April Fools’ Day: Real Lottery Winners Who Thought It Was a Joke

Today is April Fools’ Day, known as the day of jokes and pranks. Can you imagine that today, of all days, you hit the Mega Millions jackpot, get a call to be told about it… and think it’s a prank?

It wouldn’t be that unusual. In fact, it has already happened to several people. We’ve gathered some real stories of lottery winners who, when they found out about their prize, believed for a few minutes that it was all just a joke.

When the prize arrives on the day of pranks

In 2024, Jennifer Czuchaj, from Virginia, USA, bought a lottery ticket and ended up winning $100,000, the top prize of the game.

The problem? It was April 1st. Seeing the amount, her first reaction was almost automatic: “This has to be an April Fools’ Day joke!” She checked the ticket once, twice, three times… until she finally realized it wasn’t a prank and that the prize was completely real.

An unexpected call from Australia

In 2023, a man from Revesby, New South Wales, Australia, received a call that promised to change his week… if he could resist hanging up first.

The voice on the other end told him he had won over $66,000 in the Lucky Lotteries draw. His immediate reaction: “Yeah… sure, this has to be a joke.” But after a few seconds of disbelief and a couple of confirmations with the lottery, he realized the prize was real.

“I thought it was a scam”: the case in Canada

In 2025, Dianne Hindle, from Manitoba, Canada, had a similar experience. She received a call announcing that she had won $1 million in the Lotto 6/49 draw.

Her first reaction was movie-worthy: “This has to be a phone scam… there’s no way I won a prize like this!” Only after verifying with the lottery did she understand there was no trick or double meaning: the million dollars was all hers. A perfect reminder that disbelief is often the first reaction to sudden good luck.

A call she almost didn’t answer

Also in 2025, Valerie Williams, 65, from Michigan, USA, nearly missed the prize of a lifetime because she was suspicious.

When the Michigan Lottery called to tell her she had won $1 million in a second-chance draw, she thought it was a phone scam and almost hung up. Luckily, she listened to the entire call… and discovered the lottery wasn’t joking. That day, her initial disbelief turned into a smile that surely lasted for hours.

April Fools’ Day is full of pranks and surprises that aren’t always what they seem… but if tonight you get a notification from TuLotero saying you hit the Mega Millions jackpot, don’t worry: you won’t be the victim of a joke.

With TuLotero, playing is easy, safe, and your possible reward won’t be a prank. So check your app today, luck might not be joking!