We have all dreamed about winning the lottery and how we would spend the money, but very few people actually see that dream turn into a reality. Unfortunately, about a third of people who do win a lottery find themselves broke within just a few years. They become obsessed with the lifestyle and blow their winnings on exotic vehicles, shopping sprees, fancy homes, and lavish vacations. Before long, they find themselves in a worse situation than they were in before their winning moment. Here are ten lottery winners who lost it all.
Lisa Arcand
The very first thing Lisa Arcand did when she won the lottery was throw a $3,000 party for all her friends. The single mother won $1 million on the lottery, but the money would not last long. It took less than four years for Arcand to find herself behind on bills.
Arcand took her winnings and purchased a house with new furniture, splurged on a couple of trips, enrolled her son into a Catholic school, and opened her dream restaurant. She spent $50,000 from a savings account to help start the seafood restaurant, but business was slow at first. The business never picked up, and she had to close the restaurant when she could no longer afford the bills and found herself in debt.
Martyn & Kay Tott
A couple that regularly bought lottery tickets of the same number missed a weekly drawing, and it cost them big time. Martyn and Kay Tott purchased lottery tickets each week with the same numbers, six for his birthday, seven for her birthday, 11 for their engagement day, 23 and 32 for their ages when they met, and 44 for his grandmother’s house number. The Tott’s saw a news bulletin that someone in their area had won the lottery, but the winning ticket had been unclaimed. They immediately recognized that the winning numbers were theirs, but there was one big problem they could not find their ticket.
Martyn contacted the lottery company Camelot to try to prove that the numbers were theirs, but the company ultimately told them that they would not receive the winnings. Camera footage at the convenient store proved they bought the lottery ticket. He fought Camelot in court for years but was never successful. The situation consumed his life so much that his wife divorced him, he started drinking heavily, and he never received any money. He later found happiness with a new career and girlfriend and is trying to be grateful for what he has, but they never received any money from the lottery.
Lara & Roger Griffiths
Lara and Roger Griffiths were just an ordinary working-class couple residing in West Yorkshire when they hit a $2.4 million jackpot. The couple even quietly celebrated the win at home with a bottle of champagne and Indian take out. That simple celebration would be the last day of their ordinary lives though.
Within one week of winning the lottery, the Griffiths quit their jobs, purchased a convertible Audi, and stayed at a five star hotel during a trip to Dubai. They also upgraded to a nicer home, furnished the home with fancy furniture, enjoyed shopping sprees, and went on more lavish vacations. Their lives started spiraling out of control as Roger began drinking and Lara spent money on making herself look better. The prize money soon dwindled down to almost nothing, and the couple ended up filing for divorce.
Freddie Young
Freddie Young was a part of a group that played the lottery together, and they were actually lucky enough to see their numbers pop up as winners in February 2011. The group won a $46 million jackpot, and each person in the group received a $1.6 million cash payout. Due to Young’s actions, he was only able to enjoy that money for a few months.
In May 2011, Greg McNicol was murdered outside of an apartment building that he owned. McNicol and Young’s daughter were arguing over two months of unpaid rent, and Young shot and killed McNicol. Young claimed he did not realize he was holding the weapon until it fired, but a jury ultimately found him guilty. Young was sentenced to 25-30 years in prison. McNicol’s wife filed a wrongful death lawsuit, and a judge froze Young’s money.