Winning the lottery is truly a life changing experience. There are some lottery winners who had nothing from the start. Some were even homeless. Some were just simple factory workers.
Winning the jackpot prize helped them improve their family’s life. From nothing, they were able to buy mansions, yachts, luxury cars, and other toys only the rich could afford. Many of them invested on businesses and even donated a large sum of money to charities. With financial stability for the rest of their life, they were able to experience the life they only ever dreamed of.
This, however, may not be the case for everyone else. Each of us have our own choice of how to spend money as we see fit. Unfortunately, not all of us can make a good decision and might end up losing it all. There are other repercussions in winning the lottery that you may be unaware of.
In this article, based on the true accounts of lottery winners, you’ll be given a quick summary the things they’ve experienced after winning the lottery. It may not all be good experiences. But don’t forget…
IT IS YOUR DECISION how to spend your money as you see fit . No one could dictate your life for you. The best advice I can give is to make good choices in life and avoid bad decisions the following lottery winners had made.
Here are true accounts of four lottery winners who won the lottery and how their life had changed drastically for the better and for the worse.
2 Lottery Winners’ Stories Who Wish they Never Won the Lottery
1. David Lee Edwards
David Lee Edwards, an ex-con who won the $27 million jackpot in a 2001 US Powerball draw. He was from Westwood, Kentucky. Before winning the jackpot, all he had was his daughter. He was a high school dropout, divorced man, and unemployed.
With $27 million, you’d be able to live in comfort for the rest of your life. You could be living in a mansion with your whole family until old age. This is not the case for Edwards. At the age of 58, he died alone and penniless at a Kentucky hospice.
Unlike many stories of lottery winner’s success. His ended unfortunately. According to his daughter, Tiffany, Edward began spending his winnings recklessly. His drug addiction brought chaos to their family and within 5 years, he lost all his money.
Despite this, she felt relieved. In an interview, she admitted:
“I didn’t know we was broke until we was broke but when I knew it was done I felt so relieved that part of our lives was finally over…In the beginning it was good. I had a dad. That’s all I’d wanted. In the end I was devastated because I’d lost my dad and I knew it.”
2. Andrew Jackson “Jack” Whittaker
Andrew Jackson “Jack” Whittaker, a West Virginia man who won nearly $315 million Powerball Jackpot in 2002. Before winning the lottery, he was already the president of a successful contracting firm called Diversified Enterprises Construction. Upon winning the lottery, he donated millions to charities. He even created his own foundation named “Jack Whittaker Foundation” wherein he funded with $14 million.
He had a complete family and had done good deeds but eventually this all changed. One by one, bad event came up after the other. He was arrested and sued, his $545,000 was stolen when he visited a strip club, and a year later, another $200,000 was stolen.
Later on, his wife divorced him and his 17-year old granddaughter died of overdose.
In an interview, he stated, “I wish I’d torn that ticket up.”
These are not the cases for everyone. Never get discouraged in playing the lottery. Why?
You’re holding your own life’s steering wheel. No one else can make these decisions for you – unless you decide to hire advisers. You have to remember: these stories are not listed for you to be discouraged. These are listed for you to avoid the bad decisions they made.
One reason the Lottery exists is for everyone to have a shot at living the life they could only keep dreaming of. It is your time to experience that luxurious life. Don’t let your situation stop you from trying to live the life you’ve always wanted.
In order to balance out the scale, here are two lottery winners who made the right decisions. These are the winners who continued living their lives with financial security.
2 Lottery Winners’ Stories who Succeeded in Life
1. Nikki Otterburn
Nikki Otterburn is a 46-year old fitness instructor who won £2,216,029 from the National Lottery. She was one of the lottery winners who was able to live her dream upon winning the jackpot prize.
15 years ago, she was working as the manager in Virgin Active gym. She is already living her life in contentment. With no thinking that she will be able to once again live the life she truly wanted. Winning the lottery made this possible.
At first, it did register to her. “I thought at first ‘Oh good I’ve won a tenner’ but then as I got five numbers it started to get serious. My colleague asked me what I needed and I remember saying to him ‘I just need 42’ and then saw 42 come out of the chute. I didn’t really overreact as it didn’t really sink in.”
She also worked in the same gym for a year after the win. Unlike many lottery winners, Niki was humble about the big win. Eventually, she cut her hours down at the gym and started to pursue her dream.
She came from a family of farmers and that is how her love for horses began. She looked for a place wherein she could have a horse stable and an arena. Now, she continues to live her dream.
She also stated that there was no downside to her win.
2. Jane Cunningham
Jane Cunningham, was 54 years old and working as a PA for her then fiancé, Mark Cunningham, a TV stuntman. Prior to her win, she has been playing the lottery for the past 14 years. She never stopped believing that one day she’ll win the jackpot prize.
She did won.
In December 2008, she won £7,544,200. She and her then fiancé had seven children – Rachel, 29, Richard, 26, Naomi, 18, Leona, 17, and Jasmyn, 13; and Lisbon’s son, Jake. Shortly after her win, they married in York in front of family and friends.
She stopped working and also supported local charities.
Later on, they were able to buy three homes, pursue their passion for motor racing, and do lots of travelling.
To this day, they live their life with financial security.
Playing the lottery might have its downfall, but you have to remember that it is always your choice. Spend your money wisely and you’ll be able to live your dream. With persistence and knowledge, you could increase your chances of winning the lottery. Don’t break your bank! Be the next lottery winner – sign up to Lottometrix today and arm yourself with mathematical strategies that can help you take the jackpot home!