Evelyn Adams

Evelyn Adams of Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey, became the first person in New Jersey Lottery history to win two million-dollar jackpots. A clerk at a convenience store, she had increased her weekly play from $25 to $100 before winning $3.9 million in the Pick-6 game in October 1985 and a further $1.4 million in February 1986, a combined $5.4 million. The odds of the two wins were about 1 in 3.2 million and 1 in 5.2 million respectively; UPI reported the chance of the double at one in 15 trillion, and Adams told reporters, "I never expected to win twice. It comes as a complete shock." Both prizes were paid as mandatory 20-year annuities, worth about $218,000 a year after 20 percent tax withholding. She paid off bills, set up a college fund for her daughter, bought a car and gave money to family and friends, and bought and later sold a convenience store. She was a compulsive gambler and lost large sums at Atlantic City casinos and in unsuccessful business deals. By 2012, according to Forbes, she had spent all of the winnings and was living in a trailer.

As of 2012 (Forbes, cited by Wikipedia) Adams had spent everything and was living in a trailer; no more recent documented status was found as of September 2026.