Winning the lottery runs in the family

Published on 26/09/2012 01:55

Good fortune and having ­children just seem to go together for Norwegian mother Hege Jeanette Oksnes.

Each time the 29-year-old ­petrol station attendant from tiny Austevoll island off Norway’s west coast gives birth, someone in her family wins the national lottery.

“This is completely insane…we don’t even play the lottery that often,” Mrs Oksnes said yesterday, only days after the family collected 12.2 million krone (£1.31m) with their third lottery win in six years.

Mrs Oksnes, who serves hot dogs at the petrol station, gave birth to her first child in 2006 just one day after her father Leif won 4.2 million krone on the national lottery.

Three years later, Mrs Oksnes herself won, claiming 8.2 million krone one day before giving birth to her second child.

To complete the hat-trick, Mrs Oksnes’s 18-year-old brother Tord won the very same lottery this weekend, just months after she gave birth to her third child.

After three children though, it may be time to call it a day, she admitted. “My husband thinks we have enough money now,” she said.

Mrs Oksnes bought new cars with her winnings and did a bit of travelling, but has put most of the money in the bank, hoping to find the perfect place to construct a new house for the family.