In Great Britain married couple I was almost left without a gigantic amount of money won in the lottery. Tradition of buying lottery ticket every weekend became such a habit that the family even periodically forgot to check winning numbers. A responsible salesperson helped them.
In the UK, a married couple celebrates winning the jackpot in national lottery. They got more than 20 million pounds (one billion six hundred forty-three million nine hundred eighteen thousand rubles and zero kopecks). However, if not fluke and someone else's responsibility, they could be left without winning, writes Metro.
Donna, 48, and David Stickley, 58, from Berkshire, forgot to check the ticket they bought on May 12. As Donna said, buying lottery tickets had become a long-standing habit - they went for them every Friday before going to the pub.
As a result, when it turned out that the ticket was winning, the couple did not know about it. But during her next shopping trip, Donna was approached by a salesperson who asked her to call the national lottery company (Camelot) because the store could not give out prizes larger than £500.
David said that his wife called him at work, but could only breathe excitedly into the phone, so at first he even thought that something had happened.
She said the store told her to contact Camelot because we had won some money. She said: "I checked on the internet and I think we may have won £2 million, but maybe I'm wrong."
David told his wife to check everything thoroughly again, as he was sure that “things like this don’t happen to people like them.” After checking everything again, Donna sent her husband a screenshot, which clearly indicated that the couple had won, but not two million, but 21 million pounds.
“I didn’t know what to do, it was the middle of my work shift,” says David, “I told my wife to hide the ticket in a safe place for now and go shopping to take my mind off the thought of winning. And when I return from work, we will decide what to do next.
David and Donna said that they would use their winnings to help their parents, as they promised to take care of them. They want to celebrate their good fortune by “doing something they will never forget.”
If you think a British couple is fabulously lucky, you haven't heard the story of Canada's Dayne Bishop. In her life there was black line, there was no money, no health, but then she. It turns out that this happens.
David and Donna were lucky with a responsible seller, but another British player got an inattentive seller, which led to problems. He told the guy that he won a large sum, and when the “lucky one” told everyone about it and planned the purchases, .
Which normal person would refuse winning the lottery? Nowadays, lotteries that lure you with the opportunity to win a lot of good things are a dime a dozen, for every taste and color, choose any one. But can winning the lottery bring happiness? Can a big jackpot change a person's life? Yes, maybe, but in different ways...
- Winning the lottery can improve the lives of some people, while it will simply destroy others!
WINNING THE SAME IN THE LOTTERY…
There is an opinion that if you manage to hit a large jackpot in the lottery, then you can “live in chocolate” for the rest of your life. Unfortunately, things often turn out to be much more prosaic. Many lucky people who managed to win large sums, after a very short period of time, became again, or even beggars.
- The big money that suddenly fell on them, the lottery that temporarily made them happy, did not bring them true happiness, and the satisfaction from winning turned out to be short-lived and fleeting.
Why is this happening? Because people did not have any plans for the future regarding how to wisely manage these suddenly emerging opportunities. It is quite natural that they could not know in advance when they would win the lottery, and somehow plan the effective spending and correct investment of this money.
They lived ordinary life the average person. If at one fine moment they suddenly win the lottery, then naturally they rejoice at this, and then begin to think about what they can spend this wealth on. What luxury things to buy, apartments, cars, etc. Having bought all this and having spent the lion's share of the winnings on purchases, over time they begin to realize that servicing these expensive purchases costs a colossal amount of money. Servicing an elite car will require an order of magnitude larger sums of money than operating a cheaper model. What about a big apartment? A person will not live in an empty box; it is quite natural that it is necessary to furnish it, and properly.
As a result, according to investment guru Robert Kiyosaki, these people put the bulk of their winnings into liabilities, which will suck the rest of their winnings out of them. And then a sobering moment will come when it becomes clear that maintaining these expensive things has turned into an unbearable burden and a complete headache. For example, a certain Billy Bob Harrell once won over 30 million dollars in the lottery. And what did he do? He behaved as most average citizens would act, having no plans for the future and the slightest idea about investing personal finances. He bought prestigious cars, houses, beautiful clothes and decorations. After this, he suddenly had “many friends and relatives” that he had never heard of before.
- They all absolutely sincerely believed that he owed them something, since he was so lucky in life.
