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11 months ago
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A SWEET stroke of luck for a lotto winner has turned sour after authorities took away a chunk of his winnings.
Craig Hill from Brisbane was on cloud 9 when he won £48,000 in October, but had a big blow after learning he had to pay half of his earnings.
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TwitterThe disabled pensioner was set to receive a handout of £3000 every month in 2024.
However, social security service Centrelink has classified Craig as a professional gambler, and his monthly prize money is seen as an income, rather than a lottery prize.
Because of this, his welfare cheque has been cut by £400 a fortnight, along with his wife’s carer payment, setting back their monthly household income by more than £1500.
Over 12 months that adds up to a whopping £18,000.
The former prison English teacher told Yahoo News: “If I’d won a £48,000 lump sum or even a £480,000 lump sum, it’s an asset but if I get it paid monthly it’s income as gambling.
“It’s ridiculous that one lottery prize is assets and another lottery prize is income.”
Craig left his job at Townsville Correctional Centre in 2019 after an inmate situation triggered his PTSD.
He was then supplied a monthly pension by the Australian authorities.
But the Lotto win has turned his life upside down since he will be losing more money than what he will earn.
A desperate Craig turned to the Lotto authorities to help him avoid the Centrelink payment, but they rejected his plea.
“I asked The Lott if I could get a lump sum and they said only in exceptional circumstances and this is not an exceptional circumstance.
“They just say ‘It’s our rules and you’ve got to abide by them’.”
Craig was diagnosed with long-term, Schizophrenia 30 years ago, and he was looking to use his lotto winnings for better medical treatment.
He said: “I had hoped to use some of the money to get a psychiatrist so I could get medication reviews and transcranial magnetic stimulation.”
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