Most successful lottery winner ever? Florida man won 7 jackpots in his lifetime. How he did it
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Richard Lustig of Orlando could be considered the luckiest lottery winner − ever.
With seven state-sponsored lottery wins to his name (see below), the odds are in his favor that he'll hold that title.
The Florida man said he had a system, and believed in it so much that he wrote a book about it on Sept. 27, 2010: "Learn How to Increase Your Chances of Winning the Lottery." He died in 2018 at age 67.
Here are things to know about Richard Lustig and his incredible streak of luck with the lottery.
Who is Richard Lustig?
Richard Lustig was an entertainment booking agent from Orlando. He owned an entertainment company here. Lustig gained fame for his string of lottery wins from 1993 to 2010. News outlets consistently referenced to him in headlines as '7-time lotto winner.'
Lustig once bought a winning Fantasy 5 ticket at the Publix at Hunters Creek Promenade in Orlando. When he became a multi-winner, he told reporters he'd been perfecting his method of playing the lottery for years (see below for his tips).
On his site, a bio about Lustig states: "Richard Lustig was a former professional drummer who spent many years touring the country. He then became a national booking agent who ran his own company, Lustig Talent Enterprises where he dealt with national and international music acts that travel around the world. He loved his work but was always anxious to hit the road on his Harley."
Lustig has appeared on Fox News, "The Rachael Ray Show" and "Good Morning America."
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What are lotteries?
Lotteries are a fundraising method in which tickets are sold and a prize is given to a random ticket holder. It's a common state initiative for funding public schools.
The Florida Lottery contributes more than $30 billion to education and has sent more than 725,000 students to college through the Bright Futures Scholarship Program. Bright Futures is primary funded through the Florida Lottery, its site states, and the organization reinvests 97% of its revenue back into the state's economy through prize payouts, commissions to more than 13,000 Florida retailers and transfers to education.
How much money did Richard Lustig, 7-time lottery winner, win in his lifetime?
Richard Lustig's wins amount to a total of $1,052,205.58 before taxes, news reports show. One lottery win was $10,000 from a scratch-off ticket.
In a 2016 Palm Beach Post story about lottery winners that had problems after winning a big jackpot, Lustig was "the bright spot" or a model winner: “Obviously it’s changed my life big time,” Lustig told Time in January 2016. “I’ve been rich and I’ve been poor, and I like rich a whole lot better. We’ve lived in big, fancy houses. I drive a Jaguar. We’ve gone on cruises. I can’t complain.”
When did Richard Lustig win the lottery? What lottery games did he play?
From 1993 to 2010, Richard Lustig of Orlando won the jackpot seven times:
In January 1993, Lustig won $10,000 from a scratch-off ticket.
In August 1997, Lustig won $13,696.03 from a Florida Lottery Fantasy 5 ticket.
In June 2000, Lustig won a "Wheel of Fortune" holiday trip to Los Angeles valued at $3,594.66, news reports show, thanks to a scratch-off ticket's "2nd chance drawing."
In October 2001, Lustig won an Elvis Presley holiday trip to Memphis, Tennessee valued at $4,966, news reports show, thanks to another scratch-off ticket's "2nd chance drawing."
In January 2002, Lustig won his biggest lottery prize yet − $842,152.91 from Mega Money, now known as Mega Millions.
In November 2008, Lustig won $73,658.06 from a Fantasy 5 ticket.
In August 2010, Lustig won $98,992.92 from a Fantasy 5 ticket.
Where to buy the book by lotto winner Richard Lustig, 'Learn How to Increase Your Chances of Winning the Lottery'
The book by Richard Lustig, "Learn How to Increase Your Chances of Winning the Lottery," is available online at Amazon or Target. Costs for the book start at $40 for paperback, though there are some deals online. An audio book is available via Audible.
The synopsis of "Learn How to Increase Your Chances of Winning the Lottery" states: "In his book, Richard discusses the ins and outs and dos and don'ts of buying lottery tickets to increase your chances of winning. He has created a method that he and members of his family use that has enabled them to win several lottery game grand prizes. This is a very easy to use method and will work with any type lottery games (scratch tickets or number games) in any state or country."
Did Richard Lustig, 7-time lottery winner, buy Quick Pick lottery tickets?
No. In fact, in a 2015 video interview with WXIA and USA TODAY (see above), Lustig was adamant: "Don't buy the Quick Picks," he tells the TV reporter. "Quick Picks is the worst thing you can do, guys."
He continued with his advice: "Every time you buy a Quick Pick, you're getting a different set of numbers so your odds are always going to be at their worst." Never change your numbers, and never miss a drawing in that particular game, he adds.
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How do you increase your chances of winning the lottery, according to Richard Lustig, 7-time lottery winner?
On Lustig's website, winninglotterymethod.com, "My method is very easy to use and my book is very easy to understand. I purposely made my book short and to the point, instead of making a 200 to 300 page book filled with a lot of useless words. You don’t need a dictionary or a calculator to understand my method and my method will work with any type of lottery games (scratch tickets or number games) in any state or country."
When the Powerball jackpot hit $1 billion in 2016, Lustig appeared in an interview with Fox Business to promote his book and share his winning lottery tips. He acknowledged that "people are coming out of the wood works to buy tickets" because of the record grand prize, at the time, the largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history. "They're buying tickets for the first time and all of a sudden they want to be president of the company in one day," he told Fox Business. "It doesn't work that way. So they're looking for some magic answer. What can I do to increase my chances tonight?"
Lustig was blunt in his answers: "There is nothing you can do to increase your chances tonight. There's only one thing you can do, and it's the worst answer in the world, but it's the only answer, is buy as many tickets as you can afford, and that's the key. What you can afford. Don't spend grocery money, don't spend rent money. Stay within your budget."
Lustig's quick tips for playing the lottery?
Don't use Quick Picks.
Play consistently.
Don't change the numbers.
Go beyond birthdays.
Understand the odds.
Does the method by Richard Lustig, 7-time lottery winner, work?
There's no guarantee Richard Lustig's methods of winning the lottery will work for you. But as they say in the lottery world, "it could happen to you" ... but only if you play.
Sangalang is a lead digital producer for USA TODAY Network-Florida. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram at @byjensangalang. Support local journalism. Consider subscribing to a Florida newspaper.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Richard Lustig of Orlando likely luckiest lottery winner in history
