News writer; Opinion columnist
Whether it's your paper, silver, or golden wedding anniversary, another year with the person you love is an occasion that's always worth celebrating. Some couples will commemorate the moment with a quiet dinner at their favorite restaurant, while others will go all out with elaborate vacations and parties.
However, there's probably no better way to celebrate an anniversary than with a big lottery win. After all, what marriage couldn't benefit from a massive infusion of cash?
These are true stories of a couple who celebrated their wedding anniversary with winning lottery tickets.
30 years and 60 million
£2.6.
That's how much a UK couple, Richard and Debbie Nuttall, thought they had won with a National Lottery ticket they purchased while on vacation on the Spanish island of Fuerteventura, where they were celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary.
Richard says that he received a notification regarding exciting news on his lottery app. He checked his account and saw it had increased by £2.6. Nice enough, but nothing worth getting too worked up about.
He told his wife about his 'big' win, and she joked, “We'll go and have a bacon butty (bacon sandwich) with that." The couple then enjoyed their tropical vacation by cruising around the island and taking in the sights.
"We enjoyed the sea views, blue skies, and windsurfers before heading back,” Richard told reporters later.
After returning from their jaunt around the island, Richard saw that he had yet another email from the National Lottery telling him to check his app.
"I thought it was odd and there must be a glitch in the system to get a duplicate email, but I logged in again to my National Lottery account to check," he said.
This time, the amount he saw in his account meant he could buy a few million bacon butties. Richard recalled:
“We were totally stunned, it said we had won over £61 million. My first thought was it must be a scam, or there was some mix-up."
The number was so large, the Nuttalls couldn't believe it was real, and they struggled to reach the outside world from their isolated island hotel.
Once they finally found a cell phone signal, they were able to call the National Lottery office and confirm their win. Richard, who works as an accountant, added:
"By this time me and Debs are going mental... jumping up and down in our car seats, punching the air, thumping the dashboard... the car must have been rocking. We've always worked, and now we have got the opportunity to do whatever we want.”
Richard told reporters that he and his wife had worked hard their entire lives and they planned to use the money to “have a little fun.” An avid golfer, Richard plans to visit some of the world's best courses, and Debbie says she's looking forward to taking more tropical vacations, like their fateful trip to Fuerteventura.
"There's a place in Barbados I have always wanted to go to, so that is on the list,” she said.
However, it's more than fun and sun for the pair, and they plan to support BK's Heroes, an organization that is very near to both of their hearts. The charity was started by Debbie's cousin Ben King, who suffered from a rare autoimmune condition that caused his kidneys to fail. She explained:
"He died when he was 27, but he wanted to raise £10,000 through his charity. His mum and dad have kept it going, and today it is nearly a quarter of a million pounds."
Ultimately, the Nuttalls plan to enjoy the money, but they hope it doesn't change them.
"We will have nicer things and do nicer things, but we will still be the same people and have our friends and family around us," Richard added.
$100,000 reasons to celebrate
Jeffrey Douglas was feeling lucky on August 17 and with good reason. It was the date of his wedding anniversary, and he decided to pick up a $50 '$10 Million Spectacular ticket' from the Times Turn Around in Lincolnton, North Carolina.
He uncovered the ticket and discovered that he had just won a $100,000 prize. Of course, the first person he called was his wife.
“It was our 31st wedding anniversary on Sunday,” he told state lottery officials, “I texted her a picture of the ticket, and she said, 'Call me,'” he said, laughing.
After paying his state and federal taxes, Douglas received a $71,164 check.
“It was pretty awesome. It's a blessing,” he told officials. Douglas said he plans to use the money to help his family and to invest in his tree-cutting business.
“Do you know how many trees you have to cut to win this much money?” he joked.
Silver leads to gold
Twenty-five years of marriage is a significant milestone for a couple. It's known as the silver anniversary, and it's traditional for spouses to give each other gifts of silver. However, that wasn't quite good enough for one Michigan couple who decided they wanted something a bit more precious.
