When Gloria C. Mackenzie claimed her $590.5 million Powerball jackpot, she released a statement revealing that another woman "was kind enough" to allow her to cut in line when she purchased the winning ticket.
That woman, Mindy Crandell, 34, is not upset that her charitable gesture likely cost her an enormous fortune and says "things are meant to be for a reason."
Crandell, of Zephyrhills, Fla., was in line to purchase lottery tickets in Publix on May 18 while tending to one of her two daughters when Mackenzie, 84, stepped in front of her.
"My 10-year-old said, 'Mom, There's a lady in front of us.' I noticed that the lady was there. Didn't pay a lot of mind to it," Crandall said.
The lady at the counter stopped Mackenzie to allow Crandell to reclaim her spot in line. Crandell declined the offer and told Mackenzie "go ahead. " It was a move that could have potentially cost the Crandells the $590.5 million Powerball ticket. Mackenzie purchased one Quick Pick ticket and left the store.
Crandell said family and friends began teasing her that the lady she allowed to cut in line was going to win the mega jackpot. But Crandell thought there was no way the lady was going to be the winner.
"The joke was, that's the lady that's going to win it. I was like, 'Yeah right. No one is going to win from little Zephyrhills,'" Crandell said.
Later that night, Mackenzie matched all five numbers including the Powerball while Crandell was at home still being teased by family members that the lady in the line was probably the winner. It was a joke that she would endure for the next two weeks.
When Mackenzie claimed the money on Wednesday, Crandell's 10-year-old daughter, Mallory, immediately recognized her from Publix.
"My daughter was like, 'Mom, look at the lady,'" Crandell said. "Same day, same store. What's the chances of that happening?"
Mackenzie has not disclosed her plans for the money. In a statement to ABC News, William P. Brant, Mackenzie's attorney, denied requests for an interview and said the family wants to "maintain their privacy."
Mackenzie has opted for the lump sum cash payout of $370.8 million, before taxes, instead of 30 annual payments of $19 million, a lottery official said.
Crandell holds no ill-will toward Mackenzie and hopes the money "truly blesses her family." The one thing Crandell did gain from the incident was a lesson she hopes her daughters learned.
"It could have been us, but things happen. Sometimes it's better to be patient than right. I knew we were teaching our daughter the right thing," Crandell said.
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it's good to know she has no regrets. Even if she didn't let the woman cut in front of her, I doubt she would have won. QPs generated a millisecond apart will be completely different.
Meh, she wouldn't of won anyway. Different numbers, different amount of lines.
You got it bro, I said the same in the other thread.
Well, depending on how it really happened, if she let an 84 year old cut in front of her out of respect, then she should be rewarded. The woman won an awful lot of money and, even if she gives millions to her family members and friends, will certainly have enough left to write another check. The story is a little confusing. Did the winner actually cut in front of Mrs. Crandell or did she step away for a second? I've been in Publix many times when the customer service people are very busy selling tickets and trying to handle their other duties. They go from register to register. Publix is a very large supermarket chain and each store usually has a separate area for the Lottery. Often customers go the the Customer Service Center to conduct other business and then want lottery tickets. If there's a line to buy lottery tickets, they usually do not get back in line.
In any case, since the winner acknowledged the young woman, she is probably planning to give her a "thank you" reward. I hope so. Otherwise, I don't know why she would even mention her.
I haven't had the chance to read your comment in the other thread. I got the idea from what Todd wrote explaining how QPs are generated.
Are you sure? I called the Lottery a long time ago (we've had this discussion before) and was told each machine generates its own sets of numbers. Yes, if she bought several tickets and #5 won, I'd agree. But she said she only bought 1 this time. Again, why mention it at all? It only stirs up debates like this and might create problems for her. If I won such a huge amound and truly believed it was because a nice person let me go first, then I would reward her.
I think that was the one where Todd said they are "seeded" so I picked up something from that as well.
Even if she had gotten the QP numbers instead there's no guarantee she would have won anyway.
you know she going to give her some of the money
I think that even though the lady Mindy C may not have won , She did the right thing and taught her daughter not to make a scene like some would have done . The lady that won should certainly reward her with a substantial amount to show she appreciated being allowed to go first . No one will ever know if that ticket would have went to the other lady or not . Just my thought on it .
