Many people aspire to win the lottery. Despite the slim odds, they gamble a small amount to potentially bag life-changing money that could provide generational wealth.
However, it’s not always a happy ending. For these unfortunate individuals, that winning ticket was more of a curse than a blessing. Some stories involved ugly divorces and vexatious lawsuits, while a few took a much more hideous and tragic turn.
These accounts are cautionary tales of the allure of an easy windfall of money and harsh reminders not to fall for it.
#1
In 1960, Australian Bazil Thorne won £100,000, a life-changing amount at the time. After the newspaper published his name and address, a former insurance salesman kidnapped his 8-year-old son, demanding a ransom. Tragically, the boy died while in captivity, likely due to suffocation or head trauma, and the kidnapper was later caught and imprisoned. The incident led to a change in laws, allowing lottery winners to remain anonymous, but it brought little comfort to the Thorne family.
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76points
#2
Jim Hayes won $19 million in the lottery in 1998, but his windfall was short-lived due to his reckless spending and addiction to h****n. He bought luxury condos, six Lamborghinis, and took extravagant trips, and also borrowed against his future payments, ultimately leading to financial ruin. By 2007, Hayes had filed for bankruptcy and lost access to his winnings, which were seized to pay off his debts. His financial downfall was followed by a dramatic turn to crime, as he robbed 11 banks over five months, leading to a 33-month prison sentence in 2017.
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55points
#3
Urooj Khan, a Chicago businessman, won $1 million in the lottery in 2012, but died just weeks later at the age of 46. Initially, his death was attributed to natural causes, but further investigation revealed that he had been poisoned with cyanide. Khan's family pushed for additional testing, which uncovered the cause of his death.
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54points
Looking at it from a surface level, it’s easy to envy lottery winners who just won millions of dollars for themselves. However, Florida lawyer Kurt Panouses dispelled that notion in a 2023 interview with USA Today.
Panouses, who advised more than 40 winners of big lotteries across the United States, revealed that some of his clients either spend all their money on bad investments or become targets of scammers and friends who harass them for goodwill money.
#4
Jeffrey Dampier, who won $20 million in the Illinois lottery in 1996, was murdered in 2005 at the age of 39. Dampier had invested in a popcorn business and given millions to friends and family, but his life was cut short by his sister-in-law, Victoria Jackson, and her boyfriend. Jackson, who had a secret affair with Dampier, stood to gain from his death and orchestrated the murder.
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45points
#5
Tonda Dickerson won $10 million after a customer gave her a lottery ticket as a tip while she was working at a Waffle House. Her win was followed by a series of troubles, including lawsuits from coworkers and the man who gave her the ticket, as well as a kidnapping attempt by her ex-husband, which she thwarted by shooting him. Dickerson also faced a lawsuit from the IRS, which she ultimately won. The string of troubles that followed her win earned her a reputation as one of the unluckiest lottery winners.
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43points
#6
Denise Rossi won $1.3 million in the lottery in 1996, but didn't disclose it to her husband before filing for divorce 11 days later. She hid the win to prevent her husband from getting the money, but was eventually sued by him and accused of violating disclosure laws. The court ordered her to pay her ex-husband $1.3 million in 20 annual installments, effectively giving up her entire winnings. Rossi's appeal was unsuccessful.
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42points
Another major problem lottery winners face is when the news breaks. According to Panouses, the people who run into these issues are those whose identities have been outed.
As a precautionary measure, he advises clients not to disclose their winnings, even to their close family members. Panouses says many people he worked with went on to live double lives and keep their affluence a secret.
#7
Martyn and Kay Tott won a $5 million jackpot in the UK lottery, but lost the ticket. Despite a seven-week investigation confirming their win, they missed the 30-day deadline to report the lost ticket. As a result, they forfeited their prize and were left with nothing, causing strain on their marriage.
42points
#8
Janite Lee, a South Korean immigrant, won $18 million in the Illinois lottery in 1993. However, her winnings were quickly depleted due to generous donations to various causes and poor financial management. Lee eventually sold her rights to future annual payments for a lump sum, but it wasn't enough to avoid bankruptcy, with $2.5 million in debt and less than $700 in the bank by 2001.
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42points
#9
Jack Whittaker won a record-breaking $314 million Powerball jackpot in 2002, but his life was subsequently marred by turmoil. He was known for his generous handouts, donating large sums to various individuals and organizations, but his life took a turn for the worse. Whittaker's wife left him, his house burned down, and he suffered personal tragedies, including the loss of a daughter to cancer and a granddaughter to addiction. He eventually came to believe that his winnings had brought him a curse, and he died in 2020 at the age of 72.
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39points
Many lottery winners also experience Sudden Wealth Syndrome (SWS). While it isn’t an official diagnosis, psychologists developed the term for their patients who experience an identity crisis after amassing sudden wealth.
According to Investopedia, people who experience episodes of SWS may isolate themselves from those they are close with because they feel guilty about their change in circumstances. They may also feel “extreme fear” of losing all their money.
