And as the jackpot keeps growing, our dreams try to keep up with it. Participants of various lotteries very often fantasize that by winning they will finally be able to travel the world, be able to buy an apartment or even a house of their dreams, or at least pay off a loan ... For us, people living in the material world of consumers, a sudden increase in the amount of cash means a dream come true and seems to be the only way to find happiness.
Is sudden wealth really all we want from life? Rather not, because for an ordinary person, any big money brings much more problems than many people think. Have you thought about where you will invest the millions that have fallen on you? Whom do you trust? And will you trust people who know that you have a huge pile of money? What will you say to people who will ask for help? Even if you decide to give money to those in need, you cannot help everyone. Also, you will definitely run into legal difficulties, and this is simply inevitable.
Today we will talk about people who know firsthand what unexpected wealth is like. These are the lucky ones who win big and then, instead of watching their dreams come true, they watch their lives fall apart right in front of their eyes. And some might be a lot richer if they never won the lottery at all. And some of them might still be alive if they never bought that “lucky” ticket.
But unfortunately it's too late now...
10. Thomas and Denise Rossi.
Thomas and Denise Rossi have been married for 25 years and if you asked Thomas he would say they were a pretty happy couple. In fact, he was stunned when his wife presented him with divorce papers. Denise said she had been unhappy with their relationship for some time now because her husband was broke. But the fact that she'd won the lottery a few days earlier was undoubtedly the most important thing.
Of course, the court didn't know about the win, and neither did her ex-husband. The only problem was California laws that required the disclosure of all assets during divorce hearings. A fit of greed led to Denise's utter failure. The court discovered her deceit and awarded the entire winnings to her ex-husband. If she had been honest from the start, she would have only lost half of her jackpot. But in the end, she was left with nothing.
Of course, it's not as bad as some of the things that have come down on other winners. And it was partly none of her doing, as she didn't know the law controlled such things, but nonetheless, this situation would upset any lottery winner.
9. Andrew Jack Whittaker
When you're already a millionaire, why would you want to play the lottery at all? Probably for the same reason everyone else does it - to win. But for one particular millionaire, Andrew Jack Whittaker, the extra $315 million seems to have done more harm than good.
After hitting the huge jackpot, Whittaker's life slowly went downhill. Legal difficulties immediately arose, as almost always happens with money, and in addition, his personal demons interfered in the situation. Andrew began to drink and hang around strip clubs, which inexorably carried his life into a black hole of despair. One night, when he went by car to a strip club, he lost everything. Yes, you got it right - he didn't just lose his car radio or some change from the glove compartment, he lost half a million dollars, which he said was in a car parked outside the club. The robbers must have been overjoyed because when they found the cards, they realized that the dessert was on them and robbed his bank account.
But not only did he lose all the money he won, a black streak began in his life. In 2004, his granddaughter died of a drug overdose, and his daughter died five years later. After her death, he seemed to blame that "lucky" ticket for all the misfortunes of his life. Sobbing in front of the reporters, he said, "I'm sorry I didn't rip that ticket."
8. Janet Lee.
If you are an average person, then at least one item on your list entitled "If I win the lottery and..." will be related to charity. Some may even say that they will donate most of their winnings to charity. Janet Lee, at 60 years old, belonged to the latter group. She spent most of her winnings on $620,000 annual payments. By joining a philanthropic club, she signed her own sentence. One would think that fate would reward her for her kindness, but fate can also punish you if you don't know how to manage your money.
Joining this philanthropic hobby group, one day, Lee decided to leave. But in order to get out, she was obliged to deposit a large sum at a time. And ultimately, out of her kindness, Li was forced to file for bankruptcy, just 10 years after winning $18 million.
In 2001, she had only 700 bucks in her account. If this were the end of the story... Li ended up owing 2.5 million and was in a worse position than if she hadn't won the lottery at all.
7 Callie Rogers
Many do not know, but in America you cannot play the lottery if you are under 18 years old. And if you've ever wondered why that's not good, consider the case of teen Callie Rogers. Rogers won $3m (£1.875m) in July 2003 when she was just 16 years old.
That kind of money carries a lot of responsibility, more than many of us can imagine. But poor Callie ended up realizing what wealth can do to a person - and especially to friends. Rogers has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars pampering her loved ones, buying them expensive gifts like cars and houses, and taking them on exotic trips. Of course, Rogers indulged her own desires as well, spending money on breast implants and designer clothes - things a 16-year-old girl is likely to splurge on if she has a lot of money in her hands.
