Every week, millions of people buy lottery tickets in the hope that this week, finally, it will be their turn to win big. But is being a lottery millionaire all it’s made out to be? Not according to this sorry bunch...
Who wants to be a millionaire? Most people, surely (except billionaires of course). But sadly, winning a truck-load of money on the lottery, any lottery, comes with a heap of baggage.
Daydreams of a millionaire lifestyle seem to have a habit of turning sour faster than a sub-prime mortgage – isolation, paranoia, drugs, crime, poverty and prison await those who fail to adjust, as this top ten of ‘Lottery Losers’ shows:
1. Jack Whittaker won a record $314.9m Powerball jackpot in 2002.
But life since then has been a long list of arrests, lawsuits, broken relationships and even death. In 2007, his then wife, Jewell admitted she wished she had ‘torn up the ticket’.
2. William "Bud" Post won $16.2 million in the Pennsylvania lottery in 1988.
He later described the experience as a ‘nightmare’ and wishes it had never happened – who can blame him after he was sued by a former girlfriend eager to get her hands on the cash and his brother hired a hitman in the hope of inheriting the winnings. He invested in ill-fated family businesses and within a year was $1m in debt. Today he gets by on social security payments.
3. Luke Pittard from Wales won a ‘measly’ £1.3m on the National Lottery.
After the novelty had worn off and the obligatory lavish holiday, wedding and new home were done and dusted, he got bored and returned to work at MacDonalds.
4. An as-yet-unnamed Sicilian won £79m on the Italian lottery in 2008.
Before he or she could even collect the winnings consumer groups were demanding that the windfall be seized by the government. The winner has since gone into hiding, fearing the Mafia will come calling.
5. Janite Lee won $18 million in 1993.
Her generosity in giving money to a variety of political, educational and community causes was commendable – but just eight years later she filed for bankruptcy.
6. Mark Gardiner from London won £11m in 1995.
Thirteen miserable years later, he hasn’t lost his money, but he has lost all his friends - even the ones he treated to new £100,000 homes – and lost touch with his family.
7. Michael Carroll won a £9.7m National Lottery jackpot in 2002.
Since then he has appeared in court more than 30 times and been jailed for drug related offences. In 2008, he admitted that ‘just’ £500,000 of his windfall remained.
8. Willie Hurt won $3.1 million in 1989.
Two years later the money was gone and he was on a murder charge. Hurt spent his fortune on a divorce and crack cocaine.
9. Charles Riddle won $1 million in 1975.
The original lottery car crash, he quickly got divorced, faced several lawsuits and was eventually indicted for selling cocaine.
10. Ken Proxmire won $1 million in the Michigan lottery.
He moved to California, and invested in a car business with his brothers. Five years later, he was bankrupt and back working as a machinist.
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Responses (58)
Apparently, you only like to report the bad! I'll bet there are 20 happy endings to this lousy 10.
very true and not everyone goes public with their winnings and go on to do their things, a few bad people winning money (that's why it is random) but, they're other people out there many more than we can ever know winning and doing great things or carrying on with their lives in pure bliss, but, like life, money can't solve our pre-existing problems or the inner bad in a person whether they won the lottery or not if they were gonna take drugs they'd do it anyway except now they'll have money and the public highlight these bad endings! can we get some good news?...hmmm
)))))))))))))) 000000000000 Z XXXXX Ive been getting it wrong .... the system i mean .... to win big you need to eat loads of Pizza until you reach at least 25 stone ... like the lairds of large & now these fat slobs from surrey
what the hell are you talking about dumbass?
Read the title this is just the ones that went wrong most definitely there are more ones gone wrong and more that ended well.
Why is it that the ones who can't handle it get to win? Those who have money troubles after winning, often had them before. The lottery only magnifies the problems, not causes them.
I would love to win the lottery. My wife and I have talked how much fun it would be to then go into hiding, and do things for people when they would least expect it. Then leave before they found out where it came from.
What a blast and the stories one could tell.