#10
David Lee Edwards won a $27 million jackpot in Kentucky, but within 12 years, he had lost everything and died at the age of 58. Edwards and his wife spent lavishly on luxury items, including dozens of high-end cars, mansions, and a plane, blowing through $12 million in the first year alone. The couple's reckless spending was followed by a descent into drug addiction, and by 2006, they had lost their fortune. At the time of his death, Edwards was living in hospice care, alone and penniless.
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39points
#11
Sharon Tirabassi, a single mother on welfare, won over $10 million Canadian dollars in 2004, but her life was marked by a dramatic rise and fall. She indulged in a lavish lifestyle, buying a large house, fancy cars, and hosting extravagant parties, but within a decade, she had spent her entire fortune. Tirabassi was left with little more than the clothes on her back, forced to ride the bus and work part-time jobs to make ends meet. Fortunately, she had set aside some money in trusts for her children, providing them with a secure financial future.
37points
#12
Lara and Roger Griffiths, an English couple, won a £76 million lottery jackpot, enabling them to live a life of luxury. However, their happiness was short-lived, as a fire destroyed their uninsured home just five years later, leaving them with costly repairs. The stress and financial burden exposed underlying issues in their relationship, leading to accusations of infidelity and the breakdown of their 14-year marriage.
35points
Statistics show that 70 percent of lottery winners tend to go bankrupt in a few years. While some experts may debate these numbers, many who suddenly amass a large sum of money likely don’t know how to handle it, leading to a substantial financial loss.
“It’s kind of like taking a person off the manufacturing floor, putting them in the CEO spot, and telling them to run the company. They just don’t have the proper training to do it,” former financial expert Derek Sall explained in a 2023 interview.
#13
Jose Luis Betancourt won $5.5 million in the lottery, but his good fortune was short-lived. Upon attempting to collect his winnings, he was arrested by law enforcement, who had been waiting for him at the bank. It was discovered that Betancourt was a d**g d****r and had purchased the winning ticket with proceeds from his illicit activities, leading to the forfeiture of his winnings. His appeal was unsuccessful, and he lost his entire prize.
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35points
#14
Keith Gough, a 58-year-old former baker, won nearly $11 million in the British lottery in 2005, but his life quickly spiralled out of control. He spent lavishly on luxury items, including exotic cars and racehorses, and was swindled out of nearly $1 million by con artists. Gough's marriage also ended in divorce just two years after his win, and he eventually died alone and penniless five years later, succumbing to alcoholism.
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34points
#15
Gerald Muswagon, a Canadian, won a $10 million jackpot with a $2 lotto ticket in 2011, but his newfound wealth was fleeting. He spent his winnings on a lavish lifestyle, hosting nightly parties at his home, buying expensive cars, and showering friends and family with gifts. Muswagon's reckless spending and partying led to a string of legal issues, and by the time his fortune was depleted, he was struggling to make ends meet. He ended up doing manual labor on a farm to support his girlfriend and six children.
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33points
If you win the lottery by some stroke of luck, it would be easy to tell yourself not to repeat the mistakes of the people on this list. However, it is essential to take actionable steps, one of which is seeking professional advice.
According to Creighton University finance professor Robert R. Johnson, it would be wise to hire someone with a respected designation, such as a certified financial planner or chartered financial analyst.
#16
Vivian Nicholson's life was turned upside down when her husband Keith won £152,300 in Britain's football pools in 1961. Vivian famously declared that she was ready to "spend, spend, spend," and she did just that, indulging in a lavish lifestyle complete with sports cars and a new home. However, her extravagant spending ultimately led to financial ruin after Keith's death in 1965, when she was hit with a massive tax bill and declared bankruptcy. Vivian's struggles with depression and alcohol a***e worsened in the years that followed, and she died in 2011.
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33points
#17
Callie Rogers, a British teenager, won the equivalent of $2.3 million in the national lottery at just 16 years old. However, she squandered her fortune over the next decade on a lavish lifestyle, including d***s, plastic surgery, and extravagant spending on clothing and parties. By 2013, Rogers had depleted her winnings, leaving her with only around $2,500.
32points
#18
Swindlers, grifters and con artists see lottery winners as prey, a fact few people know better than Marva Wilson. The great-grandmother won $2 million in the Missouri lottery in 2008 and quickly became the target of a scammer named Freya Pearson.
Pearson smooth-talked her way into Wilson’s life — and bank accounts. Under the guise of helping her file a lien, handling her taxes and establishing a nonprofit in her name, Pearson stole and spent all of Wilson’s winnings. Pearson was eventually sentenced to five years in prison.
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32points
#19
Curtis Sharp's $5 million lottery win in 1982 was a dream come true, but his fortune was short-lived. He squandered his wealth on multiple failed marriages, casino visits, and reckless spending and giving, depleting his funds at an alarming rate. Sharp's story is a classic tale of rags to riches to rags, as he ultimately lost everything he had gained.
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31points
#20
Alex Toth, a Florida resident, won $13 million in the lottery in 1990, opting to receive his winnings in annual installments of $666,666. However, he quickly squandered his fortune on a lavish lifestyle, leading to a downward spiral that included a messy divorce, tax fraud charges from the IRS, and a stint in a mental institution. Toth's financial and personal troubles ultimately left him broke, and he died in 2008 at the age of 60.
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31points