For Innocent Nshimiyimana, Saturday 15, November 2008, will always be a day to remember. A day that started off as any other brought with it different tidings when he won a million francs and an exotic cow, thanks to Lotto Rwanda.

An ardent Manchester United fan, twenty-seven year old Nshimiyimana could not hide his joy which surpassed that of his favourite team taking the champions league or premiership.

"I am not worried about paying rent any more,” he said triumphantly.

According to this lucky winner, he made several calls during a Lotto Rwanda radio show in his bid to enter the draw.And as a result of those calls, the lives of Nshimiyimana and his wife, who were renting a two roomed house in Kicukiro, is set to be transformed.

"I never in my wildest dreams thought that I would be the lucky winner, let alone own a house of my own. But now it has come to that and I now own a house in the same area of town,” an overjoyed Nshimiyimana said.

The young man narrates that it was not only luck but determination that led to him winning the one million Rwandan Francs.

"It all started when I switched on Radio Rwanda and heard that one would win big if they called during the Lotto Rwanda show and registered to enter a draw that is held every Saturday of the week,” Nshimiyimana recalls with a smile playing on his lips.

He added that he was so determined to win one of the grand prizes that he doubled his efforts and called so many times in order to increase his winning chances as each time one registers,this  improves one’s winning probability.

Engrossed in his busy schedule, Nshimiyimana didn’t discover that he was a winner until a day after the draw. The news found him while in his back breaking work at a construction site in Kimironko.

"I had been working since morning and needed a break. So as I was having a glass of milk at a nearby shop, I decided to check on my phone for any messages or missed calls,” he says.

Apparently, friends had been calling him after hearing the announcement on Radio but because he had not answered their calls, one decided to send a text message.

" ‘You are the first lucky winner of a million francs,’ the text message read. I put down the glass of milk I was about to drink and I looked, looked and looked again before shouting with joy and running home to tell my wife,” Nshimiyimana vividly recalls.

Before calling on family and friends for a celebratory drink down at the local pub, Nshimiyimana first called the presenters of the show to ascertain whether he truly was the winner.

Married with two kids, Nshimiyimana is a mason who had never thought of building his own house because many months go by without having any meaningful form of work.

"Whenever work ends on a particular site, we find it hard finding another job. But now things have really changed because I have an alternative,” he laughed.

However, Nshimiyimana is not the only lucky winner to walk away with a prize from this Lotto game show. Many Rwandans have given it a shot and some have won big.

Sixteen year old Ildephonse Twabayeho, won himself a deep-freezer. For someone who says that he had never considered winning money through betting, winning in his first attempt was a great surprise.

"I love listening to radio and mainly anything to do with sports and that is what led me to join and participate in the game show,” Twabayeho says.

He says that when he heard that one could win big prizes for calling and choosing their favourite local football stars, he went for it and selected Olivier Karekezi. And that was the lucky name. One of the qualities the winners share seems to be persistence and a belief in their chances of winning.

Twabayeho according to Lotto Rwanda statistics, made 4,239 calls.

"I can say that I invested a lot of money and time considering that I am a student and unemployed. I had to call many times to ensure that I win,” Twabayeho says.

The win transformed not only him but his family as well. Accordingly, his mother who happens to be a single parent now sells cold drinks and milk preserved by the freezer. She is saving some of the money for his school fees which he claims was a problem back then.

While it was the first time for Twabayeho, twenty-four year old Bedan Mfitumukiza from Gatsibo district is now a millionaire after winning Rwf 500,000 in two separate draws.

"I had to call 2,302 times for the first draw and I won Rwf 500,000 the first week after which I doubled my calls for the next show and managed to win another Rwf 500,000,” Mfitumukiza proudly says after receiving his cash at Serena Hotel on November 29th  a week after his first win.

Though he might never win this much again, Mfitumukiza says that he will continue trying his luck with Lotto Rwanda and plans to invest wisely what he has won so far.

"I have always wanted capital to start my own business but with no assets of my own, it was hard to access a loan. But Lotto Rwanda has changed that for me now and am sure to triple this amount in one year,” he says with a smile.

Lotto recently launched a National lottery that is not only going to make many Rwandans instant millionaires, but also employ a big number in different fields of operation.

Currently, over 300 ticket vendors have been employed by the National lottery in Kigali with prospects of employing even more. Emmanuel Tubayeho feels he was saved by the lottery after securing a job as a vendor in Kigali. He has miserably been without a job ever since he dropped out of school since 2006.

"We are paid according to the number of tickets sold so the more salesmanship that is in you, the more you are likely to earn,” Tubayeho said.

The downside so far, according to him is the difficulty in convincing people to buy tickets because people are still not very much exposed about the workings  of the lottery.

"Telling someone that when you pay Rwf300, they are likely to win Rwf30, 000,000 is not easily taken. They cannot believe that someone out there can let them walk away with that kind of  money,” he says.

He believes that on Saturday December 20th 2008, when someone hits the jackpot, many more people will join the lottery which will enable him sell more tickets and earn more money.

The odds of being a big lottery winner are high in a typical 6/36 lotto game, to be exact. However, many believe this should not discourage lotto fans from enjoying the game.

Ends