Ive been getting it wrong .... the system i mean .... to win big you need to eat loads of Pizza until you reach at least 25 stone ... like the lairds of large & now these fat slobs from surrey
What the hell are you talking about Dumbass?
I would like to see what I would REALLY do with it. Although were pretty well and trully Blessed in the ways that matter.
you show only ten of the hundreds whom have won ther are many more who are doing good with their winnings, these people were idiots to start with... the money just made them rich IDIOTS, enough said!!!!!
Unfortunately, money does not instantly invest one with the character qualities necessary to use it wisely. Words like integrity, honesty, self discipline, thrift, compassion, forgiveness, and service are not merely words. They are spritual principles that must be practiced as a way of life if one is to find any serenity and peace. This is true regardless of how much money one has. Indeed, If I don't learn and internalize these principles, money just becomes a huge headache.
money cannot buy you morals. My sister
did the same thing with her Disability ck. out of the woodwork came the slime. Now she is selling off her T.V and stuff to buy drugs.
Good story. You left off a big one though.
David Edwards of Kentucky, won 42 million gross, 27 million net, playing the Power Ball lottery.
He purchased a million dollar home in Florida, a private jet, a dozen exotic sports cars, a house full of jewelry and bundles and bundles of crack cocaine and other drugs.
In the end, the house was sold in foreclosure and he and his new wife ended up living in a storage unit. That is until they were kicked out of their also and all their belongings were sold off to pay the storage bill.
David is having major medical problems and he and his wife were in and out of court numerous times on drug charges.
He had stated in a news conference, to announce his win, that he was going to invest the majority amount of his winnings and live a simple life. Four short years after winning, he is virtually penniless but his wish of a simple life.
Be careful what you wish for.
You never hear about the winners every damn week! The good stories. You always hear about the same damn ones. Give me a shot at it. I am confident the marbles would roll straight. I bet you it wouldnt be hard to dig up a hundred good news stories rather than focusing on these poor bastards.
It is very simple. One can't cure stupid!
Stupid is as stupid does!!
I think that people have no idea how much a million dollars is.
It's like a million has no limit. It won't buy all of the things that a winner thinks.
I agree 1oo% that finding a financial advisor should be required of winners.
Money goes to people who waste it on drugs and silly things, it never comes to the people that do good, we foster and want to move to a village and into a bigger house, can't rent as the estate don't rent to foster carers and my partner can't buy a house there on his wages. But I will keep buying my tickets and hopefully some one up there will gave this child who is with us a break and let us move to the village where he goes to school and where all his friends are, but they don't choose who wins!
Where are the good stories? I bet they out weigh the bad ones
Now lets hear some success stories.
Thank you
A good percentage of the individuals that win lottery cash find out one thing: Having large amounts of cash only make you more of what you already are.
why? because monry can't buy u love or happen.
That only proves one thing,"You can't fight ignorance"
If a person has a plan, just in case something wonderful happens; like winning the lottery, they should, before spending a cent of it. sit down, go over their plan, and there is always plan B.
Act like a bank robber should, don't go around spending money you would never think about before. Don't buy anything BIG or different,than you would normally do. Once you have these things, you want MORE, and MORE, until finially there is no normalicy in your life. You are showing the world that you have acquired all this,
"STUFF" that they will never have, and that's all.
If you have Family, you know they will come running, even though they haven't phoned you in months. Give them a piece,
whatever you feel they are worthy of, put it in their name, so they pay the taxes on it.
Then after everyone has been taken care of
tell them; " Get Lost". Do something sweet for your Momma ,and start enjoying
the rest of your LIFE! GOD BLESS.
Dear Folks,
Try this: Give out 1 million dollar lottery winning as a maximum win to more people.
Teach elementary school children how to manage a dollar.
Remember the biblical tale of The Ten Talents--let's see who can prosper and not behave like a child with thier winnings!
