Brad Duke held the luckiest piece of paper in Idaho history inside a Jackson's food store near Orchard and the interstate.
"This was some place someone had to dig around for three hours?" Duke asked an Idaho Lottery spokesman, gesturing to what he held in his hand.
Seven years before, the ticket with which Brad posed, Wednesay, won him $220.3 million. No Idahoan — and only 17 Americans — has ever won more.
But if you ask Brad, those lucky numbers didn't do the work. He did. And luck had nothing to do with it.
"Yes," Brad said. "I absolutely thought I was going to win. In fact, I wrote a check out to myself for a million dollars and in the note section I put: earn/won."
Brad told us, Wednesday, he liked number games, considered Powerball a hobby and always knew that someday, he'd win.
"I had written about it in my journal," he said. "It was my favorite campfire topic: What would you do if you won the lottery?"
And that's what we really wanted to know: Seven years later what'd you buy, Brad?
"There are definitely some different things in my life," he said with a smile.
Brad started a family foundation for children, pedals the nicest road bike on the market and paid a helicopter to fly him and a buddy to the top of a Canadian glacier so they could mountain bike to the bottom. But while he arrived at the Jackson's in a Porsche, Brad sported no bling and said he'd researched all his spending and investments.
"My first piece of advice to anybody who would win the lottery is take a breath and start thinking about who's going to help you do the right thing," he said.
And who knows: One of the throng purchasing tickets behind him, Wednesday, might find a use for that advice (afterall, the current Powerball jackpot stood at $250 million).
Brad and his ticket, meanwhile, reunited for the first time since the June, 2005 Powerball winner sent in the winning ticket — and after a detective rescued that piece of paper from the obscurity of a lottery warehouse.
It has been a while since I've read anything about Brad Duke. After winning the lottery as I remembered, his plans were to invest his winnings and become a billionaire, I wonder how closed he's getting toward that goal.
More reason to believe that those that 'believe in themselves" have the power to realize their dreams.
Negative, doom & gloom naysayers who believe in nothing but bad luck/no luck, have no respect for spiritual insight, or nothing except what they can only see with their limited physical eyesight, will seldom experience a miracle in their life.
I saw an update a few weeks back on "How The Lottery Changed My life", and apparently Brad is doing well, but revealed he is still a long distance away from achieving his goal of becoming a "Billionaire". He also indicated he still has several million more than he won in "05".
I have the same plan ............. go figure
We play the lottery because we see ourselves winning some day. This is old news, has he won any other jackpot since then? Next in line!
No, he may not have won any other jackpot since then, but he did win that one, and he is richer than we are!
I remember this story so well, I cant believe 7 years have gone by. It was right around the time I unofficialy joined lottery post.
Anyways, I am glad to see he is not among those who fritter away their winnings or end up in jail or dead. So inspiring!
Oh, Brad Duke. I remember reading about his win a few years back and gasping about in financial plans and investments. He had a very good team which is helping him realize his goal. Truly, I really do commend him. He is young and with a lot of ambitions and plans for the win at hand, looks like he got a gift that keeps on giving and winning.
However, I would argue against him doing the work to win the lottery
, the numbers just aligned. But hey, whom am I to say, the man is a powerball winner and I am not!
Lol, way to go Brad Duke, glad that the win brought him fulfilment.
Yet another motivational story!
It's difficult for me to say that. To me, law of attraction doesn't apply. Things ALWAYS happen when I least expect.
In my opinion, that's what it all boils down too: believing in yourself. Honestly, that's what I believe in and for the most part it's working. I guess everyone is different.
Isn't this the guy that was working at Gold's Gym making around 30K a year training people? Then he won a boatload of money and all of a sudden was going to be some financial wiz kid. lol. The fact that he was on one of those lottery shows just recently tells me that he really isn't making the best of decisions.
And just how many Powerball & Mega Millions jackpots have you won,Mr. positive thinker?
Yeah,that's what I thought.
Positive thinking has NOTHING to do with winning, N-O-T-H-I-N-G!
You just have to be lucky enough to have the right numbers at the right time.
So he reunited this past week with his winning ticket? Does anyone know why? Once the ticket is verified does the winner get to keep the ticket or does the state lottery commission keep it?