What a class act Ms. Crandell
People who cut in line don't give rewards. The good Samaritan gets nothing.
No good deed goes unnoticed
Eternity is a very long time
What you do today will effect your destiny in the everlasting Kingdom of God forever.
The good you do today will add to your eternal reward and the evil you do today will diminish it.
What you do for Christ will last and what you do for yourself will pass.
The treasure you lay up in Heaven is forever and the treasure you lay up on earth is but for a moment.
every deed and every act is either good or evil.
We will give an account for every deed, every act and every word before the Throne of God.
our lives are continuously being weighed in the balance.
No good deed goes unnoticed or inspiring word forgotten, both are recorded in the book of remembrance.
This reminds me of the Albany Seven where the guy cut in front of him when he was reaching for a candy bar.
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/lucky-albany-winners-319m-mega-millions-jackpot-claim-winnings-thanks-jerk-article-1.119176
https://www.lotterypost.com/news/229486
It's true she probably wouldn't have won. Quick Pick numbers aren't queued up waiting to be assigned.
Right, the woman was tending to her child and grandma took advantage of it so much so that the clerk brought it to her attention that the mom was ahead of her.
Well said. =]
It's amazing how so many people overlook this fact.
I suspect they know, but just don't want to admit it.
I knew all along she was a winner. I think this confirms it.
She definitely deserves 10%. Had I won all that loot, 10% would have easily gone her way-no question about it.
Not so fast Jammy, its also true that BECAUSE she cut in line her timing was RIGHT.
the results were opposite. With the Albany 7, someone cut in front of a guy and that guy who was cut in front of ended up buying the winning ticket.
In Florida, Mindy Crandell allowed Gloria Mackenzie to cut in front of her and Gloria Mackenzie won.
Is it better to let someone cut in front of you or for you to cut in front of someone else?
She wont give her a dime, but at 84 why not split it at the lottery office?
she cut in front. This will be the last time somebody cuts in front of me or it will be on like donkey kong!!!
Perhaps you should consider doing a little cutting of your own?
WB, I said this reminds me of the Albany Seven.
Check out the new video posted on the original news story - https://www.lotterypost.com/news/262064
very nice thanks for the video jay's Funny
Awesome video's.
I hope only good things come that lady's way.
She is not entitled to anything. Can you imagine the lawsuits this would generate as well for future winners? People claiming they were allegedly in line with the winner and let them cut ahead, or let them take a better parking space so they could get into the store sooner, etc. Random numbers are random.
Like I said, she will have an excuse for not giving her a dime. (my attorney said not to)
"Quick Pick numbers aren't queued up waiting to be assigned."
It's amazing how so many people overlook this fact.
I suspect they know, but just don't want to admit it.
And some need to hear it multiple times.
Funny, I didn't notice anyone overlook this fact Jammy. Do you ever feel like a lost soul Jammy?
Yea no kidding. And if I were her and decided to give the woman a little money, I would have her sign a confidentiality and non disclosure agreement saying she would have to return the money if she disclosed it publicly. If not, this lottery winner is going to make things more difficult for a lot of future lottery winners.
what if someone held the door open for her , then the other lady let her in front of here , then she wins the Lottery she made out like a bandit that day
MADDOG was right they smart
God bless ole people they can get full service anytime
Why do you always make the assumption that other people are less intelligent than you are Jammy?
The whole point of the story is that the timing CHANGED and she won because of it.
Better to be polite and poor than rich and famous, "Yeah,Right"
I have to agree with that. She has something money can't buy...!
This is not a question of intelligence. John Allen Paulos made this very clear in his book on Innumeracy in 1988.
If you and several others here "understood" how Quick Picks are generated, you would not persist in giving the "appearance" of a lack of intelligence by claiming the winner owes the other person anything. I think your biggest problem is that this huge jackpot was won with a Quick Pick, when you believe the winning set can be selected from a subset of 28 numbers.
I recently posted in another thread on RNGs. Look it up.
