We all dream of one-day watching lotto results and each of our numbers is called out, one by one. It is quite hard to imagine, your whole life completely changing in one day.
For some, this dream has turned into reality. People all over the world have had their lives completely changed by just buying a lotto ticket or playing a jackpot slot.
We all plan how we would spend our lotto money should we one day win it all, but how do the actual lotto tickets really spend their money?
The Most Common Way To Spend Lotto Millions
The operators of the National Lottery in the United Kingdom, Camelot, conducted a study on over 3000 millionaires who came into their money from winning the lotto. They found that the most common use of lotto money was property investments. Second to that, the money was used to make investments for future income, and third most popular was financial security for children.
Obviously, there were gifts, holidays and cars bought along the way. Many also used the money to pay off outstanding debts.
Tennessee Millions
A couple in Tennessee, John and Lisa Robinson, won a record $1.6 billion Powerball jackpot. Yes, BILLION! They ended up winning with two other people and the jackpot was split between them all. Initially, the had planned to remain in their one-story house and pay off their mortgage and pay for their daughters student loans.
However, six months later they had bought a 10 bedroom home with views overlooking a lake and rural land. The home has 8 bathrooms and a private home movie theatre.
EuroMillions Jackpot Winners
The winners of the biggest ever lottery prize in Britain, 161 million Euros, made a huge investment. They purchased a mansion to the total of 850,000 Euros. The mansion is found in the town of Largs, North Ayshire in Scotland.
Not only did they splash out on the expensive home, but they made upgrades as well. They installed a luxury indoor swimming pool, jacuzzi, spa pool, a greenhouse and Roman statues.
They eventually sold their house and bought an even larger mansion. Their new home was in Frognal House in Troon, and cost over 3 million Euros. The couple do give back, by contributing to the National Theatre of Scotland, as well as the Scottish National Party.
Wrestling Millions
Jay Vargas was one of the youngest lottery winners ever. He is from South Carolina in the United States. His life changed when he won $35.3 million in the Powerball prize. However, he used his money in a very unique way.
Jay used his money to create a female wrestling show on television. The show was called Wrestlicious TakeDown. The show wasn’t a hit and only lasted one season.
Lottery Waste
Some don’t think things through when they win millions. Michael Carroll was lucky enough to win over 9 million Euros when he was only 19 years old.
Due to his luck, he became a local celebrity. He spent his money on cars, new homes, parties, and drugs. He had many run-ins with the law and was nearly broke after 5 years.
A Lotto Horror Story
Jack Whittacker Jr has what is possibly the worst lotto story around. He was already considerably rich when he won $3149.9 million in 2002.
After winning the money, robbers stole a lot of money from his car. His house was robbed, nearly wiped clean. A teenager died from an overdose in his home, his granddaughter was found dead and he was continuously sued for bounced cheques. To top it all off, his house eventually burned down.
Water Park Fortune
New Yorkers, John and Linda Kutey, won the lottery in 2011. They decided to use their money to create a new water park, to honor both of their parents.
The couple donated $200.000 for a spray pool to be constructed, which was used to help and uplift the community.
Divorce
In a not so happy story, Denise Rossi decided to file for divorce from her husband after she won $1.3 million in the California lottery.
The tables turned for her when she decided not to show her lotto winnings in her divorce case and the judge ruled that she had violated several laws.
A Worthy Dream
18-year old Charlie Lagarde from Canada won the lottery after only ever buying one ticket.
She used the money to travel and to fund her education, hoping to one day become a photographer for National Geographic. Wildlife photography can be really expensive, so she got the perfect start to her career.
A Car Lovers Dream
Dean Allen from the United Kingdom won the lottery in 2000. He had always had a passion for cars. After winning, he traded in his Ford Fiesta for a Porsche.
He has increased his car collection to include a Ferrari 550, Bentley GT Speed, Porsche GT3, Audi RS4 and a Range Rover Evoque.
Talk about living your dream!
A Sweet Ending
Louise White from Newport in Rhode Island used some of her winnings to set up a special trust. She named this trust the Rainbow Sherbert Trust, which is the name of the ice cream flavor she bought the same time she purchased her winning lotto ticket.
Horses
Nikki Otterburn won the lottery in 2001. Using her winnings, she purchased a seven-acre property close to Thirsk in the United Kingdom. She used this property to home and train her horses.
Most of her time is spent preparing Pippin, her prize horse, for competitions. She also helps to train local riders.
Marijuana Legalization
Bob Erb is a marijuana activist from British Columbia. He happened to win the lottery in 2012. He ran for the B.C Marijuana Party in 2001 and was running campaigns to legalize and decriminalize marijuana.
Are You Next?
These stories are heartwarming, motivating and shocking. It is hard to predict exactly what you would do if you won the lottery.
Remember though, you will never have the chance of finding out just what you would do with your money, if you never take a chance and play.
One lucky lotto ticket is all it takes to completely change your life forever.