But at 22, young Rogers faced bankruptcy. The life that every young girl dreams of has failed. Lack of money turned out to be such a terrible thing that, according to relatives, the girl attempted suicide twice and faced the problem of drug addiction. Now, left without money, she hopes to find happiness in poverty. She works three jobs and lives with her mother.
6. William Post III.
The story of William Post III at first seems like a fairy tale. Post grew up in an orphanage, and before becoming rich, he survived on welfare. Before the big win, he had less than $3 in his account.
Sadly for Post, after winning $16.2 million, he ended up in even more trouble.
He insisted in interviews that he was happier when he was poor. And when you look at him months after winning, you can easily see why. He not only became a victim of his own addictions, but also a black streak in life, which began immediately after receiving the first part of the winnings.
In the first three months alone, he spent half a million dollars, which was just the amount of his first annual payment. But this is a trifle. Post's own brother hired an assassin to kill him and his wife. Other relatives played an important role, constantly persuading Post to invest in terrible business ventures.
It all ended with bankruptcy filing and jail time for threatening a debt collection agent with a weapon. It is unlikely that any of us would like such an ending to the story.
5. Ibi Roncayoli.
The people on this list have lost money, homes, and even families, but few have ended up dying as a result of lottery winnings. The story of Ibi Roncayoli is just an example of this. And the worst thing is that she was driven to death by her own husband.
Dr. Joseph Roncaioli was accused of poisoning his wife after winning the lottery. He claims that he was just trying to take her blood for analysis, but experts found multiple needle marks on her body, and a large amount of painkiller was found in her body.
But after the death of his wife, Joseph was in for a terrible disappointment. When he looked into the family safe where he and his wife kept money, he did not find even a dollar. His wife secretly signed bank documents, giving all the winnings to a friend and distributing large sums of money to her three children, only two of whom her husband knew.
4. Billy Bob Harrell Jr.
Do you know the expression "You can't buy happiness"? Of course, most of us scoff at her. But if there is a story that proves the old adage true, this is it. Billy Bob Harrell Jr did what most of you would have done when he won $31 million in 1997. With that kind of money, he decided to bring the world to its knees.
Before winning, Harrell and his family were at the poverty line, and he moved from one low-paying job to another. And when he received his first payout, he did what many of us would have done in his place - he quit his job and took his family on vacation to Hawaii, donated tens of thousands of dollars, bought several houses, cars for his loved ones, and even donated 500 turkeys to the poor. So far nothing out of the ordinary?
But with large sums of money comes greed, in this case it was the greed of others who began to annoy Billy. Harrell had to repeatedly change his phone number because strangers constantly asked him for donations. On top of that, he made a deal with a company that pays lottery winners a lump sum in exchange for their annual payment - not as smart as it sounds.
But as if that wasn't enough, his personal life began to crumble. His wife, Barbara Jean, left him a year after he won. He told his financial advisor: "Winning the lottery was the worst thing that ever happened to me." It's hard to believe, isn't it? But it was exactly like that. Harrell was found dead in his home about 20 months after winning. Cause of death? Self-inflicted gunshot wound.
3. Uruj Khan.
This story is like a crime novel. Uruj Khan, came from India and settled in Chicago. He was almost completely disillusioned with gambling, but one day he spontaneously bought a lottery ticket, which brought him $ 1 million.
Khan was so happy that he gave the seller a $100 tip, saying that he would have given him more, but that was all he had at the time. Khan made the decision to take his winnings in a lump sum payment that turned into half a million after taxes.
On the day of receiving the prize, Khan dined with his wife, daughter from his first marriage and father-in-law. His wife cooked a delicious holiday lamb curry, and later that night, before he could cash the check, Khan fell ill and died in the hospital. At first, natural causes were given as the cause of his death, but when his brother demanded an autopsy, it was speculated that Khan had died of cyanide poisoning.
Evidence of the involvement of relatives in the death of Khan was never found, and therefore his wife and daughter shared the winnings.
2. Abraham Shakespeare.
This winning lottery ticket could not have been sold to a more suitable guy. Abraham Shakespeare was a diligent American worker and bought a winning lottery ticket completely spontaneously. And what is his name and surname worth ...
Shakespeare also had trouble handling huge amounts of money, but unlike some of the people on this list who simply spent their winnings on extravagant luxuries, Shakespeare helped people whenever he could. In fact, he gave away most of the money before his life began to change... change for the worse.
People followed him, they knocked on his door and asked to stay, and Abraham often allowed this.