Billy was a very soft and pliable person. was not an empty phrase for him. It was inconvenient for him to live in luxury among poor relatives. He began to distribute the winning lottery money left and right, at the first request of his poor relatives and friends. The result was that he managed to give away literally everything. The money ran out, emptiness and depression set in. A little later, Billy sincerely admitted that winning the lottery turned out to be the most unlucky event in his life. Unable to bear the depression, he finally committed suicide...
Something similar happened to William Post, who won over $16 million in the lottery. How did he manage these funds? Did he invest it in something worthwhile? It seemed like that was the last thing he thought about. He started buying cool cars, houses, luxury items. But this was not enough for him; he even managed to buy a plane and a yacht, without thinking about how much their annual maintenance would cost. As a result, less than six months had passed before William became a completely insolvent bankrupt. As William admitted with bitterness, winning the lottery did not add a drop of happiness to him. He felt much happier until the moment he won. When he died, not a trace remained of all that big money. He died an absolutely poor man.
Why is their fate, and that of many others like them, so sad? Because they simply did not know what to do with the unexpected large sums money. They did not strive for anything serious in life, and wealth, as it came, went away. Naturally, most people think that this would never happen to them, because they are much wiser and certainly would have managed the lottery they won more intelligently.
- Don't indulge yourself with illusions. Such a sad end can be avoided under one condition...
WON LOTTERY TO HELP!
Now imagine a person working hard to, for example, develop his business. He studies, works many hours a day, is malnourished, lacks sleep, just to get his brainchild on its feet. He has a goal, a dream! His business is the meaning of life, for which he lives. He wants to be successful, independent... And then, suddenly, at one fine moment, he feels fabulous, and he wins a substantial amount in the lottery. Will this person be able to manage this money effectively? Undoubtedly! Yes, he will take his own business to a new level.
He will do everything possible to increase capital, so that thanks to this money and his business, as much as possible more people benefited from new quality products and services. These funds will help him realize his dream of becoming the owner of a successful business. And if a person lies on the couch for days, doesn’t think about anything and does nothing, lives at the level of an animal, satisfying only his primitive needs, and suddenly - bam, a big lottery win... And where should he invest this happiness that has fallen on his head? What to invest in and how to manage it wisely? He has no goals. Special plans for the future – even more so. What else could he spend this money on, if not on satisfying his primitive needs and full-scale indulgence of his base animal instincts?
How many poor people who won the lottery simply drank themselves to death? If a person worked a regular job, sometimes drank in the evenings and weekends, just like everyone else... “Everyone does it anyway”... Only his income allowed him to drink cheap swill; he could only greedily dream of expensive and elite “life-giving moisture”. And, suddenly, a big win! All these many years of unsatisfied desires for expensive alcohol result in the fact that he wants to try everything possible. Modern supermarkets are simply replete with alcoholic drinks for every taste. The trouble is that such people often become alcoholics without trying even half of all the strong drinks available for sale. The human body is not designed for such mass tastings of alcohol, even very expensive and high-quality ones.
Many losers who do not set any goals for themselves, having received a small salary, spend the lion's share of their income every month on buying a lottery ticket. And this continues from year to year. The harsh truth is that most people never win anything serious in life. Only a few win, but all the other sufferers rush and suffer for years, vainly hoping to win the long-awaited jackpot. The amounts of money that some dreamers spend on lottery tickets could be invested in self-education, in opening a small but own business. Such a business, which, perhaps, would bring in the future no less sums than winning the lottery, and the chances of creating successful business, much greater than naive hopes for the will of blind chance in the hope of getting rich.
- When creating your own business, the lion's share of its success depends on the person.
From his talents, abilities, hard work, knowledge, ingenuity... In the lottery, absolutely nothing depends on us. The very first lottery ticket can make any of us a millionaire. But! If a person lived 200 years, and periodically bought lottery tickets all his life, then there are very slim chances, that in 200 years he would have hit an impressive jackpot.
The smartest thing you can do is to live and work as if lotteries did not exist at all. Develop, improve yourself, set goals for the week, month, year, and so on. In other words, have a dream and go towards its realization - no matter what. And if you really can’t cope with the excitement, then occasionally you can afford to buy yourself a few lottery tickets, but perceive it as a game, and not take seriously the fact that you can suddenly get rich by hitting an impressive jackpot.
