plans to share his prize with churches and his family when he claimed his winnings.

“I’ve had to work for everything in my life. This is the first thing that’s ever been given to me,” Whittaker said then.

A foundation started in Whittaker’s name spent $23 million building two churches in the years after his jackpot win, and his family donated food, clothing and college scholarships to local students.

Whittaker also put his granddaughter, Brandi Bragg, on his payroll. But his plans to give his inheritance to her were vanquished just before Christmas in 2004, when her body was found in a junked van, hidden by a boyfriend who panicked when he found her dead. An autopsy didn't pinpoint a cause.

“She was going to inherit everything,” Whittaker said.

https://currently.att.yahoo.com/att/xan ... 20251.html

In Spanish it is said ' Facil Vieney Facil Va' means easy come easy go.
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