And it so happened that kindness killed him. Shortly after winning the lottery, he was supported by Dee Dee Moore. Dee Dee offered to help keep his cash, but the woman stole it instead. First, when Shakespeare went missing, she told everyone that he ran away from all those who constantly ask him for money. Dee Dee sent text messages from his phone to let friends and family know he was doing well. But it was these messages that let her down, because, according to family members, Shakespeare was illiterate.
Investigators found Shakespeare's body under a concrete slab in a house that belonged to a friend of Moore's. But Moore did not want to give up without a fight and tried to blame Shakespeare's murder on drug dealers and even her own 14-year-old son.
On December 10, 2012, Dee Dee Moore was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole. What about winning? There was nothing left of him. When Abraham died, his children had no money for Christmas gifts and shoes.
1. Jeffrey Dampier.
Winning $20 million could be the start of a wonderful new chapter in anyone's life. Jeffrey Dampier's winnings helped him start his own business, and allowed him to buy any gifts for his friends and family members. Including for the daughter-in-law, Victoria ...
Dampier had to think twice, since Victoria herself was not so benevolent and supportive of him. Victoria and her friend, Nathaniel, decided to rob Dampier, perhaps the gifts he bought her were no longer enough. During the robbery, they tied Geoffrey's hands and feet, and after that, a simple robbery took a terrible turn.
Nathaniel turned to Victoria and said, "Shoot him or I'll shoot you." Determined to save her own skin, Victoria killed Dampier with a headshot.
And it's all about money.
And now we want to ask you a question again: “Is it true that a lot of money is what you dream of?”
The material was prepared by GusenaLapchataya - website
P.S. My name is Alexander. This is my personal, independent project. I am very glad if you liked the article. Want to help the site? Just look below for an ad for what you've recently been looking for.
Copyright site © - This news belongs to the site, and are the intellectual property of the blog, protected by copyright law and cannot be used anywhere without an active link to the source. Read more - "About Authorship"
Are you looking for this? Perhaps this is what you could not find for so long?
Many people dream of winning the lottery, but only a few lucky ones succeed. What is interesting is that having hit a million-dollar jackpot, these people often go crazy and start spending money right and left, ending up with a broken trough. Here are 15 stories about lottery winners who were too dumb to be millionaires.
15. Lisa Arcand
If the average person is asked what he would do with a million dollar win, he would most likely answer that he would buy an expensive house and a cool car, and also, perhaps, he would 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 had somewhere to put this furniture; assigned her son to an expensive private school; part of the money spent on expensive resorts. The only problem is that after taxes, from a million dollars, there was an amount that is impossible to live on for a lifetime, especially if you spent most of the money without leaving the cash register. Realizing this, the woman spent the rest of the funds on the restaurant - in order to receive income. But the restaurant went bankrupt - and by 2007 Lisa Arkand became bankrupt. When asked what it is like to win the lottery, she replies that her experience was very deplorable.
14. Denise Rossi
It is believed that marriage is a sacred union between people who swore 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 to divorce her from her husband in 1996 after 25 years of marriage - immediately after she discovered that she had won $ 1.3 million in the lottery. She filed for divorce and insisted that all formalities be settled as quickly as possible so that she did not have to share the winnings with her ex-spouse. 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 grossly violated the law on the declaration of income, as a result of which all her winnings were awarded to her ex-husband.
13. Marva Wilson
From childhood, we live with the belief that our friends will support us in any situation and go through fire and water for us - and most often this happens, but sometimes people whom we considered friends meanly betray us. Marve Wilson also had to experience this bitter truth. In 2012, she won $2 million in the lottery, took the money and deposited it into 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 it. 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 dollars. As a result, Marva Wilson went bankrupt just two years after her win (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 on this money with his wife and children, he managed to ruin everything and lose his millions in just two years. After receiving the winnings, Hurt divorced, losing custody of the children in the process; 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 him 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 even nothing to tell here: 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, and there is no trace of the former millions. Callie sadly admits that she was too young to be smart with money, and even says that 16-year-olds should not be allowed to participate in lottery draws.
10. Suzanne Mullins
Most often, lottery winners decide to take all the winnings at once, but some choose a different path and ask to give them money in installments so as not to spend everything at once. This may be the smarter way, but even that doesn't save everyone - and the case of Suzanne Mullins is a great example. In 1993, this woman won $4.2 million and decided she would receive $50,000 in annual payments for 20 years. And she regularly received them, but she still did not have enough money. So Mullins applied for a loan from a company that lends money to lottery winners. In 2000, there was a change in Virginia law that allowed Mullins to take the remainder of the winnings in full; but what she forgot to do before she started spending this money was to pay off the debts of the company that lent her for 7 years. In the end, she was taken to court and forced to pay everything (and at the same time she still had a debt of $ 150,000).
