Parting Shot — 12/11/06

A funny thing happened to Coeur d’Alene resident William Hennings as he waited to take a bus home from the Coeur d’Alene Casino just before midnight Dec. 5. He plugged money into a nearby Powerball slot machine and won more than $746,000. “My family’s going to have a real nice Christmas,” Hennings said in a news release from the Casino. Hennings’ $746,948.68 jackpot is the second largest ever awarded in the Casino’s nearly 14-year history. In 2004, an anonymous Spokane man won slightly more than $1 million. A Montana native, Hennings is currently unemployed but worked previously at the smelter operation in Kellogg. Hennings said he’s already bought a new truck and a new house. He estimates he only spent $25 or $30 playing the game for about 20 minutes before he struck it rich. “I couldn’t sleep for the first 36 hours, but I’m sleeping real good now,” Hennings said — Meghann Cuniff /Spokesman-Review.

Question: Have you ever won a decent amount of money gambling?