Rowdy Boots
We can't base the facts of winning big on a group of losers like these. Not all of them are losers but you get the drift of what I am saying If you are heading on a down hill life and have no sence of value to start with money just speeds up the process. If you've spent your life boozing it up or drugging yourself you just do more of it with money. Don't get me wrong not everyone does this, it just is easier to go that way with money.For those who lose Friends after winning there is a parallel here with alcohol. Money and Alcohol don't make you a mean or self centered person they just have a way of bringing it out of some people. Some people with or without money are destined to a sad life.They hurt those around them until no one wants to be around them anymore.If people would treat those around them good and keep doing this as they spend their days here on earth then the riches that we are all wanting would already be here and not worrying about winning the lottery. Money can be good
l have stopped buying lottery tickets because l supect that a dispproptionate amount will be given to the Olympic Games at the expence of "good" causes, l now bet on the Irish lottery at my local betting shop(?2 per week and have won ?74 twice so far (two numbers) which is more than l ever got buying Nat. lottery tickets,
It is true that most people have no clue what it takes to have money like this. My dh and I play the lottery and our plan is x amount of millions put into CD's, x amount to each family member or friend, paying off all bills, remodeling our condo or buying a new house if we would win enough. We would also buy new cars, maybe take a nice vacation, but the bulk of the money would be rolled over into safe investments to live on. No idiotic schemes, no relatives with their hands out over and over, they would be given a one time gift and told this is all we can ever give you so use it well, period. We would also set up trusts where the people could only siphon so much off per month or whatever to save on tax debt. I think the best thing for people with their heads in the stars about winning is, DON'T PLAY! If you have your hopes set on winning, throw your money away at a casino instead.
i think it would be great to win a lottery i am so tired of living pay day to pay day on 7.15 an hour now i am unemployed and its not fun not to be able to pay bills or make sure i have food for my kids and with christmas almost here and no money to buy any gifts well you know i would be thrilled to have won a lottery! have a good day
Winning the lottery is the opportunity of a lifetime. I have everything i want. Winning the lottery, would be the iceing on the cake. I'll take my chances with the lottery money. I'd like to see how many people i can make smile with that money.
This helps explain why liberalism is so dehumanizing. Showering people with money is never the answer. People treat money based on the effort needed to get it, and when no effort is spent at all (such as in lottery winnings, welfare payments and other similar social programs) people just don't respect it. When sweat is spent obtaining money, the respect is there. Throwing money at people like this is dehumanizing in that the recepiants find them selves in worse shape than before.
Creating growth oppertunities is the answer instead.
Maybe these people deserve the loss of this money. They are obviously to idiotic and foolish to handle the money. what they did with it was obviously wrong and thats why they lossed it.Let it be a lessoned learned. There is to much greed in this modern day though.
Have a well thought out written plan before you win and stick to it then maybe you will not have as many heart aches as these people.
It isn't the Lotto that caused this,
It is the people to whom the money came.
Just curious, how many people have won big money from the lotto and are not losers like these people?
This is just a miniscule number of people compared to the number of winners.
I have worked since I was 14 years o;d , I really do wish I was lucky enough to win a couple of cool millions, but I dont see that happening in the near future. If the nnewly made millionaires wish to give some away , please send it this way , I will see if I can handle it.!
their are many more out there that have
won and lived a very nice life. Sorry folks,
but you are the ones that "nessed up"
and in a big way. Did not have to be this
way.
Money is like life. I you waiste it it will be over soon. After winning the lotto, if you continue to live life the same way and use the money wisely, don't tell toom many people, you will live a better life and the money will last longer.
ALL OF THESE PEOPLE WHERE ALREADY LOSSERS TO BEGEN WITH. NOW YOU GIVE ME $ 1 MILLION AND SEE HOW HAPPY I GET. I DONT HAVE ANY FRIENDS. MY KIDS ARE MAD AT ME ALREADY. I WOULD BE ABLE TO KEEP DOING WHAT I AM DOING NOW BUT BE MORE HAPPY ABOUT IT.
HEY, I think the guy who got a great party, wedding, vacation
and a new house did fine.
So he decided he liked his old
job at McDonalds. What's wrong with that?
Money doesn't make sense. Sounds like they needed and lawer and CPA.
