The winner of the $1.337 billion Mega Millions jackpot may never be revealed to the public, but whoever has the ticket for the second-largest prize in the game’s history is coming into a life-changing amount of money. Many winners have seen their luck run out, suffering personal setbacks, dealing with lawsuits or becoming the victims of scams.
Dave and Erica Harrig stayed true to their values when they won a lottery jackpot of more than $61 million in 2013. It made all the difference.
The couple from Gretna, Nebraska, a community on the outskirts of Omaha where Dave Harrig now is a volunteer firefighter, allowed themselves to buy a new home, some vintage automobiles and a few ocean cruises after they both quit their jobs.
But nine years later, they still live much as they always did, remaining in their community, keeping up with church, family and friends, and teaching their children to work hard to make a living despite any financial windfall that might come their way.
The latest winner of a big jackpot — with a cash option of $780.5 million — came Friday, when a single Mega Millions ticket sold in Illinois matched the winning numbers 13, 36, 45, 57, 67 and the Mega Ball 14. Illinois is among the states where winners of more than $250,000 can choose to not reveal their names.
Dave Harrig, an Air Force veteran who worked in aircraft maintenance, said keeping things simple probably saved him and his family from the…
