A homeless man living in Bloomington, Illinois has just won the lottery. He's not a millionaire, but his $50,000 win is nothing to sneeze at. In an even more interesting twist, he's stated that he will continue living in his tent home, and will be giving $100 to each of the other homeless people he knows.
His name is Dennis Mahurin, and he has been homeless in Illinois since 1978. The 59 year old man won the lottery jackpot after purchasing a $3 scratch ticket from a gas station last week. Mahurin described the moment to News25 saying, "I scratched it off right here in my tent. I took it to the gas station. I thought it was a thousand dollars. She said 'nope', I said 'oh I messed up didn't I'. She says 'no it's fifty thousand'. And I almost fell over."
Strangely, Mahurin doesn't plan on finding a nicer place to live, saying, "I'm living in a tent. Happy as can be. It's in my nature."
Instead, he'll be using the $50,000, or closer to $35,000 after taxes, to visit his son, receive some dental work, buy a new tent, and put a little away in savings. He also aims to help a few of his fellow homeless saying, "All the other homeless people round here - I've already made up my mind I'm gonna give them each $100."
Gas station manager Sandra Rankin told ABC News that this is the largest win in her store's history. "It's quite exciting, when I got the phone call I was jumping up and down and mostly it was because of who it went to," she said. "He has been coming out ever since I started here. He is a great guy, has an awesome sense of humor. I care deeply for him and he is a very decent gentleman. He comes into my store three to four times a day."
One has to wonder about the wisdom of continuing to live in a tent, now that the word of his new found $35,000 has spread around. Hopefully though, karma will recognize his generosity, and make sure he gets that much deserved visit with his son.
- Contribute to this Story:
- Send us a tip
- Send us a photo or video
- Suggest a correction