Many people dream of winning the lottery, but only a lucky few succeed. What’s interesting is that having hit the million-dollar jackpot, these people often go crazy and start spending money left and right, ending up broke. Here are 15 stories of lottery winners who were too dumb to become millionaires.
15. Lisa Arcand
If ordinary person If you ask him what he would do with winning a million dollars, he would most likely answer that he would buy an expensive house and a cool car, and perhaps also travel the world. This is exactly what this woman did when she won a million dollars in the lottery in 2004. She bought a whole bunch of new furniture and a huge house so that she would have somewhere to put this furniture; identified my son as a darling private school; I spent some of the money on expensive resorts. The only problem is that after taxes, a million dollars remains an amount on which it is impossible to live for the rest of your life, especially if you spent most of the money without leaving the cash register. Realizing this, the woman spent the rest of her funds on a restaurant in order to generate income. But the restaurant went bankrupt - and by 2007, Lisa Arcand became bankrupt. When asked what it was like to become a lottery winner, she says that her experience was very bad.
14. Denise Rossi
It is believed that marriage is a sacred union between people who have sworn love and fidelity to each other, and although the divorce rate is high, strong married couples exist and live together happily ever after. But sometimes seemingly happy couples suddenly divorce: this happened to Denise Rossi when she asked for a divorce from her husband after 25 years of marriage in 1996, just after discovering that she had won $1.3 million in the lottery. She filled out a petition for divorce and insisted that all formalities be settled as quickly as possible so that she would not have to share the winnings with her ex-husband. However, he found out about the winning ticket and sued the woman. The case was considered for several years - and in 1999 the court concluded that Rossi had grossly violated the law on income declaration, as a result of which all her winnings were awarded to her ex-husband.
13. Marva Wilson
Since childhood, we have lived with the belief that our friends will support us in any situation and will go through fire and water for us - and most often this happens, but sometimes people whom we considered friends meanly betray us. Marva Wilson also had to experience this bitter truth. In 2012, she won $2 million in the lottery, took the money and deposited it in a bank account. And then she gave unlimited access to this account to her “friend” Freya Pearson - who somehow managed to convince her to do this. Using someone else's bank account, Pearson did not deny herself anything - she paid for housing, went on vacation, bought cars and gambled. In total, she spent more than $640 thousand. As a result, Marva Wilson went broke just two years after her winnings (she herself, apparently, also spent a lot).
12. Willie Hurt
They say that money makes a person's life better, but sometimes the opposite is true - as in the case of Willie Hurt. In 1989, he won $3.1 million in the lottery, but instead of living happily with his wife and children on this money, he managed to ruin everything and lose his millions in just two years. After receiving the winnings, Hurt divorced, losing custody of his children; Moreover, he was arrested for attempted murder. The man spent most of his money on lawsuits related to his divorce and arrest, and the rest on drugs (it’s amazing how he survived, because he had a lot of money for drugs and, accordingly, drugs).
11. Callie Rogers
The average teenager wants to hang out and have fun, and it would be strange to expect them to be responsible with money. This was proven by 16-year-old Callie Rogers, who won £1,875,000 ($2.9 million) in 2003. There’s not even anything to tell: the girl spent part of the money on plastic surgery, and spent the rest on parties and drugs. Now she is married, she has children, but not a trace remains of her former millions. Callie sadly admits that she was too young to manage money wisely, and even says that 16-year-olds shouldn't be allowed to participate in lottery drawings.
10. Suzanne Mullins
Most often, lottery winners decide to take all their winnings at once, but some choose a different route and ask to be given the money in parts so as not to spend it all at once. This method may be smarter, but even it does not save everyone - and the case of Suzanne Mullins serves as an excellent example. In 1993, this woman won $4.2 million and decided that she would receive annual payments of $50,000 for 20 years. And she received them regularly, but she still didn’t have enough money. So Mullins applied for a loan from a company that lends money to lottery winners. In 2000, Virginia law changed to allow Mullins to take the rest of her winnings in full; but what she forgot to do before she started spending this money was to close the debts of the company that had been lending her money for 7 years. As a result, she was taken to court and forced to pay everything (while still owing $150,000).