This couple from the UK is pretty good! When they saw the winning numbers in the lottery on TV, they realized that 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 single penny. As it turned out, for some reason they did not immediately apply for a win, and when they finally decided to do it, 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 the 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
Everyone who plays the lottery knows that the chances of winning are very 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 the history of lotteries when the same person has won several times. Evelyn Adams was lucky enough to win the lottery twice, only a year apart - in 2005 and 2006 - and the total winnings amounted to about $ 5.4 million. But already in 2007, Evelyn lost all the 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 was only in the hands of the casino owners in Atlantic City).
7. Louis Eisenberg
Louis Eisenberg is another person who won the lottery and lost everything despite agreeing to receive the winnings in installments. One of the reasons for this was that he practically handed them out right and left. Eisenberg won $5 million in 1981 and decided 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 he was not averse to dropping into a casino. But besides that, he also gave money to anyone who, in his opinion, they were desperately in need. It was for this reason that nothing was left of his millions, and as a result, he had to live on social benefits. Nobody says you shouldn't help people in need, but that's no reason to give everything you have.
6. Gerald Muswagon
This Canadian native won $10 million in 1998 but managed to swipe it all. He bought cars and expensive gifts for friends and family, but spent the bulk of the money on an expensive house designed specifically for throwing extravagant parties. The dude loved to have fun. These parties drained his bank account very quickly, to the point that he had to find a minimum wage job just to support his family (he had six children, by the way). 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 in 2004 won $10.5 million in the lottery, and in 2008 she no longer had them. 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 family and paid for their trips to the Caribbean, Las Vegas, or wherever else they wished to go on vacation. It is not surprising that with such regular spending, very soon, zilch was left of her money. But she, at least, took care of the future of her children in advance by opening a secured closed trust fund for each of them.
Englishman Michael Carroll was so lucky that he won $14.4 million in the lottery just out of prison and on probation. Before luck hit him in 2002, the 19-year-old worked as a scavenger. 19 years old is still a teenager, and we remember that teenagers do not know how to take responsibility for money. Carroll managed to blow down his winnings with great speed and in a big way: he bought a house, arranged 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. Janit Lee
As we have already said, charity is not bad, you just need to know when to stop. But Janit Leigh, who won her $18 million in 1993, knew no limits. Neither in addiction to gambling (I spent at least 300 thousand a year on this hobby), nor in my generosity. Surprisingly, the fact is that 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 that, she also sponsored political campaigns - and this was an even more stupid waste of money than losing at the casino. In 2001, she was declared bankrupt.
2. Billy Bob Harrell Jr.
Billy was a Texas preacher and in 1997, his prayers seemed to have been answered: he won an incredible $31 million jackpot. Harrell bought a ranch, and then six more houses just in case, and some new cars, and made, of course, a significant donation to his church. But the main part of the money went to his "friends", who urgently needed money - and Harrell had such a feature that he could never refuse the needy. As a result, by 1999 he ran out of money, his wife left him. Instead, depression came - and the man committed suicide.
1. David Lee Edwards
David Lee Edwards rightfully ranks first on this list - he surpassed everyone in the speed and scale of his spending. Edwards, a former criminal, was one of four lucky winners of the $280 million jackpot in 2001. After paying taxes, he received 27 million in his hands, and after only 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), a wrist watch for 78 thousand, a private jet for 1.9 million and an optical fiber company for 4.5 million. This could have slowed down, but Edwards continued and thoughtlessly threw money for another four years. Sadly, he also spent them on drugs. As a result, everything that he bought in five years had to be sold in order to buy drugs and pay off his debts. By the time he died - and it happened in 2006 - he no longer had any money left.
Lottery winners are rare lucky ones, most of whom had a hard time in life. Many fortune lovers have actually been fighting for survival for a long time, and therefore the long-awaited win that will solve all their financial problems is incredible happiness and the ultimate dream. But lotteries have their own dark side. Many winners end up worse off than they were before they were rich, getting into debt, getting divorced, getting into dangerous adventures, and, worst of all, sometimes even dying because of the cherished check. As they say, the more money, the more problems. This compilation is an edifying example and a warning of how easy winning can lead to disastrous consequences.
