
Recent Canadian lottery winner Tom Crist shown here with his now-deceased wife Jan was in a charitable mood after getting a phone call from the Western Canada Lottery Corporation
Even although you were to win a big jackpot if you don’t play the lottery very often, we’re sure that you’ve imagined what you would do. We’ve all appear with answers to that question on our own: exactly what we’d buy, exactly how we’d invest, sufficient reason for which of our friends and household we would share our newfound wealth. Numerous of us would also give some portion of our winnings to charities that are very important to us nonetheless it’s difficult to imagine many people being nearly as generous being a recent lottery winner in Canada has turned out to be.
Quite a Golf Game
Winner Tom Crist ended up being on getaway in California when he received a call from the Western Canada Lottery Corporation, alerting him to the reality he had just won a $40 million (US$37.5 million) jackpot within the Lotto Max drawing the largest in the history of this WCLC lotteries.
Normally, lottery winners do not read about their winnings via a phone call. But Crist who had been playing tennis in Palm Springs at the full time ended up beingn’t a lottery player that is typical. He had been on a subscription plan with the lottery that automatically purchased tickets for him for each drawing. The WCLC examined his numbers automatically, and since is the policy, a win of significantly more than $10,000 triggered a call to Crist.
‚I did not know very well what to think,‘ Crist said about receiving the decision. ‚I was speechless.‘
Before the jackpot, Crist said that he had gotten a number of little checks for minor wins, but had never had a win of any significant amount let alone a jackpot.
‚I’ve taken care of the registration when I get the renewal notice every year, then I simply file it,‘ Crist said. ‚Sometimes I’d obtain a look for $10 or $20, but we never expected this.‘
The call came in May 2013 the drawing he won occurred on May 3 but he hadn’t come ahead to collect his winnings until this thirty days. In fact, at the time of his win, he didn’t even inform his fellow golfers about the jackpot that is massive had simply won.
Perhaps that’s because Crist ended up being fortunate enough maybe not to need that newfound windfall at all. As the president that is retired CEO of a wholesale electronics company, Crist had banked $1.14 billion in 2012 when he sold his business.
‚i’ve been fortunate enough, through my career, 44 years with a ongoing company,‘ Crist stated. ‚I did perfectly for myself. I done enough for my kids, so they can get looked after into the future that I can look after myself. We don’t really need that money.‘
And that train of idea is apparently what spurred Crist to decide to make a difference within the lives of others alternatively.
Crist’s spouse Jan had died in 2012, a passage that was the impetus to start a family foundation february. The lottery money will go to that now foundation, from which he and his children will decide where you can donate the proceeds; most likely it will be distributed between a number of cancer-related charities.
For the most part, Crist has actually tried to downplay the significance of his win and his charitable gesture, even wearing sunglasses in required promotion photos taken by the lottery in order to make himself less familiar. Still, he did admit that he’s delighted the cash will probably a good cause.
Labour MP Ed Miliband Vows to Introduce FOBT Legislation
UK Labour MP Ed Miliband is on his soapbox in regards to the nation’s proliferation of FOBTs. (Image: PA)
It looks as though British Labour MP Ed Miliband could be grasping for public appreciation, as he has vowed to gear up his assault on the controversial high-stakes gambling machines which have become commonplace in betting shops across Uk high streets.
FOBTs‘ Spread Cited as Ominous
Promising to introduce new laws to get a handle on the spread associated with machines known as fixed-odds gambling terminals, or FOBTs which accounted for approximately £1.6 billion ($2,634,876,977) of the gambling industry’s £3 billion ($4,940,394,332) in-store revenues this year, the opposition leader has claimed FOBTs target the poorer communities of the country by offering big cash prizes which look particularly enticing to people who could be making the minimum wage.
‚I am deeply worried about the spread of these machines,‘ stated Miliband when speaking to the British press about FOBTs, which have now reached 33,000 in quantity throughout the UK. ‚ They are becoming an epidemic in a few parts of the country.
‚These are typically four times more likely to maintain poorer areas than richer people,‘ added the Labour frontrunner. ‚ I do not object to a betting shop or two on the high street, but you don’t need it absorbed by them. There’s evidence they are magnets for anti-social behaviour. There is proof individuals are getting harmed and becoming addicted to gambling through these machines,‘ Miliband added.