9. Martin and Kay Tott
This couple from the UK really made a name for themselves! When they saw the winning lottery numbers on TV, they realized they had just hit the $5 million jackpot. But despite the fact that these people actually won millions, they managed to lose them without seeing a penny. As it turned out, for some reason they did not apply for their winnings immediately, and when they finally decided to do so, they could not find their lucky lottery ticket. And then they went to the lottery company to explain the situation. They were able to confirm that winning ticket was actually bought by them. But it turned out that they did not meet the 30-day deadline that is given to report the loss of tickets, and therefore they will not be able to receive the winnings.
8. Evelyn Adams
Anyone who plays the lottery knows that the chances of winning are slim: you are more likely to be struck by lightning than to win a million. But just as sometimes lightning strikes the same person twice, there have been cases in lottery history where the same person has become a winner several times. Evelyn Adams was lucky enough to win the lottery twice, with a difference of just a year - in 2005 and 2006 - and total amount the winnings amounted to about $5.4 million. But already in 2007, Evelyn lost all her money. She made several unsuccessful investments, spent too much money on gifts for relatives, but the main problem was that she was too fond of gambling (which only benefited the casino owners in Atlantic City).
7. Louis Eisenberg
Louis Eisenberg is another man who won the lottery and lost everything despite agreeing to receive his winnings in installments. One of the reasons for this was that he practically handed them out left and right. Eisenberg won $5 million in 1981 and decided that he would receive $120,000 every year for 20 years. Of course, he spent money on himself - he bought a house in Florida, went on vacation to Hawaii and Europe, and was not averse to visiting the casino. But besides this, he also gave money to everyone who, in his opinion, desperately needed it. It is for this reason that nothing was left of his millions and, as a result, he had to live on social benefits. Nobody says that you shouldn’t help people in need, but that’s not a reason to give everything you have.
6. Gerald Muswagon
This native of Canada won $10 million in 1998, but managed to screw it all up. He bought cars and expensive gifts for friends and family, but spent most of his money on an expensive house designed specifically to host extravagant parties. The dude loved to have fun. These parties very quickly drained his bank account, to the point where he had to look for work with minimum payment just to feed his family (by the way, he had six children). The loss of all this money led the man to severe depression and in 2005 he took his own life.
5. Sharon Tirabassi
Another resident of Canada is Sharon Tirabassi, who won $10.5 million in the lottery in 2004, but in 2008 she no longer had it. After winning, Tirabassi lived in a big way: she bought herself insanely expensive things - a house for half a million, cars for 200 thousand, and so on. She also sponsored friends and relatives for trips to the Caribbean, Las Vegas, or wherever else they wanted to go on vacation. It is not surprising that with such regular spending, very soon she was left with zilch of money. But at least she was proactive about her children's future by opening a secure closed-end trust fund for each of them.
4. Michael Carroll
Englishman Michael Carroll was so lucky that he won $14.4 million in the lottery, having just been released from prison and while on probation. probationary period. Before luck struck him in 2002, the 19-year-old worked as a garbage man. 19 years old is still a teenager, and we remember that teenagers do not know how to handle money responsibly. Carroll managed to spend his winnings with great speed and on a large scale: he bought a house, organized endless drinking parties in it, bought expensive jewelry and, of course, drugs... and a lot of money was spent on “dancers.” In general, he managed to spend everything in less than 10 years, and then went to work at the factory.
3. Janite Lee
As we have already said, charity is not bad, you just need to know when to stop. But Janite Lee, who won her $18 million in 1993, had no limits on anything. Neither in passion for gambling(she spent at least 300 thousand a year on this hobby), nor in her generosity. Surprisingly, it is true: most of her winnings went to charity. Over the course of eight years, Lee gave away millions of dollars to various charities, which was, of course, very generous and generous of her. But besides this, she also sponsored political campaigns- and this was an even more stupid waste of money than losing in a casino. In 2001, she was declared bankrupt.