The couple, who chose to remain anonymous, decided to celebrate by buying one of their favorite lottery scratch-off tickets. They went to the Opdyke Featherstone Mobil near their home in Auburn Hills and purchased a $20 “Diamonds and Gold” instant win ticket.
They uncovered the ticket and were sure they had misunderstood how much money they had won. The 44-year-old woman told Michigan Lottery officials:
"We scratched this ticket off together on our wedding anniversary, and my husband noticed the $2 million prize first. He thought something wasn't right, so we took it to the store to scan it."
They were so unable to comprehend the size of their win that they asked a friend to scan the ticket in her lottery app to be sure it wasn't a mistake. The wife continued:
“A message came up to file a claim at the lottery office, so we asked a friend to scan it on her lottery app. I started shaking and was in total shock when $2 million came up on the screen. It was so exciting and the best surprise on our anniversary!”
The couple elected to receive their winnings as a lump-sum payout and collected a $1.3 million check. They said they plan to use the money to buy a house, invest, and save for their kids' college tuition.
Going the distance
If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. That's good advice, whether it's for the lottery or marriage, but for one North Carolina man, it led to him celebrating his 55th wedding anniversary with a six-figure prize.
Richard Dooley was disappointed when his Millionaire Maker instant-win ticket didn't payout any prizes. But he had played the lottery long enough to know that it pays to be persistent, and he mailed his ticket in for the game's second chance drawing, which offers prizes of $1 million, $100,000, and $500.
While he didn't score the seven-figure prize, his ticket was selected for the $100,000, which gave him one more reason to celebrate that month.
“Two weeks from now, we are hitting our 55th wedding anniversary,” Dooley told lottery officials while collecting his prize. “This is a nice early anniversary present.”
Dooley learned he had won when a lottery employee called with the good news that officials had selected his ticket from among 4.1 million entries. “It was really surprising,” he said when remembering the call. “We are delighted.” He added, “You've got to be in it to win it. We like to do the second-chance drawings.”
After deducting taxes, Dooley walked away with a check worth $71,750. He said that he plans to share the money with his family and donate to the Raleigh Rescue Mission and several charities that benefit veterans.
Let's hope he remembers to pick up a lovely anniversary gift for his wife, too.
Big win down under
Traditions are an important way for couples and groups to bond. Recalling a shared past and fond memories can bring people closer together. However, for one Australian husband and wife, traditions can also be a great way to get rich.
For years, the couple, who chose to remain anonymous, celebrated their anniversary by having the husband buy his wife an X Lotto ticket.
Speaking with lottery officials, the wife said:
“My husband got me the ticket – he bought it as my anniversary gift. Actually, he usually gets me an X Lotto ticket for our anniversary. It's a bit of a tradition.”
She joked that they had been buying each other anniversary lottery tickets since “the beginning of time,” but had never won more than $40 AUD.
However, that all changed in a big way in May of 2025 when the husband gave his wife her usual anniversary gift, and they won much more than $40 AUD.
The wife was at home when she said she received a phone call from lottery officials with happy news. Her ticket had the winning numbers for the game's top prize, and she had just won $2,478,143.82 AUD.
“I can't believe it,” was all she could say when she heard the amount. She was so shocked by the win that she's still trying to figure out how to spend it.
“I don't know what to do with it, but my husband says he does,” the woman laughed. “I'd like to give some to the Fred Hollows Foundation and cancer research.”
In addition to donating to charitable causes, the couple plans to enjoy some nice vacations and help their adult children with their mortgages.
“It will be hard to beat this anniversary next year!”
Anniversaries are a wonderful time to celebrate the love you feel for your partner, and whether you're a newlywed or celebrating fifty years together, don't forget to slip a lottery ticket in with the rest of their gifts. You never know when you'll have more to celebrate than your marriage.
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