A 26-year-old mom got a piece of this week’s jackpot—cashing in on a cool $188 million.
Marie Holmes is a Christian mother of four, one of whom has cerebral palsy, and is unemployed.
Holmes previously worked at both Wal-Mart and McDonalds, but says her winning sum is God’s way of providing for her.
“I’m ready for it. I’m ready to embrace the change. I’m very grateful for what’s about to happen for my family,” she tells My Fox 8. “First I’m going to pay my tithes because I wouldn’t have none of it if it wasn’t for God.”
The rest of the money, Holmes says, will be devoted to setting up college funds for her children.
“I don’t have to worry about the word ‘struggle’ no more, and neither do they,” she tells CNN. “I just want them to understand that money doesn’t change you, but it can help you, so they don’t have to worry about debt, none of that. They can go to college; they don’t have to worry about nothing. And I’m glad that I can do that for them.”
Holmes is one of three winners of the $564 million jackpot, according to PBS.
While the story seems heart-warming, New York Times columnist Joe Nocera writes that “lotteries may well be the single most insidious way that state governments raise money. “
PBS reports that while the Powerball jackpot has attracted millions across the country, ticket sales for smaller jackpots have dropped 35 percent since 2013. This forces some states to roll out more scratch-off games with smaller winnings in an effort to keep up revenue.
As for the winners, Nocera writes of their struggles in handling the money.
Financial adviser Don McNay tells Nocera that when winners suddenly come into that kind of wealth, “the money just overwhelms them. It just causes them to lose their sense of values.”
It’s wonderful that Holmes has this provision, but was it God’s blessing? Does God provide through gambling? Should Christians gamble?
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