Did you know that California lottery winners have never had it so good? Well, with so many options to choose from, and prizes that seem to be getting bigger and bigger thanks to rollovers and special events, the enormous payouts in the state are getting a lot of publicity and boosting Californian winners’ finances every day.

Top lottery draws such as Powerball, Mega Millions and SuperLotto Plus have created millionaires all over the state, and the retailers who sell jackpot winning lottery tickets also benefit from a cash prize. You’ll be amazed at some of the crazy stories that have led to winners getting lucky, from the dog whose owner bought a ticket before taking him to the park to chase squirrels, to the teenager who won twice in one week! Big time winners include people who play solo, couples who play together and larger groups who bid regularly and then share their winnings.

Powerball winners

In 2015 Powerball changed its structure and as a result you’ll find the new formula offers players a chance to win bigger jackpots and the choice of extra numbers. As a result, the number of jackpot winners has soared and players have benefited from gigantic payouts, such as the one on July 20 2017, when the lucky winner who bought a ticket in the Sun City neighborhood in Menifee, Riverside County, landed a cool $447.8 million.

With the winning numbers 20, 26, 32, 38, 58 plus the Powerball number 3, the lucky family opted to take a tax-free lump sum and to consult their advisors about the best ways of investing the rest.

Mega Millions winners

Also in July 2017, just ten days earlier over in Sunnyvale, Santa Clara County, a player who purchased $10 worth of tickets when visiting a local store found to her delight that she’d won a Mega Millions jackpot of over half a million dollars.

You’ll be amused to learn that Teri went into the store to buy some hazelnuts so she could tempt squirrels down from the trees in her local park. She was happy to feed the squirrels because her pet loved to chase them, however, being an ancient creature, the dog never succeeded in catching any, although he did get some good exercise in the attempt.

Teri played the numbers 23, 33, 53, 56, 58 and just missed out on the Mega number 6. She and her boyfriend decided to invest part of their winnings and use the rest to plan for retirement.

Teri’s substantial win of $550,731 was more than matched in November 2017 over in Torrance, Los Angeles County, when a player netted $783,546 via the Mega Millions draw. The winning numbers were 3, 7, 22, 27, 50 missing only the Mega number 3.

SuperLotto Plus winners

As the original millionaire-makers game, SuperLotto Plus still rewards players with substantial winnings on a regular basis. Twin brothers John and Steven previously had won $50, however, in January 2017 their lucky numbers rewarded them after five years playing the same numbers with a win of more than $7 million. Once again, the winning ticket was bought in Riverside County, this time near Lake Elsinore.

With six winning numbers – 10, 21, 29, 39, 43 plus the Mega number 24, Steven plans to use his winnings to help his kids through college while John wants to finish remodeling his home.

Scratcher winners

Amongst the most popular ways of winning, purchasing scratchers is a great way for you to learn more about how the lottery works, especially if it’s a new experience for you. It has to be said, however, that now you can buy lottery tickets online, becoming a regular player is way easier than it used to be.

Among the latest incredibly lucky 2017 winners, Rosa Dominguez, aged just 19, won the ca lottery twice in the same week. Rosa purchased a Power 5 scratcher for just $5 at a gas station in Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo County and won $555,555. A few days later she bought another ticket in Greenfield, Monterey County, and this time won an extra $100,000. Among the big purchases Rosa plans to make is a brand-new car.

Lottery tips and strategies

In a bid to win the lottery some players, such as the twin brothers from Riverside County, simply select the numbers they want to play and persist. It worked for them eventually, as it has for other winners, however, there are alternative methods to come to grips with winning strategies.

For instance, some players use a number analyzer that examines numeric data from past winners. If you search online you’ll find several versions are available to download, or use a reliable site to try the technology online. If you do that you can decide to select the numbers that have been successful most frequently in the past, in the hope that including them in your ticket will improve your chances of winning. Alternatively, you might prefer to opt for numbers that can be proven to occur at specific, regular intervals, so you can choose ones that are due to appear once again at the time you’re playing.

Instead of playing alone or with a friend, you’ll find that playing as part of a group is a useful way to increase your chances of winning because if one player wins, then everybody shares the prize. It appears that the bigger the group, the better your chances of winning more often. In some cases, you can get multiple tickets if you’re part of a group so it pays to look around to find groups that win frequently or those that are overdue a big win.

Maybe a big win on the lottery is your dream, as it seems to be for most people, but one thing is certain – if you don’t play you won’t win. Whichever game you choose, you’re bound to enjoy the thrill of taking your chance with the rest of the players, in hopes of a timely financial windfall coming your way.