25. Mary Holmes
Mother-of-4 Mary Holmes was working at Wal-Mart when "random" numbers on a lottery ticket won her $188 million. The incredible amount was the 5th biggest win in US Lottery history. Soon, the life of an American woman was destroyed by a series of wrong financial decisions and courts - her boyfriend had to be pulled out of prison every now and then, and only $ 21 million was officially spent on legal costs and bail. All this seriously affected the emotional state of the girl and almost completely emptied her pockets. And then Mary found out that the numbers on her ticket weren't random. The ticket was not hers at all. In fact, the mother of the woman won the lottery, but she secretly gave her daughter a winning ticket to help Mary in her difficult life.
24. Curtis Sharp
Photo: twitter
Curtis Sharp's finest hour came in 1982 when he won $5 million. The man lost all his money in just 5 years, spending about a million dollars a year on his family, cars, real estate and women. Today, Mr. Sharp is a clergyman in the church of Antioch, Tennessee (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 had already become a petty criminal by his young age and even wore a police bracelet on his leg (tracking system). The guy also managed to raise $14 million from several lottery wins, which raised suspicions of fraud among law enforcement agencies. Michael was nicknamed Lotto Lout (lottery boor or redneck) and became famous for buying himself an expensive mansion and other luxuries, terrorizing his neighbors, and throwing money around like garbage. Soon the unemployed youth went bankrupt and moved to live with his mother. Today, Michael is barely earning $300 a week (not much in the US) at a confectionery factory and admits that his past lifestyle would certainly bring him to his grave in the near future.
22 Billie Bob Harrell Jr.
Photo: Pixabay.com
In 1997, Billy Bob Harrell Jr. thought his torment was finally over. The man won 30 million dollars and was going to live happily ever after. He quit his job, took his family on vacation to Hawaii, bought houses for family and friends, donated a lot of money to his church and other charities. Unfortunately, Billy got the attention of the bad guys and made a bad deal with a lottery company giving out lump sums. From this cooperation, Mr. Harrell received less in the end than he invested. After his divorce from his wife, Billy went downhill and ended up shooting himself. Before he died, he told his financial adviser 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 giving a lot of money to charity, the man could not avoid problems. He was robbed several times, and in the end it completely devastated the bank account of the "lucky one". During this time, several members of the Whittaker family died, including his mother, granddaughter, and her boyfriend. 4 years after the win, the man was completely ruined and absolutely unhappy.
19. Steve Granger
Photo: Wikipedia Commons.com
Steve Granger won $900,000, but after taxes he only had $600,000 left. The man set aside most of it for retirement for himself and his wife, but because of the money, the couple was constantly harassed and bullied. At parties, people sarcastically said: "Here are the lottery players." Crowds of strangers offered Steve to invest his money in gold mining or other dubious business, and someone in the middle of the street constantly tried to at least touch Mr. Granger in order to recharge his luck on winning. The family was not given any rest. It remains to be hoped that over time this glory has passed, and the Grangers have been forgotten.
18. Roger and Laura Griffiths (Roger and Laura Griffiths)
Photo: twitter
After winning £1.8 million (approximately $2.3 million), Roger and Laura Griffiths got too caught up in wasting unexpected money. The Griffiths bought a new house and decided to pursue their dream of becoming business owners. But after Laura accused Roger of treason, the man left her, saying that they were ruined and even mired in big 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 (Victoria Jackson), with whom Jeffrey had an affair. In 2005, Victoria and her boyfriend tied up and robbed Dampier. But this was not enough - during the raid, Miss Jackson's boyfriend pointed a gun at her and said: "Kill him or I will kill you." Victoria had to kill Geoffrey with a shot in the back of the head...
16 Callie Rogers
Photo: Wikipedia Commons.com
At the tender age of 16, Caillie hit the big jackpot by winning £1,875,000 (approximately $2,847,000) in the lottery. At first, the girl said that she would not waste money right and left, and would simply buy a normal car and a new house. However, when emotions subsided, and prudence came to naught, Caillie spent a lot of money on cocaine and plastic surgery. Now she has hardly a few thousand pounds left, the girl is raising 3 children and studying to be a nurse.
15. Willie Hurt
Photo: Victor / flickr
In 1991, Willie Hart was a loving husband and father of 3 who won $3.1 million. But after an incredible luck in the lottery, his life completely spiraled out of control - the man got hooked on cocaine and killed a man. Hart's lawyer told the press that his client was penniless and was going through divorce proceedings.
14. Evelyn Adams
Photo: Chemical Heritage Foundation
Evelyn Adams was unspeakably lucky when in 1985 and in 1986 she won the lottery twice, earning a total of about 5.4 million dollars. But the woman did not know how to say “no” to her inner demons and other people, and therefore, in the end, she was completely ruined. After 20 years, an American woman lives in a trailer, having spent all the winning money on parties, alcohol and casinos.
