Is winning the lottery, the worst thing that can happen to you?

Apparently YES. I was quite familiar with some stories of people that managed to destroy their life after winning the lottery. So I decided to google it for myself:

www.cosmoloan.com...
www.cafeterra.info...

Could search for more, but the bottom line is: winning the lottery does not necessary make you rich . Most of the people not used to manage money would end up as poor in less than a decade. I am not so sure I want to win the lottery any-more haha..

I disagree completely. I've heard some stories, but it's hardly the WORST thing that could happen. Since when is winning millions of dollars a bad thing? You can actually make a difference with that if you wanted to.

Yes ! winning the lottery then losing the ticket.....worse still !

reply to post by theshepherd2


Is not the winning that is bad , but what the people DO after they win , they end up in divorce, being on acid all the time and collecting all kind of friends that will be there for the fun and leave when the money are over. Read the links first . Sure it is not the worst thing but it does appear to produce disaster in the life of a lot of "winners". This actually brings me to thinking that being poor is a state of mind rather than having or not having money..

it'll only happen if your stupid and get in lots of debt.
buy a few proprties and rent them out for some income.

winning the lottery would make me happy, especially the euro millions, was about £130m last tuesday.
with that im sorted, my family is sorted and all my kids and grand kids will got to university.
but until then i'd probably never be sober for too long and never live in one country.

Very interesting topic..and one which I have thought about a few times.

While having money can alleviate some financial problems..and ease stress in some areas of life..it can bring problems as well.

I wouldn't mind winning a lottery..because I could help a lot of people I love..and help others as well..but I know there would be scam artists all over trying to take advantage.

You have to be wise in who you get financial guidance from... and invest or secure a large portion as to keep receiving revenue.

There are definitely pros and cons to winning a lottery.

I was done once I read about the guy who lost 500k in a strip club. Fools and their money are soon parted and it seems that these people had all the good intentions in the world but you know what they say about those. I dont play often but occasionally I pick up a ticket. I already decided that I wasnt telling ANYONE outside of those absolutely necessary. Im talkin me, a lawyer and a lottery official, lol. And that lawyer would be a beast on a chain, lol. I am willing to pay a pretty penny to keep the greedy at bay. I'd probably move somewhere overseas and then begin sending whatever gifts I choose to share by way of certified check. Many of these people's hearts seemed bigger than their brains it seems.

reply to post by listerofsmeg

it'll only happen if your stupid and get in lots of debt. buy a few proprties and rent them out for some income.

yes..there are smart ways to invest..but you also set yourself up for huge lawsuits from people who want your money...and its happened.

Then you need to have lawyers..which get expensive..and your life becomes very complicated.

This is the single, most worst thread ever created on ATS.

It makes me upset & angry.

How can becoming a millionaire be the WORST thing that could ever happen to you, in your life?

*facepalm*

Its never the amount of money you make/win, its what you do with it. Ive seen janitors making 30k a year living in 2000 square foot houses a car they paid cash for living on 20 acres completely debt free retired before they are too old to enjoy it with a rich family life.

Then see people make 100k a year live right next door to the janitor driving a car they dont own a house that is a hairs breath away from being foreclosed on with a horrid personal life due to money problems.

If the American education system isnt enough proof of money not solving problems then bring on the millions its useless anyway.

Something about given people fish and teaching them to cook it or something.

Winning wouldn't change me at all; I would be even more isolated from Society than I am now and I would have many more animals to take care of. No one would even notice me.

My clothing would be reflective of "worn" and I possibly would be mistaken for a vagabond.

Yahoo says:
1. Your life will get complicated, and not in a good way.
2. The hucksters and grifters will circle their wagons.
3. All of your relationships will change.
4. Mansions and six figure cars are nice, but that upkeep is hell!
5. You become a target for lawsuits.
6. Rounds of golf (or sailing, or world travel, etc.) can get old quickly.
7. You'll wonder "Do people like me just for me, or is it because of all that money?"
8. You become Uncle Sam's best bud.
9. You'll probably get divorced.
10. You'll probably go bankrupt.
www.associatedcontent.com...