2. Billy Bob Harrell - Jr.
Billy was a Texas preacher and in 1997, his prayers apparently were answered when he won an incredible $31 million jackpot. Harrell bought a ranch, and then six more houses for good measure, and several new cars, and, of course, made a significant donation to his church. But the bulk of the money went to his “friends” who urgently needed money - and Harrell had such a characteristic that he could never refuse someone in need. As a result, by 1999, his money ran out and his wife left him. Instead, depression came - and the man committed suicide.
1. David Lee Edwards
David Lee Edwards rightfully takes first place on this list - he surpassed everyone in the speed and scale of his spending. Edwards, a former criminal, was one of four lucky people to win a $280 million jackpot in 2001. After paying taxes, he received 27 million, and after just a year he managed to spend almost half of his winnings. During this year, a man bought a house for 600 thousand, a whole fleet of sports cars, a wild amount of antique medieval weapons (there were 200 swords alone), wrist watch for 78 thousand, a personal jet for 1.9 million and a fiber optic production company for 4.5 million. This could have been slowed down, but Edwards continued and mindlessly threw money around for another four years. It’s sad, but he also spent it on drugs. As a result, everything he bought over five years had to be sold off to buy drugs and pay off his debts. By the time he died - and this happened in 2006 - he no longer had any money left.
At first glance, the lottery is a very exciting idea. You have a chance to become rich by paying a minimum of money for a ticket. But reality is often not as fabulous as it seems. Wealth comes with many risks, and it does not always bring happiness.
1. Money brings stress to relationships.
Financial issues between two people can become a real headache. Someone inevitably makes money more money than the other, or has more savings or inheritance, creating an imbalance. And this can make someone with less money feel undervalued. Now imagine that one of two people won millions in the lottery. If they are not married, then the funds are usually divided in half. Sounds great, right? But in reality, this often destroys both marriages and lives.
2. Huge finances are difficult to manage
For a lottery winner, the need to have a budget and long-term financial goals becomes a pressing concern. Many “lucky” ones, by the way, quickly went bankrupt due to the lack of financial literacy and a reliable adviser. Without self-discipline, the likelihood of mismanagement and carelessness is very high.
3. Money breeds greed
Even if a lottery winner has never been greedy before, it is quite natural that after a big win his thinking changes. Almost 70% of winners “break down” within seven years, becoming incredibly greedy. The people you once loved turn into vampires, causing a lot of emotional pain to those around you.
4. Money is an incentive to do “bad things”
The more money you have, the higher the risk of getting into serious trouble. In 2002, American Michael Carroll won $15 million and spent it all on parties, cocaine, cars and prostitutes. He was later convicted of drug possession and went to prison. Huge temptations are not a joke, but an ordeal.
5. Money can be dangerous
People who are up to no good will stop at nothing to get what they want. Lottery winners must take extra care because news of big payouts travels quickly. The list of winners who have been killed shortly after winning is endless. Are you ready to give up your usual life, hire bodyguards and stop sleeping peacefully at night?
6. It's not as much money as you think.
Yes, it's a tax issue, and another reason why it's critical for lottery winners to have top-notch financial advisors. Of course, it all depends on the nuances of taxation in your country, but you are unlikely to be able to avoid payments. Conclusion: the “lucky ones” need financial and advisory support to properly manage their wealth.
7. You can't trust anyone anymore.
The winners also have problems with this. When everyone wants something from you, you feel uneasy and you begin to suspect everyone around you, even those closest to you. It's like being a celebrity. “Are they really nice to me, or are they just trying to get something from me?”
8. Winning is a motivation not to work
Many winners quit their jobs, thinking that now they can afford a life of leisure. It can be interesting at first, until outright boredom sets in. There are no more work incentives, career goals, bonuses for Good work, long-awaited vacation. There are no more colleagues with whom you can celebrate your own victories and achievements. No support. No motivation.
9. People start to treat you with envy and contempt.
In fact, the winners did nothing to earn this money, but were simply victims of a lucky chance. They often begin to feel embarrassed or guilty about their sudden wealth. According to some psychologists, the phenomenon of feeling uneasy and uncomfortable is called “sudden state syndrome.” Money may solve some material problems, but it will destroy emotional health and well-being.
10. Money can't buy happiness
Money can buy a lot of first-class things that will have a positive effect on your level of happiness for a while, but don’t even expect a permanent state of bliss. Lottery winners risk being more unhappy than they were before they won. First of all, this is a change in lifestyle - and not always in better side. People commit suicide, get divorced, die and go crazy. Money is a shock for which they are usually not prepared. What comes cheaply is easily lost.