13. Thomas and Denise Rossi (Thomas and Denise Rossi)
Photo: Pixabay.com
Denis Rossi won $ 1.3 million in the lottery, but she was in no hurry to share her joy with everyone, but rather kept the incident a secret. A few days later, she filed for divorce from her husband, with whom she had been married for 25 years. Later, the woman 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 eventually led to his arrest, and now Ronnie faces a life sentence.
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 just selflessly helped people. A woman named Doris "Dee Dee" Moore (Dorice "Dee Dee" Moore) invited him to write a book about how others are trying to cash in on the lucky, and Abraham agreed to a 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 fraudster, but she got ahead of him ... Dee Dee shot the angry "client" several times in the chest. As a result, Miss Moore was arrested and is now serving a life sentence.
9 Joseph and Ibi Roncaioli
Photo: Public Domain Pictures
Dr. Joseph Roncaioli and his wife Ibi were already doing well when they won $5 million in the lottery. Neighbors always considered them a happy elderly couple. However, the supposedly impeccable lifestyle of the old people changed when Joseph found out that Ibi gave 5 million to her secret son and spent all the rest, which they had saved together all their lives. Joseph was so broken that he killed his wife with a poisoned needle. The man claimed that he gave Ibi injections because of her poor health, but the accusers did not believe his lies, and Mr. Roncaioli received 7 years in prison.
8. Alex and Ronda Toth (Alex and Ronda Toth)
Photo: CafeCredit.com / flickr
Alex and Rhonda Toth struggled 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 even buy the cheapest car for $200, and they simply needed personal transportation. Once Alex wanted to buy a lottery ticket, and Rhonda believed that they could not afford such unreasonable waste. The man bought that ticket anyway, leaving only $24 in the family budget. The couple ended up winning $13 million, but the blessing of fabulous wealth somehow turned into a nightmarish curse. Children who abandoned them immediately appeared in their lives, greedy for the easy money of the once distressed parents. One of the relatives even tried to kill Alex and Rhonda. 10 years after winning, the Toths are back in the news for serious allegations of tax evasion. Together, Alex and Rhonda owed the state $2 million and could end up in jail for 24 years. The couple was broke and moved to live with their children. Before Alex was sentenced for tax fraud, he died due to his longstanding health problems at the age of 60.
7. Urooj Khan
Photo: R. de Salis
Yurui immigrated to the US from India in 1989 and opened his own dry cleaners in Chicago. A few years later, he bought a winning lottery ticket and could have received $1 million, but opted for a one-time payment that left only $424,000 of the six-figure amount after taxes. Alas, Yurui never saw his money, because he died a day after he was given a check for the coveted prize. A fierce struggle began for a sudden inheritance - the daughter and stepdaughter refused to share the money of the deceased among themselves and were even going to sue. The authorities believe that the man was poisoned with cyanide, but for 4 years the police have not planted anyone, and the investigation into this case is still considered open.
6 Janite Lee
Photo: flickr
In 1993, Janita Lee won $18 million and opted for a lump sum payment. The woman did something rather extraordinary with the money, distributing the bulk of it to charitable organizations. Ms. Lee also made large contributions to the US Democratic Party, and this allowed her to dine with Bill Clinton himself and Vice President Al Gore. Janita's name is listed in the reading room of the Washington University School of Law. However, in 8 years, the woman spent all her savings, and by 2001 she had only $ 700 in her bank account, and had a debt of 2.3 million behind her. Naturally, Janita had to declare herself bankrupt.
5. Jane Park
Photo: twitter
At the age of 17, Jane won £1 million ($1,303,600) and the first thing she did was buy herself a fashionable Louie Vuitton bag. The waste did not end there, and as a result, the girl brought herself to depression, lost the meaning of life and accused the representatives of the lottery company of ruining her life. However, the corporation claims that the payouts for the winnings were made on a long-term basis 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 stamps 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 had only just begun. After 3 months of unsuccessful investments and spending on expensive things, William not only squandered all the winnings, but also owed almost $500,000. But this is not the most unpleasant thing ... Mr. Post's brother hired a hitman to get rid of a suddenly enriched 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, a former prisoner from Kentucky, won $27 million in Powerball lottery prize money and decided he needed the help of financial advisors to get the incredible amount right. However, instead of taking the advice of experts, the man, along with his wife, spent all the money on luxury goods and drugs. Due to addiction to drugs, the couple contracted hepatitis, and 12 years later, at the age of 58, David died in a hospice. The man's financial adviser claims that if Mr. Edwards listened to him, he could earn $ 85,000 a month through smart investments.