Well I haven't hit the big one yet Cletu$, but I absolutely believe it is going to happen and soon!
I had a dress rehearsal when I scored $200K in August "07" when my Powerball numbers came up 5+0.
Since then I have accumulated another $25K after expenses through scratches, and online games. Wouldn't exactly call those winnings "chump change"
What are you so negative about Cletu$?, Soon as you hear someone talking positive on a thread you go ballistic.
We "get it", you don't believe in positive thinking. We have had this discussion before. I also believe "luck" is a combination of forces that is
created not just by being in the right place at the right time. I'm a huge believer in "Karma" as well. I can already see you puking as I'm mentioning all
this.
Thanks for sharing Cletu$, and have a P-O-S-I-T-I-V-E night!
He wrote earned/won on a million dollar chevk he wrote himself.
Seems to me he sure got convinced he would win, after he figured out hearn wasn't gonna earn.
I agree with Cletu$2.
Do the same things you did to win what you won and have anything but "positive beliefs" and you would have still won.
...but believe what you want, it's a free world. Glad you won what you won.
I think you're confused about what Cletus believes. My guess is that he believes in positive thinking, but has a more realistic understanding of what it can do than some people.
I don't doubt that Duke believed he would win, or that you believe you will win. I also know that there are millions of other people who believe they will win. The reality is that life is far too short for more than a very, very small percentage of those people to be right, no matter how much positive thinking they can muster.
Thanks kyok!
In this humble forum, there is a vast exchange of personal beliefs and philosophies. Many concepts such as "Karma" , "Luck", "Destiny", "God",
"Spiritualism" and "Fate" are thrown around and talked about as if they were yesterdays favorite flavor, or as a real relevance in determining one's
success in this game of life or the lottery.
As but very brief travelers in this miracle called life, we should at least allow ourselves to "agree" to disagee with each others point of view.
I agree and respect your "take" on "realistic" understanding.
Having said that, I truly believe "positive thinking" plays an intricate role in determining ones success in life. Whether that be in starting a new
business of your own, coming up with a new invention, running for political office and yes even the decision to venture into the lottery.
Having "just" positive thinking isn't enough for any of the above. They all require commitment, learning your trade and from your mistakes,
never giving up and passion.
Like with any craft, we must always be open and willing to learn and adapt from our mistakes. To continue on in the lottery and to be successful,
requires no less dedication, and certainly requires a healthy dose of "positive thinking".
"I had a dress rehearsal when I scored $200K in August "07" when my Powerball numbers came up 5+0."
There was a Ohio Lottery Buckeye 5 player that must have "absolutely believed" that he was going to win the jackpot because he had 54 winning tickets. He didn't know the lottery had a $1 million aggregate payout limit and thought he won $5.4 million. In PB the jackpot amount is the limit and the jackpot is split by the number of winning tickets if there are multiple winners. It is logical to conclude anyone who "absolutely believes" their numbers are going to be drawn, would at the very least have two winning tickets especially when the jackpots are smaller.
As others said, millions of players (like Brad Duke) probably "absolutely believe" they will win the jackpot too. I don't know if PB had the powerplay option in 2007 but today the true believers are those spending an extra buck.
Brad Duke picked his jackpot winning numbers having more faith than the millions of average "give me one PB QP" players.
Yeah Brad Duke had some serious belief in his destiny. The results speak for themselves.
They actually had the Powerplay option in "07". I was on a strict budget at the time, and decided to pass on it.
The Powerplay number was "2" for that drawing, which would have doubled my second tier prize to $400,000.
I have no regrets, I still won big. I'm in this for the long term, and the best is yet to come.
The fact that Brad Duke has earned money on his lottery winnings during this financial economy downturn, speaks well of his investment strategies.
Brad Duke stands as a good example of what to do right with your jackpot winnings. Although I wonder how much intrusion results from his public appearances. I did notice when he was last on How the Lottery Changed My Life, there is little to no mention of family. My guess is he has his personal security down to a fine art if he is confident enough to be as public as he is.
Perhaps he made an upfront agreement with the producers of "How the Lottery Changed My Life", to avoid any spotlight on his personal family members. A wise choice, I'm sure that he probably made.