Lottery winners are rare lucky ones, most of whom have had hard times in life. Many fortune lovers actually for a long time fought for survival, and therefore the long-awaited win that will solve all their financial problems is incredible happiness and the ultimate dream. But lotteries also have their own dark side. Many winners end up worse off than they were before they got their fabulous riches, getting stuck in debt, getting divorced, getting involved in dangerous adventures and, worst of all, sometimes even dying because of the coveted check. As they say, the more money, the more more problems. This collection is an edifying example and a warning about how an easy win can lead to catastrophic consequences.
25. Marie Holmes
Mother of four Mary Holmes was working at Wal-Mart when "random" numbers on a lottery ticket gave her a $188 million win. The incredible amount became the 5th largest win in US lottery history. Soon, the American woman's life was ruined by a series of wrong financial decisions and courts - her boyfriend had to be pulled out of prison every now and then, and $21 million was officially spent on legal costs and bail alone. All this had a hard impact on emotional state girl and almost completely emptied her pockets. And then Mary found out that the numbers on her ticket were not random. The ticket turned out to not be hers at all. In fact, the woman’s mother won the lottery, but she secretly gave her daughter a winning slip to help Mary in her difficult fate.
24. Curtis Sharp
Photo: twitter
Curtis Sharp's finest hour came in 1982, when he won $5 million. The man spent all his money in literally 5 years, spending about a million dollars a year on his family, cars, real estate and women. Today, Mr. Sharp is a minister in a church in Antioch, Tennessee, and the humble American advises other lottery winners to take a break, go somewhere for a while to clear their minds, and only then start spending their millions.
23. Michael Carrol
Photo: twitter
19-year-old Michael Carroll to his at a young age had already become a petty criminal and even wore a police bracelet on his ankle (tracking system). The guy also managed to collect $14 million from several lottery winnings, which raised suspicions among law enforcement agencies about fraud. Michael earned the nickname Lotto Lout (lottery lout or hillbilly) and became famous for buying himself an expensive mansion and other luxury items, terrorizing his neighbors, and throwing money around like trash. Soon the unemployed young man went broke and moved to live with his mother. Today, Michael barely earns $300 a week (not much in the US) at a candy factory and admits that past image life would certainly bring him to the grave in the near future.
22. Billy Bob Harrell Jr.
Photo: Pixabay.com
In 1997, Billy Bob Harrell Jr. thought his ordeal was finally over. The man won 30 million dollars and was going to live happily ever after. He quit his job, took his entire family on vacation to Hawaii, bought houses for family and friends, and donated a ton of money to his church and other charities. Unfortunately, Billy attracted attention bad people and made a bad deal with a lottery company that issues lump sums. From this collaboration, Mr. Harrell ended up getting less than he invested. After divorcing his wife, Billy went downhill and eventually shot himself. Before he died, he told his financial advisor that winning the lottery was the worst thing that had ever happened to him.
21. Tondra Lynn Dickerson
Photo: Pixabay.com
20. Andrew Jack Whittaker
Photo: Ross Catrow / flickr
Andrew Whittaker won an incredible amount - as much as 315 million dollars, despite the fact that at the time of his luck he already had 17 million of his own funds. Even after giving a lot of money to charity, the man could not avoid problems. He was robbed several times, and in the end it completely depleted the “lucky” guy’s bank account. During this time, several members of Whittaker's family died, including his mother, granddaughter and her boyfriend. 4 years after winning, the man was completely broke and absolutely miserable.
19. Steve Granger
Photo: Wikipedia Commons.com
Steve Granger won $900,000, but after taxes he only had $600,000 left. The man saved most of it for retirement for himself and his wife, but the couple was constantly persecuted and bullied because of the money. At parties, people would sarcastically say, “Here come the lottery people.” Crowds of strangers offered Steve to invest his money in gold mining or other dubious business, and someone in the middle of the street was constantly trying to at least touch Mr. Granger in order to get some luck from him to win. The family was not given any peace. One can only hope that over time this glory has passed and the Grangers are still forgotten.