1. Don Cruz
Photo: Wikipedia Commons.com
Don Cruz was the winner of the American television show HGTV Dream Home Sweepstakes, and was one of the few winners who tried to live in the prize house. The man became a prime example of why this was not worth doing. Mr. Cruise's family had to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxes and even put the ill-fated house up for auction in order to pay off all the debts in which the "lucky ones" were mired because of the prize mansion.
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 the reality is often not as fabulous as it seems. There are many risks associated with wealth, and it does not always bring happiness.
1. Money brings stress to relationships.
Financial issues between two people can be a real headache. Someone inevitably makes more money than the other, or has more savings or inheritance, which creates an imbalance. And that can make a person 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, it often destroys both marriages and lives.
2. Huge finances are hard to manage
For the lottery winner, the need to have a budget and long-term financial goals becomes a pressing issue. Many "lucky ones", by the way, quickly went bankrupt due to the lack of financial literacy and a reliable consultant. In the absence of 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's only natural that after a big win, their mindset changes. Nearly 70% of winners break down within seven years, becoming incredibly greedy. Close people you once loved turn into vampires, causing a lot of emotional pain to those around you.
4. Money is an incentive to "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 jail. Huge temptations are not a joke, but an ordeal.
5. Money can be dangerous
People who intend evil will stop at nothing to get what they want. Lottery winners should take extra care because news of big gains travels fast. The list of winners who were killed shortly after winning is endless. Are you ready to give up your usual life, hire yourself 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 first-class 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. Bottom line: The lucky ones need financial and advisory support to properly manage their wealth.
7. You can no longer trust anyone.
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 out of me?”
8. Winning is a motivation not to work
Many winners quit their jobs thinking they can now afford an idle life. This can be interesting at first, until outright boredom sets in. No more work incentives, career goals, bonuses for good work, long-awaited vacations. There are no more colleagues with whom you can celebrate your own victories and achievements. No support. There is no motivation.
9. People begin to treat you with envy and contempt.
In fact, the winners did nothing to earn this money, but simply fell victim to a lucky chance. Often they begin to feel embarrassed or guilty about their sudden wealth. According to some psychologists, the phenomenon of feeling restless and uncomfortable is called the “sudden state syndrome”. Money can 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 positively affect the level of happiness for some time, but do not even expect a permanent state of bliss. Lottery winners risk becoming more miserable than before winning. First of all, this is a change in lifestyle - and not always for the better. People commit suicide, get divorced, die and go crazy. Money is that shock for which they are usually not ready. What is cheaply obtained is easily lost.
Many people dream of winning the lottery, but only a few lucky ones succeed. What is interesting is that having hit a million-dollar jackpot, these people often go crazy and start spending money right and left, ending up with a broken trough. Here are 15 stories about lottery winners who were too dumb to be millionaires.
15. Lisa Arcand
If the average person is asked what he would do with a million dollar win, he would most likely answer that he would buy an expensive house and a cool car, and also, perhaps, he would 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 had somewhere to put this furniture; assigned her son to an expensive private school; part of the money spent on expensive resorts. The only problem is that after taxes, from a million dollars, there was an amount that is impossible to live on for a lifetime, especially if you spent most of the money without leaving the cash register. Realizing this, the woman spent the rest of the funds on the restaurant - in order to receive income. But the restaurant went bankrupt - and by 2007 Lisa Arkand became bankrupt. When asked what it is like to win the lottery, she replies that her experience was very deplorable.
14. Denise Rossi
It is believed that marriage is a sacred union between people who swore 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 to divorce her from her husband in 1996 after 25 years of marriage - immediately after she discovered that she had won $ 1.3 million in the lottery. She filed for divorce and insisted that all formalities be settled as quickly as possible so that she did not have to share the winnings with her ex-spouse. 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 grossly violated the law on the declaration of income, as a result of which all her winnings were awarded to her ex-husband.
13. Marva Wilson
From childhood, we live with the belief that our friends will support us in any situation and go through fire and water for us - and most often this happens, but sometimes people whom we considered friends meanly betray us. Marve Wilson also had to experience this bitter truth. In 2012, she won $2 million in the lottery, took the money and deposited it into 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 it. 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 dollars. As a result, Marva Wilson went bankrupt just two years after her win (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 on this money with his wife and children, he managed to ruin everything and lose his millions in just two years. After receiving the winnings, Hurt divorced, losing custody of the children in the process; 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 him 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 even nothing to tell here: 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, and there is no trace of the former millions. Callie sadly admits that she was too young to be smart with money, and even says that 16-year-olds should not be allowed to participate in lottery draws.
