Editorial: Big win good for someone

There is one person in New Zealand who will not need to get out of bed if he/she does not want to this morning. While the rest of us have to drag our weary bodies to work for another hard week, there is someone who probably just can't stop smiling because they have won $26,264,932.

Yes - $26 MILLION. The little town of Te Kauwhata (where is that exactly?) claimed the winning jackpot on Saturday - the third largest New Zealand lottery prize to be won by a single ticket. It may not have been as much as this week's US$640,000,000 ($778,000,000) MegaMillions lottery in the United States, but it is still enough to set someone and their children (and grandchildren) up for life. It is truly a staggering amount of money.

A Lotto spokeswoman confirmed yesterday afternoon that they had been contacted by someone who believed they were the winner. Unfortunately, at first glance, it does not seem as if the winner has any Hawke's Bay connections, so the money will not be boosting our local economy.

Whoever it is, let's just hope that it is someone who really needs a break in life. If you can't be the person who wins, you do hope it is someone in real despair. Even though the age old saying that money cannot buy you happiness is true, it certainly can lay the foundation for a happy life. Someone who is constantly worrying about not having enough money to feed their family or who does not have a roof over their head, will certainly find a little bit of happiness if they receive a windfall.

It is when money becomes your god that things start to go wrong. Anyone who links the pursuit of money with a quest for happiness is sadly mistaken.

The anti-gambling lobby says lotto can contribute to someone becoming a problem gambler and they are quite right. But, as with alcohol or anything else, if the money being spent on Lotto tickets is not meant to feed and clothe families, then what is the harm. Spend responsibly and don't expect any returns and you can only be pleasantly surprised.

Occasionally, when the prize is big, it is quite fun to dream of what it would be like to win. I am always surprised at how low key Lotto winners are about what they are going to do with the money. Most say they are going to buy a house or car, go on a holiday and give money to family or charity. I suppose that is just the modest Kiwi way.

Whatever the winnings are spent on, let's just hope it brings a deserving person much happiness and allows them to help others less fortunate.