18. Roger and Laura Griffiths
Photo: twitter
After winning £1.8 million (approximately $2.3 million), Roger and Laura Griffiths got too carried away with the windfall. The Griffiths bought a new home and decided to pursue their dream of becoming business owners. But after Laura accused Roger of cheating, the man left her, saying that they were broke and even mired in large debts.
17. Jeffrey Dampier
Photo: twitter
After an incredible $20 million lottery win, Jeffrey started his own business and founded a gourmet popcorn company. He also gave gifts to his relatives, including his sister-in-law Victoria Jackson, with whom Jeffrey had an affair. In 2005, Victoria and her boyfriend tied up and robbed Dampierre. But that wasn't enough - during the raid, Miss Jackson's boyfriend pointed a gun at her and said, "Kill him or I'll kill you." Victoria had to kill Geoffrey with a shot to the back of the head...
16. Callie Rogers
Photo: Wikipedia Commons.com
At the tender age of 16, Callie broke big jackpot, winning £1,875,000 (approximately $2,847,000) in the lottery. At first, the girl said that she would not waste money left and right, and would simply buy a normal car and a new house. However, when emotions subsided and prudence faded, Callie spent a lot of money on cocaine and plastic surgery. Now she has barely a few thousand pounds left, the girl is raising 3 children and is studying to become a nurse.
15. Willie Hurt
Photo: Victor / flickr
In 1991, Willie Hart was loving husband and father of 3 who won $3.1 million. But after incredible luck in the lottery, his life got completely out of control - the man got addicted to cocaine and killed a man. Mr Hart's lawyer told the press that his client was left penniless and going through divorce proceedings.
14. Evelyn Adams
Photo: Chemical Heritage Foundation
Evelyn Adams was incredibly lucky when she won the lottery twice in 1985 and 1986, earning a total of about $5.4 million. But the woman did not know how to say “no” to her inner demons and other people, and so in the end she was completely ruined. 20 years later, the American woman lives in a trailer, having spent all her winnings on parties, alcohol and casinos.
13. Thomas and Denise Rossi
Photo: Pixabay.com
Denis Rossi won $1.3 million in the lottery, but was in no hurry to share her joy with everyone, but rather kept what happened a secret. A few days later, she filed for divorce from her husband, with whom she had been married for 25 years. The woman later explained that she simply did not want to share her winnings with Thomas. However, the judge decided that Denis should give all 1.3 million to her husband because she hid the money and behaved like a malicious fraudster.
12. Willie Seeley
Photo: twitter
11. Ronnie Music Jr.
Photo: Andrew Malone / flickr
Ronnie hit the big jackpot by winning $3 million in the lottery. However, he failed to manage this amount wisely. The man invested in the methamphetamine trade, which ultimately led to his arrest, and now Ronnie faces life imprisonment.
In 2006, Abraham Shakespeare won $30 million, and since then the man has been surrounded by people who have done nothing but take advantage of his wealth. Abraham gave a lot of money to charity and simply selflessly helped people. A woman named Doris “Dee Dee” Moore suggested that he write a book about how others are trying to make money at the expense of the lucky one, and Abraham agreed to creative collaboration. As a result, Doris became Shakespeare's financial advisor and gained control of all his property and money. When Abraham realized what had happened, he threatened to kill the scammer, but she beat him to it... Dee Dee shot the angry “client” several times in the chest. Ms. Moore was eventually arrested and is now serving a life sentence.
9. Joseph and Ibi Roncaioli
Photo: Public Domain Pictures
Dr. Joseph Roncioli and his wife Ibi were already living well when they won $5 million in the lottery. The neighbors always considered them a happy elderly couple. However, the old men's supposedly impeccable lifestyle changed when Joseph learned that Ibi gave 5 million to her secret son and spent the rest, which they had saved together all their lives. Joseph was so devastated that he killed his wife with a poisoned needle. The man claimed he gave Ibi injections because of her poor health, but prosecutors did not believe his lies and Mr Roncioli received a seven-year prison sentence.