10. Suzanne Mullins
Most often, lottery winners decide to take all the winnings at once, but some choose a different path and ask to give them money in installments so as not to spend everything at once. This may be the smarter way, but even that doesn't save everyone - and the case of Suzanne Mullins is a great example. In 1993, this woman won $4.2 million and decided she would receive $50,000 in annual payments for 20 years. And she regularly received them, but she still did not have enough money. So Mullins applied for a loan from a company that lends money to lottery winners. In 2000, there was a change in Virginia law that allowed Mullins to take the remainder of the winnings in full; but what she forgot to do before she started spending this money was to pay off the debts of the company that lent her for 7 years. In the end, she was taken to court and forced to pay everything (and at the same time she still had a debt of $ 150,000).
9. Martin and Kay Tott
This couple from the UK is pretty good! When they saw the winning numbers in the lottery on TV, they realized that 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 single penny. As it turned out, for some reason they did not immediately apply for a win, and when they finally decided to do it, 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 the 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
Everyone who plays the lottery knows that the chances of winning are very 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 the history of lotteries when the same person has won several times. Evelyn Adams was lucky enough to win the lottery twice, only a year apart - in 2005 and 2006 - and the total winnings amounted to about $ 5.4 million. But already in 2007, Evelyn lost all the 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 was only in the hands of the casino owners in Atlantic City).
7. Louis Eisenberg
Louis Eisenberg is another person who won the lottery and lost everything despite agreeing to receive the winnings in installments. One of the reasons for this was that he practically handed them out right and left. Eisenberg won $5 million in 1981 and decided 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 he was not averse to dropping into a casino. But besides that, he also gave money to anyone who, in his opinion, they were desperately in need. It was for this reason that nothing was left of his millions, and as a result, he had to live on social benefits. Nobody says you shouldn't help people in need, but that's no reason to give everything you have.
6. Gerald Muswagon
This Canadian native won $10 million in 1998 but managed to swipe it all. He bought cars and expensive gifts for friends and family, but spent the bulk of the money on an expensive house designed specifically for throwing extravagant parties. The dude loved to have fun. These parties drained his bank account very quickly, to the point that he had to find a minimum wage job just to support his family (he had six children, by the way). 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 in 2004 won $10.5 million in the lottery, and in 2008 she no longer had them. 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 family and paid for their trips to the Caribbean, Las Vegas, or wherever else they wished to go on vacation. It is not surprising that with such regular spending, very soon, zilch was left of her money. But she, at least, took care of the future of her children in advance by opening a secured closed trust fund for each of them.
4. Michael Carroll
Englishman Michael Carroll was so lucky that he won $14.4 million in the lottery just out of prison and on probation. Before luck hit him in 2002, the 19-year-old worked as a scavenger. 19 years old is still a teenager, and we remember that teenagers do not know how to take responsibility for money. Carroll managed to blow down his winnings with great speed and in a big way: he bought a house, arranged 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. Janit Lee
As we have already said, charity is not bad, you just need to know when to stop. But Janit Leigh, who won her $18 million in 1993, knew no limits. Neither in addiction to gambling (I spent at least 300 thousand a year on this hobby), nor in my generosity. Surprisingly, the fact is that 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 that, she also sponsored political campaigns - and this was an even more stupid waste of money than losing at the casino. In 2001, she was declared bankrupt.
2. Billy Bob Harrell Jr.
Billy was a Texas preacher and in 1997, his prayers seemed to have been answered: he won an incredible $31 million jackpot. Harrell bought a ranch, and then six more houses just in case, and some new cars, and made, of course, a significant donation to his church. But the main part of the money went to his "friends", who urgently needed money - and Harrell had such a feature that he could never refuse the needy. As a result, by 1999 he ran out of money, his wife left him. Instead, depression came - and the man committed suicide.
1. David Lee Edwards
David Lee Edwards rightfully ranks first on this list - he surpassed everyone in the speed and scale of his spending. Edwards, a former criminal, was one of four lucky winners of the $280 million jackpot in 2001. After paying taxes, he received 27 million in his hands, and after only 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), a wrist watch for 78 thousand, a private jet for 1.9 million and an optical fiber company for 4.5 million. This could have slowed down, but Edwards continued and thoughtlessly threw money for another four years. Sadly, he also spent them on drugs. As a result, everything that he bought in five years had to be sold in order to buy drugs and pay off his debts. By the time he died - and it happened in 2006 - he no longer had any money left.
