All of us dream about what we would do if we won that big lottery jackpot. The 10 winning scenarios below do prove that money can’t solve all of life’s problems, and in fact can instead create new problems that result in devastating consequences. Its hard to imagine, but winning the lottery was possibly the worst thing that has happened to some people. Its all a matter of perspective. Sometimes instant wealth can lead to personality changes, unwise spending and really bad decisions that end up claiming back our fortunes and taking from us what we consider to be most precious in life. Read on to see how 10 lucky winners weren’t so lucky after claiming their fortunes.
From $16 Million Jackpot to Food Stamps….
In 1988, Bud Post was the lucky winner of a lottery jackpot that totaled more than $16 million. 12 months later he was more than $1 million in debt, being sued by his girlfriend, and having a hit taken out on him by his brother who hoped to inherit a portion of the fortune. When interviewed, Post stated that he wished he had never won the lottery and that it was “totally a nightmare”.
Single Mom Goes From Millionaire to Working Class
A single mom of 6 won a $10 million jackpot payout in 2004 when she won the Ontario Lottery. Before claiming her winnings, she was on welfare and other assisted living benefits. Due to unwise spending on big homes, extravagant cars and lavish vacations and parties, less than a decade later she works part time, lives in a rented house and rides the bus. The one wise move this single mom made was to set up trusts for her 6 children which they can access when they turn 26.
Two Time Lottery Winner Lives in Trailer Park
Between 1985 and 1986, Evelyn Adams won the lottery twice for a total of $5.4 million in winnings. Sadly she also became a high roller in Atlantic City and subsequently lost all of her winnings gambling. She now resides in a trailer park. It seems that winning the lottery gave her a taste for the risks and thrills of gambling, leaving her penniless and without anything to show for her luck.
Angry Spouse Kills Wife After Learning How She Spent Lottery Winnings
An Ontario resident won the Lotto 649 drawing in 1991, claiming a cool $5 million prize. Her husband, a gynecologist learned that his wife gave nearly half of her winnings to a child that she had secretly had with another man and decided to make her pay the ultimate price. He proceeded to poison her with painkillers. He was found guilty of murder and had to ask his wife’s family to pay for her funeral.
Life Changing Win Drives Preacher to Suicide
A struggling Pentecostal preacher who also worked part time at Home Depot as a stock boy received the answer to his prayers when he won a $31 million lottery jackpot. He did what most winners do and bought real estate and some new cars. Unfortunately, he was unable to say no when people asked for handouts and ended up divorced. He was consumed by despair and eventually committed suicide.
Kind Hearted Lottery Winner Files for Bankruptcy
Not many lottery winners are known for blowing their fortunes on charity, but one US winner did just that. Originally from South Korea, Janite Lee made a living making wigs. In 1993 she won an $18 million lottery jackpot that was completely gone in less than a decade. The culprit – excessive donations! There was a little lite gambling and some credit card debt involved, but the bulk of her fortune was depleted through donations to the Washington University law school and the Democratic Party. In 2001 Lee filed for bankruptcy.
Garbage Man Wins Lottery 5 Years Later Asks for Old Job Back
Winning $15 million in the UK national lottery should have improved anyone’s life, including Michael Carroll. A garbage man at the time, Carroll had an appetite for life in the fast lane that included wild parties, prostitutes, drugs and extravagant cars. Sadly, this appetite for a lavish, thrill seeking lifestyle left him empty handed just five years later, and he’s trying to get his job back as a garbage man.
Winning Lottery Ticket Costs Couple $5 Million
For Martyn and Kay Tott, were ecstatic that they had purchased a winning lottery ticket that yielded a $5 million jackpot. Sadly, the couple lost the winning ticket and could not claim their prize. They did successfully convince officials that they had purchased the winning ticket, however, it was after the 30 day time limit for reporting lost tickets. Their jackpot became the largest unclaimed amount since 1994 when the UK lottery began.
Perfect Marriage Destroyed By Lottery Winnings
Lara and Roger Griffiths had the perfect marriage before winning a $2.76 million lottery jackpot in 2005. They hardly ever argued, and were very happy. After winning the lottery, instead of making their dreams come true, it instead, ruined their marriage. Six years after claiming their winnings, Lara accused her husband of being interested in another woman, resulting in the end of their 14 year marriage. Shortly thereafter a house fire claimed every penny of their fortune, leaving them without anything to show for their jackpot win.
Winning the Lottery was the Beginning of Man’s Bad Luck
A WV building contractor claimed his final prize of $114 million dollars after winning a multi-state Powerball drawing. A series of bad luck began as he was robbed two different times when he stashed money in his car, and was then sued by Caesar’s Atlantic City after a check he wrote there for $1.5 million bounced. Within four years his entire $114 million fortune was gone.
Should you be fortunate enough to hit a big jackpot from buying a lottery ticket online from one of our recommendations, please make sure we aren’t writing a story about you in 5 years.