8. Alex and Ronda Toth
Photo: CafeCredit.com/flickr
Alex and Rhonda Toth were struggling to make ends meet when they won the lottery in 1990. Alex received disability benefits and Rhonda worked as a nurse. They could barely feed themselves and could not buy even the cheapest car for $200, and they simply needed personal transport. One day, Alex wanted to buy a lottery ticket, and Rhonda believed that they could not afford such unreasonable expenses. The man bought that ticket anyway, leaving only $24 in the family budget. In the end, the couple won $13 million, but the blessing of fabulous wealth somehow turned into a terrible curse. Children who abandoned them immediately appeared in their lives, greedy for the easy money of their once poor parents. One of the relatives even tried to kill Alex and Rhonda. Ten years after their win, the Toths were once again in the news due to serious allegations of tax evasion. Between them, Alex and Rhonda owed the state $2 million and could have gone to prison for 24 years. The couple was broke and moved to live with their children. Before Alex could be sentenced for tax fraud, he died due to his long-standing health problems at the age of 60.
7. Urooj Khan
Photo: R. de Salis
Yuruy immigrated to the United States from India in 1989 and opened his own dry cleaner in Chicago. A few years later, he bought a winning lottery ticket and could have received $1 million, but chose a lump sum payment, which left only $424,000 of the six-figure sum after taxes. Alas, Yuruy never saw his money, because he died a day after he was given a check for the coveted winnings. A fierce struggle began over the sudden inheritance - the daughter and stepdaughter refused to divide the deceased’s money among themselves and were even planning to sue. The authorities believe that the man was poisoned with cyanide, but for 4 years the police have not jailed anyone, and the investigation into this case is still considered open.
6. Janite Lee
Photo: flickr
In 1993, Janita Lee won $18 million and chose a lump sum payment. The woman did a rather extraordinary thing with the money, distributing the bulk to charitable organizations. Ms. Lee also made large contributions to the US Democratic Party, which allowed her to dine with Bill Clinton himself and Vice President Al Gore. Janita's name appears in reading room Washington University School of Law. However, within 8 years the woman had spent all her savings, and by 2001 she had only $700 in her bank account, and a debt of 2.3 million. Naturally, Janita had to declare bankruptcy.
5. Jane Park
Photo: twitter
At 17, Jane won £1 million ($1,303,600) and the first thing she did was buy herself a fancy Louis Vuitton bag. The waste did not end there, and as a result, the girl became depressed, lost the meaning of life and accused representatives of the lottery company of ruining her life. However, the corporation argues that payments on winnings were made over the long term so that Park could manage her money wisely, which means that she herself is to blame for the unreasonable waste.
4. Amanda Clayton
Photo: Pexels.com
Despite winning $737,000, Amanda Clayton continued to use food vouchers and free health insurance for the poor. When Miss Clayton was convicted of fraud, she was given a suspended sentence (9 months). In 2012, Amanda was found dead - the girl died from a drug overdose.
3. William Post
Photo: Pixabay.com
When William Post won $16 million, he thought his life would finally get better. But in fact, with the advent of money, his problems only began. After 3 months of unsuccessful investments and spending on expensive things, William not only squandered all his winnings, but also owed almost $500,000. But this is not the most unpleasant thing... Mr. Post's brother hired a killer to get rid of his suddenly rich relative and his sixth wife. But the attempt failed, and William's brother went to prison. Subsequently, Mr. Post admitted more than once that he was much happier before winning the jackpot, and in 2006 the American died of respiratory arrest at the age of 66.
2. David Lee Edwards
Photo: Pixabay.com
David Lee Edwards, an ex-con from Kentucky, won $27 million from prize fund Powerball lottery and decided that he needed the help of financial advisors to properly manage the incredible amount. However, instead of taking advantage of the advice of experts, the man and his wife spent all the money on luxury goods and drugs. Due to drug addiction, the couple contracted hepatitis, and 12 years later, at 58, David died in a hospice. The man's financial advisor claims that if Mr. Edwards had listened to him, he could have earned $85,000 a month through smart investments.
1. Don Cruz
Photo: Wikipedia Commons.com
Don Cruz won the American TV show HGTV Dream Home Sweepstakes, and was one of the few winners who tried to live in the prize house. The man became a shining example why it shouldn't have been done. Mr. Cruz's family had to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxes and eventually even put the ill-fated house up for auction to pay off all the debts in which the “lucky” ones were mired because of the prize mansion.
