
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 though 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 come up with answers to that relevant concern on our own: exactly what we’d buy, how we’d invest, and with which of our friends and family we would share our newfound wealth. Many of us would also give some portion of our winnings to charities that are very important to us nonetheless it’s hard to imagine many people being nearly as generous as a recent lottery champion in Canada has turned out become.
Quite a Golf Game
Winner Tom Crist was on holiday in California when he received a call from the Western Canada Lottery Corporation, alerting him to the reality which he had just won a $40 million (US$37.5 million) jackpot within the Lotto Max drawing the largest in the history associated with the WCLC lotteries.
Normally, lottery winners do not learn about their winnings via a phone call. But Crist who was playing tennis in Palm Springs at the time had beenn’t a lottery player that is typical. He was on a registration plan with the lottery that automatically purchased tickets for him on each drawing. The WCLC examined their figures automatically, and since is the policy, a victory of significantly more than $10,000 triggered a call to Crist.
‘I don’t know very well what to think,’ Crist said about receiving the decision. ‘I was speechless.’
Before the jackpot, Crist said he had received a number of little checks for minor wins, but had never had a win of any significant quantity let alone a jackpot.
‘I’ve paid for the subscription whenever I have the renewal notice every and then I just file it,’ Crist said year. ‘Sometimes we’d obtain a look for $10 or $20, but we never expected this.’
The decision 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 reality, during the time of his win, he did not even inform his fellow golfers about the massive jackpot he had simply won.
Perhaps that’s because Crist ended up being fortunate enough not to need that newfound windfall at all. While the president that is retired CEO of a wholesale electronics company, myfreepokies.com Crist had banked $1.14 billion in 2012 when he sold his business.
‘I been fortunate sufficient, through my career, 44 years with a company,’ Crist stated. ‘I did perfectly for myself. I’ve done enough for my kids, so they can get looked after into the future that I can look after myself. I don’t really need that money.’
And that train of thought is apparently what spurred Crist to decide to make a difference within the full lives of others alternatively.
Crist’s wife Jan had died in February 2012, a passage that ended up being the impetus to start a family members foundation. The lottery cash will go to that now foundation, from which he and his children will decide where to donate the proceeds; most likely it will be distributed between a quantity of cancer-related charities.
For the part that is most, Crist has actually tried to downplay the significance of his win and his charitable gesture, also using sunglasses in required publicity photos taken by the lottery in order to make himself less recognizable. Still, he did admit that he’s happy the funds is going to 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 UK Labour MP Ed Miliband are grasping for public appreciation, as he has vowed to gear up his assault on the controversial high-stakes gambling machines which have become prevalent in betting shops across Uk high streets.
FOBTs’ Spread Cited as Ominous
Promising to introduce brand new laws to get a handle on the spread of this machines known as fixed-odds betting 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 in 2010, the opposition frontrunner has claimed FOBTs target the poorer communities of the nation by offering big money prizes which look particularly enticing to people who might be earning the wage that is minimum.
‘I have always been deeply worried about the spread of these machines,’ stated Miliband when speaking to the press that is british FOBTs, which may have now reached 33,000 in number throughout the UK. ‘ They are becoming an epidemic in certain parts of the country.
‘These are typically four times more prone to be in poorer areas than richer ones,’ included the Labour frontrunner. ‘ I don’t object to a gambling shop or two on the traditional, but you are doingn’t need it bought out by them. There’s evidence they are magnets for anti-social behaviour. There’s 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 machines, Miliband has explained that the next Labour government would change planning and licensing laws to give power to local authorities to better control the amount of gambling shops in their area, because well as letting them dictate the quantity of FOBTs in each venue.
‘ We will give communities the proper to pull the plug on fixed-odds machines,’ said Miliband, who admitted to frequently placing down several pounds in the annual Grand National horse race every year. ‘Councils will 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 numbers, or if the authorities would merely be able to limit new outlets, hasn’t been specified precisely, but reports do claim that local authorities would be able to revoke licenses.
Bookies would additionally be required to introduce longer breaks between each play, and include pop-up warnings to help reduce steadily the price of paying for the machines.
An estimated £46 billion ($75,752,713,093) was spent on gambling machines in the UK year that is last all helped by the fact that punters can lose up to £100 ($165) every 20 seconds on the machines, that 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 labour that is last when they relaxed gambling guidelines in 2005.
Miliband in addition has stopped short of meeting recent demands to reduce steadily the limitation on fixed-odds betting terminals from £100 stakes down to £2, simply saying that the issue will continue to be evaluated.
Former Pittsburgh Steelers Mike Merriweather Suing Region Casino
This football trading card from the mid 1980s shows Mike Merriweather at the height of his job; he’s now suing a Pittsburgh area casino.
Mike Merriweather was a staple of the Pittsburgh Steelers defense in the 1980s. From 1982-1987, he played using the NFL team, making three professional Bowl games and recording as many as 15 sacks in a period. He was also named the team MVP in the 1987 season.
Legal Procedures Against Meadows Racetrack
But that was all long ago, and except among serious soccer fans, Merriweather’s playing career was mostly forgotten. Now, he’s making headlines in Pittsburgh for the entirely various reason: his lawsuit against a neighborhood casino, alleging he ended up being unjustly fired from a place as a result of stereotyping that is racial.
In accordance with a lawsuit filed by Merriweather, he was hired at The Meadows Racetrack and Casino in April 2011, to be the property’s director of sports marketing. His job was primarily one of promotion: he would promote special Steelers-themed events, along side bowling and tournaments that are blackjack. He was compensated a wage, along with commissions from the amount of money spent in the casino by clients he really attracted to The Meadows.
In the lawsuit, Merriweather states that Meadows vice president and manager that is general Sullivan said the retired player could potentially make over $100,000 a year in the career. Sullivan and Merriweather had been teammates during the University associated with Pacific, before Merriweather began his professional career.
Racial Discrimination Alleged in Suit
But according to Merriweather, what needs been a friendly environment soon switched into a nightmare. According to him, white managers began to make comments him became progressively worse over time about him often, but not always, as jokes and the casino’s treatment of.
‘He was a big, obviously fit, black male who was simply known to have played in expert soccer, and white co-workers often acted as when they feared him,’ the complaint states. Supervisors are quoted as saying things such as ‘ I don’t need to get him mad’ or ‘I don’t want him to beat me up.’ If true, the statements were particularly misguided whenever directed towards Merriweather, who is a minster that is ordained has received certification being an anger management facilitator.
Moreover, Merriweather alleges that a superior during the casino repeatedly did not code the play of customers that Merriweather had brought into the casino, costing him commissions. After bringing his issues to Sullivan, friends of managers each of whom had been white stopped replying to their emails or greeting him in the hallways. Eventually, an excellent extracted Merriweather from an office, forcing him to work in an area that is common. In 2012, he was fired from the position january.
According to 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 missing wages, legal fees, and damages that are punitive.
Spokespersons for The Meadows haven’t commented in the situation, saying that they can’t comment on litigation in progress.
It is not the time that is first Western Pennsylvania casino has been accused of racial bias. Earlier this present year, the Rivers Casino was accused of discriminating against black groups who planned occasions at the casino, along with eliminating events and promotions that catered to African-American clients.