Lottery "Loser" Wins After All

As William Rudd knows, losing can have its perks.

This New Hampshire retiree has found the perfect use for losing lottery tickets: redeeming them for surprisingly valuable prizes. According to the Associated Press, Rudd is a dedicated participant in the state's "Replay" program, which allows players to enter their losing lottery ticket information online, to make them eligible for tons 'o prizes. Rudd has won 1,500 of those prizes, and counting.

The grandfather has already cashed in those old tickets for everything from amusement park passes to salon gift certificates to lots and lots of food. His yummy winnings include four bottles of maple syrup, 20 pizzas, 33 ice cream cones, 86 cinnamon buns, 92 steakhouse gift certificates, 161 chicken sandwiches and 484 cups of coffee to wash it all down.

But don't worry about him putting on the pounds from all that food; he's also won a fitness club membership.

Overall, Rudd has won about four times the number of prizes than the next closest participant during the program's first three years. However, he clarifies that he is not a gambling addict, and insists he only spends about $20 a week on lottery tickets. Instead, he's always on the lookout for losing tickets and has trained his friends and family to pass along their losers. In return, he'll throw a prize — or five — their way.

Even his young grandchildren have gotten in on the action. They search for tickets on the ground and hand them over to grandpa, who rewards them by taking them to sporting events like auto races and baseball and hockey games, typically on tickets he won, of course.

"My grandchildren love to go to those games," Rudd told the AP.

Time with your grandchildren? Definitely sounds like a win to us.

Photo courtesy of upn via stock.xchang.