Ross, the idea that "if you can't be happy w/o it you can't be happy with it" are words that I have said to my children many times.
Dave, you left out a word in your quotation. Love. The LOVE of money is the root of all evil. You were on the right track.
if u have much money give out to those guys ,
i can not for the life of myself understand how people with so much money can not make it work for them or they can think of doing is buying drugs and giving the money to people who at any other time wouldnt give them to time of day or give them any help it they needed it what a load of twits i have naver known a bunch of such daff people in my life it is people like that that dont need to win the lotto as they dont deservie to have the money
Winning the lottery can be the turning point in ones life....obviously these people are...
"ONE FRUIT LOOP SHY OF A FULL BOWL"
Three words come to mind when winning the lottery....
INVEST INVEST INVEST
Best Wishes
"The Paisan from PSL"
Stupid Suckers .You deserve all the grief you got .
i have never won anything in my life things like the lottery dont come to people like me and my wife it goes to people who have lots of money in the first place that is why if i did ever win it ha ha ha very funny i would spend it very wisely i would help me friends real friends that is and put money in a bank for my son so he had a good start in life i would live where iam still living and i would tell noone so that by the time the year was up at least i would still have some left thats the way to do it but like i said it doesnt come to people like us only to people who dont need it but not to people who do
ya can't catch a fish if yer line's not in the water...i'll take my $1 chances...
Well it depends how people react.
If i won the lottery, M sure i wil never be in above list.The first thing i am gona do is to do some charity, there are alot more people who need it more than me.
so wil feed the poor, wil help the needy.
Ofcourse wil buy lil better house.Some fixd deposit for my sons university.Wil take my parents on a holiday.N wil invest some money in business to make a safer future.
M sure i wont end up being a looser.
lottery=money=power=ego=mistakes =financial loss=stress=anger=relation problems=sadness=lots more problems.to avoid all this just control your ego and thank god for every thing and dont tell anybody and if some one dont like you cos you not sorted them out they are not your friends or relatives and hanger around people who are rich as you
I would spend my time teaching people how to spell and use full stops.
Thank Goodness!!!
The truly worrisome aspect of a large windfall is the target that it puts on the winner. It's unfortunate that winners need to be identified. I'm sure that a lot of these problems could be avoided by winners having a choice of anonymity. Mandatory counseling should be given as well, followed or not. Imagine no one, not even your closest family members were told. That would be kind of neat, a secret millionaire. Then get your name changed and disappear because people are going to want to rip that money out of your cold dead hands. Move to a very wealthy neighborhood so that you blend in. Lavish spending will go unnoticed.
How about the winners use some common sense? It is said that 'a fool and his money are soon parted', and I believe it after reading this.
But seriously, I think that those winners were irresponsible people with or without the money. The money just made them seem worse because they were in the public spotlight. They would probably have ended up where they did with or without that money. Sad? Nope. Stupid? Well, they also say that 'you just can't fix stupid'! :)
You would think what could possibly go wrong when winning the lotto that you dream of most your life? These are only a few cases out of many happy winners. No one really knows unless being in the situation. Life changes can be overwhelming even when something is desired and received can be. Becareful what you wish. Money does not cure the person's issue with themselves. It goes to show that a person's inner problems can't be solved with money, even a million. I for one would think smart about the future and take care of helping a few in the family. Giving it all away to family and friends isn't wise. Of course I'd give to my brother in school right now. I'd pay for his schooling. I'd give him money to help start his life. Giving everything to people isn't always the best thing for them. I'd do things for myself, invest in the future. We can all say we would do better but honestly, the lotto sometimes goes to the wrong people. Thats life.
I agree with you Ms. I once knew 2 lotto winners, and they were careless and foolhardy before thwy won- and even more so after!
Winning any big amount of money does not make one smart....hire a 'lawyer' and a 'money-management' person/s when you come into this type of predicament!
