October 7, 2005 - A homeless victim of the storm that ravaged New Orleans shelled out US$4.25 ($6.20) in quarters and won a US$1.6 million jackpot at a Louisiana casino.
Jacquelyn Sherman, who had worked at the East New Orleans Regional and Nora Navra branches before retiring about 10 years ago, stopped at the Evangeline Downs Racetrack and Casino in Opelousas with her sister Clarissa to try her luck at the casino games. She told me that if I needed her she would be at the Wheel of Fortune machine, Clarissa said in the October 6 Opelousas Daily World. I received a hysterical call from her telling me that she wanted me to meet her at the machine. When I arrived, she was surrounded by security guards. The first thing I asked her was, Did you break these peoples machine?
Sherman has been sleeping on her sister's floor in Opelousas, Louisiana, since the storm ravaged her house and killed hundreds of New Orleans residents in late August.
"I am a casino fanatic, it relaxes my nerves," said Jacquelyn Sherman. "I like winning but I never expected to win like this."
Shermans win was the single largest jackpot since the casino opened in 2003. She told reporters from KFLY-TV in Lafayette that her biggest concern was finding a new home and getting back to a normal lifestyle. |