Robert Bevan, of Boise, Idaho, has claimed hundreds of thousands of dollars in lottery prizes over three decades, but insists his greatest fortune is not financial. The 18-time lottery winner attributes his real success to his 40-year marriage.
Bevan first won in 1997, taking home a four-door Chevy Blazer in a promotion run by the Idaho Lottery. Since then, he has cashed checks of up to $200,000, with multiple wins of $20,000, $5,000 and $1,000. His most recent prize was $50,000 on the King Scratch Game, which sells around 515,000 tickets per edition and offers a top prize of $1 million.
Despite the mathematical improbability of his repeated wins, Bevan treats the lottery as a hobby he shares with his wife. “My real luck is 40 years with the same amazing woman,” he told the Idaho Lottery after his latest victory. The couple celebrates their 40th wedding anniversary this year and have made buying lottery tickets part of their daily routine while shopping for groceries or petrol.
Bevan’s success is exceptionally rare. In comparison, Romanian-Australian economist Stefan Mandel won the lottery 14 times using a mathematical formula, according to a 2019 report by The Hustle. Mandel’s first two wins were in communist Romania, where he earned just $88 a month, before moving to Australia and winning 12 more times.
The Idaho Lottery has been contacted for further details on Bevan’s multiple wins.
