BISHOP, Texas — The odds that Joan Ginther would hit four Texas Lottery jackpots for a combined nearly $21 million are astronomical. Mathematicians say the chances are as slim as 1 in 18 septillion — that’s 18 and 24 zeros.
Just as unlikely? Getting to know one of the luckiest women in the world. “She wants her privacy,” friend Cris Carmona said.
On a $50 scratch-off ticket bought in this farming community, Ginther won $10 million last month in her biggest windfall yet. But it was the fourth winning ticket in Texas for the 63-year- old former college math professor since 1993, when Ginther split an $11 million jackpot and became the most famous native in Bishop history.
But she’s a celebrity who few in this town of 3,300 people can say much about.
Ginther, who now lives in Las Vegas, has never spoken publicly about her lotto winnings.
From townsfolk accounts, she has been generous with her winnings. They say she bought the church a van and gave money to the family that runs the Days Inn off the highway. When she moved, she donated her home to charity.
