Buddhist Monk Wins Lottery, Gives Money to Charity

As reported by Yahoo Sports a few days ago, a 47-year-old Buddhist monk from Thailand hit a big lottery win of about 18 million Thai baht or around $540,000.

A member of the Wat Phra That Phanom temple, the monk explained that he’s usually against gambling, telling the press that his reason to buy the lottery ticket was to help his local vendor who was struggling with sales. Reportedly, the monk bought three lottery tickets, one of which had the winning numbers on it.

Jackpot-Hitting Monk Giving Away His Winnings

In an interview he gave to the local press, the lottery-winning monk said he believed the money belongs to the angels. He believed it was a divine intervention that led him to the jackpot as an award for taking good care of the temple for more than ten years.

The monk decided to give the money away, diving the winning between the temple, local schools, and charitable organizations. He also started giving 500 baht or about $15 to over 1,000 people from his town. The monk quickly had to adjust his plans, setting the sum to 200 baht after a few more thousand people from other parts of Thailand showed up at his door.

He was eventually forced to put an end to the giveaway after the local authorities warned him that such a massive gathering could lead to the spread of COVID-19.

Lottery Winners Who Gave It All Away

This wasn’t the first time a Buddhist monk hit a big prize in the Thai Lottery. Just a few months earlier, another did the same. This monk won around $588,000 after winning three lottery tickets.

He too decided to give some of the money to charity but was forced to go into hiding after several thousand people came to him to ask for donations.

Outside Thailand, we’ve seen many other examples of people giving away their lottery winnings. For instance, over in Canada, a former Miss Quebec started her own humanitarian organization in 2018 after winning CA$1,000 a week on the Canadian Lottery.

Five years earlier, another Canadian gave even more to charity. The story goes that Tom Crist, a successful businessman from Calgary won CA$40 million, all of which he decided to give away to cancer charities. Crist explained that during his life, he’s earned enough money for his kids to live fine lives. With his wife dying of cancer a few months before he hit the jackpot, he decided it was best to invest money in fighting the disease.

In the United Kingdom, a former nurse Barbara Wragg and her husband Ray gave $7.1 million to various local charities in their hometown of Sheffield after hitting $9.9 million on the UK lottery. A big chunk of that money went to the hospital where Mrs. Wragg had spent most of her working days.

Grant Mahon

Grant is the self-professed casino madman and reporter that brought this eclectic team of dedicated and talented writers together from around the world to proudly build an humble empire of authentic casino news.

Rank Group Raises Millions for Charity

The casino market is an incredibly lucrative industry, and it is always great to see gaming executives giving back. Rank Group is putting an inspiring example forward, having recently raised £2 million ($2.6 million USD) for the charity, Carer’s Trust.

Working Together to Make Lives Better

Rank Group has had a partnership with Carer’s Trust since 2014, when the gambling operator started running various fundraising initiatives for the organization. Over the years, Rank Group has participated an organized a number of campaigns to benefit Carer’s Trust, having invested over 8500 hours to raise valuable funds.

The money raised by Rank Group has helped Carer’s Trust in a number of ways. Over 9000 careers have been provided with additional help and support, as the fundraising has allowed for the purchase of essential equipment, more breaks and extra training,

The fundraising efforts of the Rank Group team members and their customers across the country have been phenomenal. Their incredible support has made a vast difference to local unpaid carers.

While Rank Group’s charity campaigns have been varied in the past, the company’s most recent initiative was a harrowing one. Recently, the senior executive team at Rank Group undertook the Bushtucker Trial Challenge, which required them to eat insects and other creepy critters.

About Carer’s Trust

Carer’s Trust is a charity that supports unpaid carers aged 16 and over. Their support is aimed at helping individuals who care for friends and family members who are disabled or frail, as well as those who have addiction and mental health problems.

The organization assists carers across the United Kingdom, providing them with practical help and training, as well as replacement care. One of the most important aspects of Carer’s Trust is that the organization offers carers breaks, which many are in need of when looking after a loved one with an illness.

Carer’s Trust also provides grants to carers, offering them the financial support that they need. There are grants worth up to £300 available that are designed to benefit carers for issues such as breaks, travel costs, home repairs, training and items for the home.

It is truly inspiring to see a gaming operator working hard to benefit such a worthy cause. Rank Group is in good company, as well, as firms like Microgaming and Blueprint Gaming have also launched campaigns to benefit charitable organisations. In the future, it is hoped that more casino and gambling operators will step forward to lend a hand by raising money for charities that help the people that need it the most.

 

Grant Mahon

Grant is the self-professed casino madman and reporter that brought this eclectic team of dedicated and talented writers together from around the world to proudly build an humble empire of authentic casino news.