M
Whilst we all like to think we're going to win the lottery, deep down most of us buy lottery tickets just so we can day dream about what we'd do if we did win. The feel-good factor you can get from the few pounds a week you spend on the lottery is worth it. To make sure you never miss out on having a lottery ticket, you should join free national lottery tickets and get tickets for all the Lotto and EuroMillions draws for nothing. What's good about that is, if you watch the draw and your numbers haven't come up, there's always the chance that your free ticket numbers have so until you check you can still daydream.
Plz let me win the lottery plz i will b a force of good 2 manckind abnd i will pay for baboon conservation in countries like aficrica
Pls some alien force or sympathetic force of nature MAKE me win a few million tonight! I would then be able to avoid the abominable people I am forced to work with, sleep in all I choose, go to every dream destination with my entire family, eat the most delicious fresh food, wear the loveliest clothes, shoes and perfume, reward the people who have shown me divine kindness in my life, uplift struggling communities and generally help out my fellow man. I have been dreaming this for the past twenty years of playing this impossible dream.
I was one of those who wasted my lottery win, drink and good food were my downfall, I know I was wasteful and if I ever win £10 again I will be more careful.
Just because Luke Pittard went back to work at Mc's it does not make him a loser it just shows that he does not want to sit on his backside. Give the guy some credit.
Lol, terryec!
these winners dont have a plan and proper preparation about money,you see I won 10 million and it is doubling cause I put it in the things that is worthy due to proper handling.
Ive been getting it wrong .... the system i mean .... to win big you need to eat loads of Pizza until you reach at least 25 stone ... like the lairds of large & now these fat slobs from surrey
Dear sir,
I'm Narayan Nath. I won a lottery on your site but I don't have get reply your message. Piease give me a message shortly & send my $3000 lottery?s price. My email :narayannath99@yahoo.com. Thanks to Cruise fiorida .
unless you shair you money it cant do you any good
Why can't i find a top-10 important things to do?
Number ONE should be : stay anonymous as long as possible; stay out of the media.
2 would be: move to a place where no one knows you.
Third on my list would be to NOT spend the money but invest well and (if you can) live off the interest or divident (2 million dollars @ 3% will get you enough to live a comfortable life).
And best of all, as i've learned from a few wealthy people: you want to stay wealthy, live stingy! Don't buy excessive things, but DO still cut out those discount coupons.
Those are just my thoughts... and yes there are 10 examples above that show you CAN get into trouble, but no mention of the 100s of thousands of other lottery winners around the globe that don't get into trouble...
hi my name is James am from UK i just want to share my experience and
testimony here..i love gambling as a way of life but i have never won
anything better all through my life but i was still borrowing money
from friends to play the game because i felt i can,t do without it not
until this bad morning when i lost all properties to my closest friend
that has lend me some few dollars and i failed to pay him back at the
agreed time ,so i was frustrated and has no place to stay but i was
still on the street searching for a solution,s to my problems until i
met an old friend which we do play together then he introduce me to
this prophet salifu and i contacted him for help and i was very
surprise after i have done what he ask me to do ,he send me some lucky
number,s and ask me to play them and when i did i won what i never
expected in my life that i will win such a big amouny of money , so
please people i want you all to thank this man for me , in case there
is any one out there having marriage , or bad luck problems should
contact this man today and i believe he can also help you out as well
Thank you for this info. My teacher is having us write a long paragraph for Eighth Grade semester benchmark. I would have thought a paper would have been more reasonable, but what does it matter. Our paper is about our opinion on whether or not we would want to be lottery winners. Since I have read your blog, I have decided that being the lottery winner would be cool, but not entirely worth it.
After four years, this thread came up again so I thought I'd have a look.
Wish I hadn't bothered.....
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if i win the jackpot i wont be wasting it and go bankrupt the following year like some of these assholes who don't know how to properly use the money/cash, i mean you don't need to take drugs to enjoy life or commit crime?, i would buy a house (say £1m) buy X6 BMW, help my family and the poor and leave money in the bank and just enjoy the interest in the bank, watch your money so you don't go bankrupt!!! pag ako nanalo sibak sila!!!! ang sarap yata ng may pera diba?
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