Great-Grandmother Wins $1 Million
Two days after Betty Flanigan’s husband borrowed $2,000 to buy an electric cart to allow the disabled woman to get around better, she won $1 million in a new California Lottery contest.
Flanigan, a great-grandmother who lives in North Hollywood, had three of six correct numbers in the lottery’s Wednesday night Lotto 6/53 drawing. As part of an effort to boost gamblers’ seemingly flagging interest in the lottery, 10 of the $5 winning tickets were selected for the first time to also receive $1 million.
Flanigan, 65, has four children, 14 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.
“She wanted to take a trip to Disneyland and this is just going to make everything a lot easier,†said Rebecca Greer, Flanigan’s daughter. “She’ll be able to take everybody to dinner.â€
Greer said her mother, who has been ill for several years, plays the lottery twice weekly. Her husband, Roy Flanigan, a sculptor at Fox Studios, buys the tickets at Archie’s Market in North Hollywood.
Greer said her mother plans to buy a new car, fix up the home she has lived in for 33 years and give some of the money to her family. She also plans to celebrate her luck with a big party.
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