Leaving your financial existence to luck doesn't sound like a good idea. But that's exactly what a mother of two from England did. And was successful.
Preston — Rebecca MacBain started a hobby while on maternity leave that changed her life forever. In 2016, the 37-year-old Brit registered for online competitions for the first time. After she wins something for the first time, she's hooked. But she doesn't have any problems because of it. On the contrary: she can now even partially finance her life with it.
Mother quits job for competitions: she made four-figure winnings
After her parental leave ended, McBain returned to work for a short time. But she quickly realized that it wasn't worth it. Because she had to spend around 800 pounds (around 935 euros) a month on childcare. So she decided to quit her job and instead focus on entering competitions full-time.
Now, eight years later, McBain spends about two hours a day registering for around 100 competitions while her children sleep. She takes a tactical approach: she finds the competitions in which she takes part via Facebook groups, newsletters and websites.
She also makes sure to find competitions with a small number of participants. Then the chance of winning is higher. “It's an absolute thrill, whether it's a big prize or a small one, it's always the same thrill.” Last year, a woman lost her job and shortly afterwards she won €109 million in the lottery.
Success with competitions: mother wins prizes worth 40,000 euros
And in fact, McBain always wins big prizes: cash, gift cards, vacations or even expensive items of clothing. In total, she is said to have won prizes worth more than 35,000 pounds (around 40,910 euros). The winnings have enabled the family to go on holiday to Poland, Italy and England, among other places: “The best prize I won was a trip to the Isle of Man. It was just beautiful and the company that organized the trip paid for everything - the food, the cabin on the ferry, all the activities for the children - it was a wonderful few days.”
Still, a hobby like McBain's should be approached with caution. Because even if the 37-year-old's case sounds like a success story and she doesn't spend any money on the competitions, gambling is addictive. This is also how companies get access to participants’ data. State-run online casinos were recently introduced in Bavaria. Experts express concerns about the offer.
(jus)