And more stories:
www.campussqueeze.com...

lotterywinnerbios.blogspot.com...

So, I guess it is a legitimate thread

reply to post by Romanian


there is 2 or 3 TV documentaries about people who hit huge. almost every one had their lives turned upside-down. tossing a fortune at someone who has never had much, you can't expect too much. there is a lot of lottery players way down low on the totem pole. most people with sense don't bother. you have a much better chance of being hit by lightning.

there are lots of news articles about co-workers, relatives and friends having relationships torn to shreds arguing over who gets what, or who was supposed to split what with who. greed and money brings out a bad side of people. it's a quick peek into the ugliness that TPTB live in.

i'll admit i think it's fun to buy 1 ticket when the $ is huge. for a mere buck you can spend the rest of the day dreaming of what you would do with your new-found fortune. it is fun to imagine.

I once heard that coming into money will bring out your strongest qualities, whether they are good or bad qualities. I tend to believe this is true. I also believe it will probably bring out the good/bad qualities of the people around you.

I've always thought that it might be better to win a couple of millions dollars as opposed to winning a mega millions - like $300 million - just because it might make it easier to tell people that you dont have as much to go around....maybe....just sayin'....

The people who really screw up when winning are those who aren't ready for it, haven't thought things through, aren't used to having any money at all and thus go crazy with it (by no means the outcome for all who start off poor). Some are just stupid with it. Some people get into trouble because there are people they know who get envious and come after them for having it, usually these people come from bad backgrounds to begin with or are unfortunate to be in contact with some bad elements. That last problem is one I wouldn't have because some of my friends are already very well off so it's not like any of them are going to come after me for suddenly having a stroke of good fortune.

Some do very well. I remember years ago the local media in Maryland (a magazine, I think) followed up on what became of various lottery winners there. The first winner of the Maryland lottery (she won a cool $5 million) had been quite poor before she won. Many years down the road she still was very well off, was sending all her kids to college and was posed in the article happily standing in front of her Mercedes. Clearly for her and her family it changed everything for them, for the better.

reply to post by Romanian



Because "Yahoo" said so?!

Half of those things, if not more, are easily avoidable.

Don't get me wrong...I've heard many stories, past & present, of millionaires goin' from riches to rags. Surprisingly (& ridiculously), it's happened a lot.

But I'm like Greensage...once I'm in the money, you won't ever be seein' me again.

You might as well call me the Invisible Man.

reply to post by SmoKeyHaZe


Haha, star to you! not because Yahoo say so.. the thing is , I was also convinced that winning the lottery is great, so I could not imagine any trouble in your life after you win . Yet , I found the bad stories that exceeds the good stories, then as I said - I realised is not the pockets that are poor but the mind .

Winning the lottery is one of my dreams, but I do consider the negatives of having that much money. I think I'd become fairly paranoid once I'd have it, and would always be on the look-out for those who are trying to get at it. I'd be generous with my family and friends of course, but not to the point of stupidity. I don't think I would advertise to everyone the fact that I won, and I would definitely stay the hell away from the media. I don't think I would go extravagant. I'd buy a nice but modest house somewhere peaceful, put some of the money in a CD account to live off the interest (assuming the economy is stable enough at that time), and invest in some nice rental properties.

Or maybe I'd go insane with high walls, security cameras, guards, and who knows what kind of other craziness.
I guess you never know until you're actually in that situation.

reply to post by gabby2011


maybe but sueing has never been big round my parts. if there comes a problem i'd fix it. whats there to sue about.
rent it through an agency for less hassle and rent.

I dont think there are any good stories because the people who really made good got the hell outta dodge and make it their business to keep the origin of their wealth a secret.