Great-Grandmother Wins $1 Million
Two days after Betty Flanigan’s husband borrowed $2,000 to buy an electric cart to allow the disabled woman to get around better, she won $1 million in a new California Lottery contest.
Flanigan, a great-grandmother who lives in North Hollywood, had three of six correct numbers in the lottery’s Wednesday night Lotto 6/53 drawing. As part of an effort to boost gamblers’ seemingly flagging interest in the lottery, 10 of the $5 winning tickets were selected for the first time to also receive $1 million.
Flanigan, 65, has four children, 14 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.
“She wanted to take a trip to Disneyland and this is just going to make everything a lot easier,” said Rebecca Greer, Flanigan’s daughter. “She’ll be able to take everybody to dinner.”
Greer said her mother, who has been ill for several years, plays the lottery twice weekly. Her husband, Roy Flanigan, a sculptor at Fox Studios, buys the tickets at Archie’s Market in North Hollywood.
Greer said her mother plans to buy a new car, fix up the home she has lived in for 33 years and give some of the money to her family. She also plans to celebrate her luck with a big party.
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