Ohio Lottery Director Dennis Berg with mascots from eight pro sports teams. Lottery plays a big part in sports worldwide. PHOTO: Ohio Media Group

Many lottery winners give back to the community. Some have gone further and invested in sports teams.

The Sporting Journal investigated and found three winners who invested money into their beloved sports teams:

Scottish Couple Who Won Euro Millions Jackpot Invest in Partick Thistle

Colin (left) and Christine Weir open Largs Thistle's new artificial pitch.

Colin and Christine Weir could not believe their luck upon winning a massive £161 million in the EuroMillions lottery back in 2011.

The couple, from Ayrshire Scotland, decided to invest some money in their local football club, Glasgow club Partick Thistle. Their donation of £750,000 allowed for a new youth academy to be opened for their beloved team.

Their good gestures didn’t stop there, as they also invested in their local team, Largs Thistle. This Thistle were a much smaller sized team, so when they received £750,000 to be invested in new training facilities and a new pitch, it marked a new era for the Ayrshire team.

Norwegian Lottery Winner Sponsors Team and Young Star in the Making

Yngvar Borgersen (right) is here pictured with senior communications Norwegian Tipping Roar Jødah, and Fredrik Semb Berge (inset). PHOTO: VG Sporten

When Yngvar Borgesen of Skien, Norway won €13.5million he decided he wanted to put his money to good use, investing it in improving his local community.

That meant that local football team Odds Ballklubb received a donation from Yngvar to help the club keep one of its players, a promising youth footballing star in the making.

Yngvar Borgesen takes his dog for a walk.

Fredrik Semb Berge had only recently made is full international debut for his country in a game against South Africa, and was drawing the attention of many larger clubs more domestically and internationally.  

The financial situation at Odds Ballklubb was less than stable, meaning they would likely have to sell the young footballer.

Thanks to the investment from Yngvar, he remained at the club, solidifying his place as one of the country’s best young players.

Winners of National Lottery Jackpot Invest in Local Sporting Projects

Gareth and Catherine Bull after their £40 million win.

Winning £40million in the UK’s national lottery draw allowed Gareth and Catherine Bull a life they never imagined.

Deciding to pack in their jobs, they were not sure what to do with their new found millions, so decided to do local volunteer work for the community they lived in.

Debdale Park Sports and Recreational Club is home to the area local youth team, where the couple’s two young sons play each weekend. With neither of the couple now working, they decided they could do a lot of volunteer work to help the local club out.