Bill Morgan lottery win
 Bill Morgan immediately after winning the lottery for the second time | |
| Date | May 1999 |
|---|---|
| Location | Melbourne, Australia |
| Outcome | Bill Morgan wins AU$250,000 while re-enacting his previous AU$30,000 scratchcard win |
In May 1999, an Australian man from Melbourne named Bill Morgan (born 1961) was captured on film winning a AU$250,000 scratchcard while re-enacting his previous scratchcard win for a news report. The video of the event has since been widely shared online.
Background
In 1998, Morgan, a then 37-year-old truck driver living in a caravan, was almost killed in a car crash which caused him to develop a heart condition. He then suffered an allergic reaction to the drug used to treat this condition which triggered a fatal heart attack. He was declared clinically dead for 14 minutes and 38 seconds before being revived by paramedics, however he subsequently lapsed into a coma for 12 days during which his family were advised to turn off his life support, but after being transferred to a different hospital he woke up and made a full recovery.[1][2]
Lottery win video
Within 12 months of his car crash and subsequent heart attack and coma, Morgan won a scratchcard for a AU$30,000 Toyota Corolla, secured a new job, and had gotten engaged to his future wife Lisa Wells.[3][4] His dramatic change in fortune attracted local media attention, and two weeks after his first scratchcard win in May 1999, Nine News asked him to re-enact it for the B-roll footage of their news report. While being filmed scratching off another card inside the shop he turned around, held up the ticket and said "I just won 250,000. I'm not joking. I just won 250,000." before holding his head in his hands and asking the news team "please don't film me". He then said "I don't believe this is happening. I think I will have another heart attack."[1][2] Celebrating with the newsagency staff over champagne, he then called his fiancée to inform her of his second win and that they could now afford to buy a new house, and she later commented: "I just hope he hasn't used all his good luck up".[3][4] The news footage was later uploaded to YouTube where it went viral.
Aftermath
As of 2020, Morgan still lives in Melbourne with his wife. Although he still suffers from a combination of heart issues and arthritis which forced him to retire early, he stated: "I’ve had a bonus of 22 years and that’s the way you have to live your life. Every day I get up and put on my shoes, and even if I’m not real well I have a shuffle down the road and smell the roses, look at the sun and think about how lucky I am". He continues to buy a scratchcard every week.[2][3]
References
- ^ a b "The luckiest man alive". news.bbc.co.uk. BBC News. 27 May 1999. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
- ^ a b c Whelan, Chloe (30 December 2023). "Australian man Bill Morgan's insane lotto win caught on TV". News.com.au. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
- ^ a b c May, Adam (30 July 2022). "World's luckiest man scoops £140k jackpot while reenacting his first lottery win". mirror.co.uk. Daily Mirror. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
- ^ a b "Australian comes back from the dead to win lottery -- twice". edition.cnn.com. CNN. 27 May 1999. Retrieved 18 January 2024.