--Jimmy4164
After hearing this, I'm willing to bet everything I love that no one's ever gonna let anyone cut in front of them anymore to get a lotto ticket.
With the assumption that rng's at all terminals that seel PB are continuously outputting combinations,wouldn't it be safe to say that had the clerk hit the button to print a QP a macro-second later,wouldn't that she would not have won to begin with.?
I mean as far as RNG's's go,do number combinations hang in limbo in terminals till someone wants a qp or is the terminal perpetually cycling combinations?
Again you make false assumptions Jammy. People don't need to look up your information because even novice lottery players know that the QP numbers are NOT "queued up" and waiting in line for purchase. You are completely stupid in thinking that people are that stupid. Did you take stupid classes or something? I only ask because I actually feel sorry for you at this point in time. I have never met such a simpleton before.
I think its safe to say that most people realize that they perpetually cycle like a slot machine RNG does.
I let people cut anytime, regardless of the situation.
Pffft. Yeah right.
Call me cynical but I don't believe this little contrivance for a second.
24 hours later and this woman is in the news more than the actual winner. Why? She is milking this for her 15 minutes of fame and possibly hope that the real winner will feel bad enough to give her a cut. Either way, she's getting her little notoriety as being the person who did NOT win. Really?
She's been making the rounds to a whole lot of different stations. Getting a whole lot of media buzz. So puh-lease.
I am not a fan of media-whores. Move it along and continue on with on with your wife. You didn't win nor were you going to win.
I once had a person cut in front of me to buy five scratch-offs because he had just brought ten losers and was sure a winner were in the next five. It turn out there were fifteen losers in a row and I bought the next $50 winner. I didn't mind him cutting in front of me because I knew him from work and winning $50 make it even better.
I've even had superstitious players insist I go before them, which I don't mind since I make out play slips and get the same numbers regardless.
I agree. I smell a big rat with this woman and a bad future precedent for claims against future lottery winners. Something is not right with her.
i say roll the footage so we can get to the bottom of this real story
Some years ago, there was a huge JP and a lottery pool at particular workplace. The guy assigned to buy the tickets that day, went to a newstand to make the purchase. Someone cut in front of him in the line, and he didn't want to make a scene so he let the guy go ahead and purchase the tickets. Then he purchased his.
He was the one who won the JP and split millions with his coworkers.
Everyone laughed and said if the guy hadn't cut ahead of him, he wouldn't have been able to get the winning numbers.
Now, as far as I know, the numbers are continuously generated and not just sitting in a queue, so it wouldn't have mattered either way. He just happened to get the winning numbers.
But for those who believe the numbers are lined up in a queue, then the guy who cut in front of him lost out. So here you have a person who cut ahead and lost, and another person who cut ahead and won. You just can never tell.
True....BUT if I was the winner.....what's a million or two...to say thanks-we would never know if the other woman would have won...I would draw up a contract though that she couldn't say anything to the media
I have ALWAYS been the good samaritan type myself AND I' am also aware that there was a chance the numbers wouldn't have been the same had she not allowed the woman to cut in line, HOWEVER, I can't help but feel I after reading this story if I'd ever feel the same way again when it comes to purchasing lottery tickets.....No more cuttin in line ahead of ME..As Si Robertson would probably say, "You better jump back JACK!" hehee
I can only hope the woman would reward her. I know I certainly would but like Ronnie mentioned in an earlier response, if she's the type that would cut in line,( if that's what really happened)..then there's a chance she might be the type that wouldn't even reward her.
I'm sure if she doesn't do something for her, she can expect to get a lot of backlashing, but I would hope she would do it for the right reasons.
Now l know why my Jackpot didn't roll over to one billion dollars because of these two clowns at publixs hope they don't mess with my next Billion dollars .lol
Did you read thewhole story, or just thumb through the comments?
This is what the lady at the lottery counter said to Mrs McKenzie:
"The lady at the counter stopped Mackenzie to allow Crandell to reclaim her spot in line. Crandell declined the offer and told Mackenzie "go ahead. " It was a move that could have potentially cost the Crandells the $590.5 million Powerball ticket. Mackenzie purchased one Quick Pick ticket and left the store."
What from this story does not sound right to you?