Homeless Man Spends His Last $10 On A Scratch Ticket With 840,000 To 1 Odds And Wins So Much Money

Michael Engfors had fallen on the toughest of times. The 61-year-old Colorado man had been homeless for six years after his entire life unraveled in front of his eyes–losing his job, his house, his marriage, and communication with his daughter. To deal with losing everything he once held dear, Engfors became a full blown alcoholic.

The man needed a gift from God to pull himself out of the downward spiral that would become even more difficult during the winter months, as the Colorado winters often dip into single digits temperatures.

Engfors then made a decision to throw all his eggs in one basket: spending his last $10 on an Eternal Splendour scratch ticket with 840,000 to 1 odds, or the odds of you getting laid. Zing. Jk, Bro. Jk.

As soon as he scratched off the first number he realized he had won the $500,000 jackpot. Michael’s $10 investment paid him a decent 50,000% dividend.

Instead of going out and renting a place or buying a pet tiger, Michael initially kept the win to himself, even sleeping on the floor of a local church for a week before acquiring more stable shelter.

Dr. Vince Savage, executive director of the shelter who took Michael to collect his six-figure winning, told the Daily News: “It couldn’t happen to a neater guy.”

Engfors plans to se the money to buy some skis and to try and reconnect with his daughter, who he hasn’t seen in 20 years, according to the Mirror.

This is a great story to hear, especially around the holiday season when we’re all feeling a bit mushy. Let’s hope that Michael makes stable choices with the money, instead of using it to fund the bad habits that were the result of a string of unfortunate circumstances.

[h/t Mirror]

Matt Keohan Avatar
Matt’s love of writing was born during a sixth grade assembly when it was announced that his essay titled “Why Drugs Are Bad” had taken first prize in D.A.R.E.’s grade-wide contest. The anti-drug people gave him a $50 savings bond for his brave contribution to crime-fighting, and upon the bond’s maturity 10 years later, he used it to buy his very first bag of marijuana.