Not many people believe that lotteries can change people’s lives greatly but what happened in Corby, Northampton shire in mid of March 2012 proved that lotteries can surely turn people’s lives like in a Hollywood movie. 12 bus drivers played lotteries in a syndicate and this group won £38 million in a Euromillions lottery, making each member £3, 2 million richer than before. Fantastic!

The winning did not just take an overnight work to happen. It all started years before when 12 bus drivers decided to make a syndicate to play in lottery games. The twelve men were Neil Tayton, 58; Ally Spence, 57; Dave Mead, 54; John Noakes, 49; Stephen Derrick, 53; Chris Smith, 34; Charlie Gillion, 65; Jim Patton, 55; Charlie Connor, 40; Alex Robertson, 57; and Derek Wilson, 51 and another member who wants to stay anonymous. They decided to play together as they think that it was more fun. Moreover, they just needed to pay £2 per week so they think that they always play responsibly.

For some months, they were just doing their regular syndicate lottery playing; some collect the money, buy the tickets, watch the draws and inform the other members if they get near with the jackpots or if one of them won a small prize. The members are free to choose their own numbers so it is pretty fair for the all the players. Everything was a kind of plain lottery game.

The syndicate manager, Chris Smith then told the syndicate members that they should change the tactics. He said that modifying the numbers and joining the Irish and also the Euromillions lottery could give better chance. This change made one member, a female bus driver called Hazel Loveday decided to get out from the syndicate. She said that she could not afford the money and perhaps, she also feels bored because the group never won. Perhaps she was not really aware that playing in lottery games needs patients and she was sorry to learn the fact that the syndicate she left 6 months before could win the jackpots.

On Friday 16 of March 2012, the syndicate manager, Chris Smith did his routine job as the leader of the group to monitor the Euromillions drawing. He was watching TV with the tickets in his hands and he could not believe his eyes and ears when the winning numbers announced matched exactly with the tickets his syndicate bought. They bought 3, 4, 12, 23 and 50 and these were the numbers for the £38 million. All of sudden, Smith and his syndicate members became millionaires in UK.

This great news spread very quickly to the other members and they all gathered to celebrate the victory. When asked whether he would prefer winning the jackpot for himself, Smith said that it would have been nearly impossible for him to win it on his own. He totally agreed with the statement that playing in a syndicate can bring more luck to him.

Now the 12 lucky bus drivers can do whatever they want to do with the money. If they want to, they don’t need to work long hours as bus drivers because the money will be enough to start a business for their retirements. One thing for sure, they can now get what they could not afford before.  Just like a typical lottery winner, Wilson is planning to build a house and buy a new Audi 6. Noakes is also intending to buy a new Ashton Martin. Some of the syndicate members want to spend the money with their family. Alex Robertson is planning to take his mother to an expensive holiday in Australia while Connor wants to have a wedding party he could not afford before.

Whatever intentions they want to do with their money is their right. They are an example of a lottery syndicate who plays lotteries responsibly and manage to win money that can change their lives.