New Laws to Be Introduced
To help combat the ‚epidemic‘ of the fixed-odds betting devices, Miliband has explained that the next Labour government would change preparation and licensing laws to give capacity to neighborhood authorities to better control the number of betting stores in their area, since well as letting them determine the number of FOBTs in each venue.
‚ We will give communities the right to pull the plug on fixed-odds machines,‘ said Miliband, who admitted to frequently placing down a couple of pounds regarding the Grand that is annual National race every year. ‚Councils should be able to declare ‚fixed-odds betting-free zones.“
Whether or perhaps not this would mean local authorities would be able to bulldoze existing shops to lessen the figures, or whether the authorities would merely be able to limit new outlets, hasn’t been specified precisely, but reports do suggest that regional authorities could be able to revoke licenses.
Bookies would additionally be required to introduce longer breaks between each play, and include pop-up warnings to help lessen the rate of paying for the machines.
An estimated £46 billion ($75,752,713,093) was spent on gambling machines into the UK year that is last all helped by the fact punters can lose up to £100 ($165) every 20 seconds on the machines, which have been branded the ‚crack cocaine‘ of gambling.
Despite some obvious upsides to Miliband’s proposals, it should be noted that how many FOBTs in Britain increased dramatically under the final Labour government if they relaxed gambling legislation in 2005.
Miliband in addition has stopped short of meeting recent demands to reduce steadily the limitation on fixed-odds gambling terminals from £100 stakes down to £2, simply stating that the issue will continue to be examined.
Former Pittsburgh Steelers Mike Merriweather Suing Area Casino
This football trading card from the mid 1980s shows Mike Merriweather during the height of his job; he’s now suing a Pittsburgh area casino.
Mike Merriweather had been a staple of the Pittsburgh Steelers defense in the 1980s. From 1982-1987, he played with all the NFL group, making three Pro Bowl games and recording as much as 15 sacks in a season. He had been also named the united team MVP in the 1987 period.
Legal Proceedings Against Meadows Racetrack
But that was all sometime ago, and except among serious football fans, Merriweather’s playing profession has been largely forgotten. Now, he’s making headlines in Pittsburgh for an entirely different explanation: his lawsuit against a local casino, alleging that he had been unjustly fired from a position due to racial stereotyping.
In accordance with a lawsuit filed by Merriweather, he was hired at The Meadows Racetrack and Casino in April 2011, to become the property’s director of sports marketing. Their work was mainly one of advertising: he would promote special Steelers-themed events, along with bowling and tournaments that are blackjack. He had been paid a salary, along with commissions from the amount of money spent in the casino by clients he physically attracted to The Meadows.
In the lawsuit, Merriweather states that Meadows vice president and manager that is general Sullivan stated the retired player could potentially make over $100,000 a year in the career. Sullivan and Merriweather had been teammates at the University associated with the Pacific, before Merriweather began his professional profession.
Racial Discrimination Alleged in Suit
But according to Merriweather, what needs to have been a friendly environment soon turned into a nightmare. According to him, white managers started initially to make remarks about him frequently, not always, as jokes and the casino’s treatment of him became progressively worse in the long run.
‚He was a large, obviously fit, black male who was understood to have played in professional football, and white co-workers often acted as him,‘ the complaint states if they feared. Supervisors are quoted as saying things such as ‚ I do not need to get him mad‘ or ‚I don’t want him to beat me up.‘ If true, the statements were especially misguided whenever directed towards Merriweather, who is an ordained minster and has received certification as an anger management facilitator.
Furthermore, Merriweather alleges that the superior during the casino repeatedly failed to code the play of clients that Merriweather had brought into the casino, costing him commissions. After bringing his concerns to Sullivan, friends of managers each of whom were white stopped replying to their emails or greeting him into the hallways. Eventually, a superior extracted Merriweather from an office, forcing him to work in a common area. In 2012, he was fired from the position january.
Based on the complaint, the owners of The Meadows (Cannery Casino Resorts and The Washington Trotting Association) violated federal and state anti-discrimination laws. It additionally accuses those owners of breaking wage laws by withholding commissions that were promised to Merriweather. The lawsuit asks for payment of lost wages, legal fees, and damages that are punitive.
Spokespersons for The Meadows have not commented in the situation, stating that they can not comment on litigation beginning.
This is not the time that is first Western Pennsylvania casino is accused of racial bias. Earlier this year, the Rivers Casino was accused of discriminating against black groups who planned activities at the casino, as well as eliminating events and promotions that catered to African-American clients.