Large amount of money won in lottery, could possibly change life for better, or even bring lots of happiness. But this is the case only if you know how to manage money properly.
Presented below storries of the dumbest lottery winners ever indicate that poverty is state of mind. This has been proven many times by reckless lottery winners, over and over again.
10 of The Dumbest Lottery Winners Ever.
According to Listopedia. Source: Listopedia – YouTube.
Number 10: Sharon Tirabassi [00:06]
Sharon Tirabassi is one typical lottery winner who blew it all. She cashed a check for 10.5 million Canadian dollars in 2004. Sharon spent her winnings on designer clothes, exotic trips, lavish parties, loans to friends, and other luxury items. She didn’t really need those luxury items, like a $200000 Cadillac. It took her less than a decade to lose it all. She went back to working part time, as s bus driver. She was living in a rented house. The house is gone. The car is gone. The only thing that remained are her kids. Sharon now is having difficulties to support her kids. This should not be surprise, since the only her income comes from low paying job.
Number 9: Suzanne Mullins [00:44]
Suzanne Mullins won the lottery back in 1993. She opted for yearly payouts instead of a lump sum. She planned on splitting the 20 annual payments of $47800 with her husband and daughter. However, within five years, she’d found herself in debt. She used her future payouts as collateral for a $200000 loan. Mullins later switched her winnings to be paid as one lump sum payment. However, she never paid back her debts. The loan company filed suit and won judgment for a $154000 settlement. But they haven’t collected anything. Mullins reportedly has no assets. She blamed the debt on the lengthy illness of her uninsured son in law, who needed a million dollars for medical bills.
Number 8: Ken Proxmire [01:30]
Ken Proxmire, a machinist from Michigan, won $1 million in the 1977 Michigan lottery. Proxmire used his winnings to experiment with his entrepreneur skils. He moved to California, and went into the car business with his brothers. It took him five years to lose it all, and file for bankruptcy. His life is simple now. There are no big talks of riding in limos or owning a helicopter. He’s back to his old life, and is a machinist again.
Number 7: Willie Hurt [02:01]
Willie Hurt is an example of good things happening to bad people. Prior to 1989, Willie Hurt was a happily married family man. He was fairly well-known in his community. But all that changed when he won over $3 million in the Michigan lottery. Within two years, Hurt separated from his wife, lost custody of his children blew through his fortune, and was charged with attempted murder. His lawyer claimed all the money went towards Hurt’s messy divorce, and his cocaine addiction.
Number 6: Alex and Rhoda Toth [02:31]
Florida couple, Alex and Rhoda Toth won millions in 1990. They won $13 million in the Florida lottery. They lost all by 2006 due to court fees. Winning the money had caused a rift in the family. This resulted in tons of legal drama and expenses. Alex was even arrested numerous times for growing marijuana plants and for writing bad checks between 2002 and 2005. They were down to living in a tiny trailer on small piece of land. Their only electricity coming from a power cord that was rigged up to their car engine. Alex died while awaiting trial for tax evasion. Rhoda tried to dodge the feds. She was claiming to be too ill to stand trial. Unfortunately for her, agents videotaped her moving around without the aid of crutches or a wheelchair. She was sentenced to two years in prison, and ordered to pay over $1 million in taxes.
Number 5: Janite Lee [03:28]
Janite Lee, the 52-year-old woman. She won $80 million payout from the Missouri lottery back in 1993. She immediately began to contribute chunks of her wealth to various educational programs, community services, and political organizations. Besides the usual million-dollar house and cars, Lee reportedly donated more than $1 million to Washington University. University Reading Room commemorates the occasion by her name. She reportedly donated $277000 to democratic political candidates. She was dining with Bill Clinton, Al Gore, and even the president of South Korea. She didn’t stop there. $30000 went to the family of a South Korean church pastor, who had passed away. The St. Louis Korean American Association received a house from her. Another Korean adoption related Association also benefited. Lee’s philanthropy was expensive, but combined with her gambling habit, she lost $350000 in a single year, just for bank loans and credit card debts.
Number 4: Americo Lopes [04:34]
Construction workers from New Jersey collected their money for lottery tickets for years. Five of them relied solely on one member of their little group to buy lottery tickets. Americo Lopes. In November 2009, he collected their money and bought coupons for megamillions lottery. One ticket won big prize, but he told no one, except lottery officials. After Lopes won large amount of money, he told his boss he wouldn’t be returning to work, because he needed foot surgery. The surgery which he never received. He even filed for unemployment benefits after claiming the prize. In 2010, Lopes finally called one of the men in the group, and told him about the winning. A few months later, his coworkers filed a lawsuit against him. As word of his luck spread, yet another man checked a website, found Mr. Lopes name, and discovered when he had won. A jury ordered Lopes to divide up the winnings of over $17 million after taxes with his colleagues. It seems Lopes would have gotten away with this treacherous act, if he just simply kept quiet.
Number 3: Callie Rogers [05:35]
In 2003, Callie Rogers was only 16 when she won the National Lottery jackpot, worth almost £2 million or almost $3 million. She was earning $5 and 50 cents an hour. At the time, she vowed to behave responsibly. But as teenagers often do, Rogers quickly changed her mind and began spending her money. She simply wasted away the money on homes and vacations. She also revealed later that she’d spent about $380000 on cocaine. A few years and two attempts of suicide. Rogers is a single mother of two. She now works as a maid to sustain herself and her family. She’s paying off debt induced by her spending.
Number 2: Michael Carroll [06:19]
Michael Carroll, a 19-year-old garbage man, won almost 10 million British pounds in 2002. His meteoric and widely derived fame began. He enjoyed a celebrity status for a time in the British media as the self-proclaimed ‘’King of Chavs’’. This was the phrase that he emblazoned on his black Mercedes van. Throughout the next few years, Carroll gained infamy for his extravagant lifestyle. That included massive drug use, gaudy golden jewelry, expensive presents for family and friends, etc.
He bought a mansion known as The Grange in the English town of Swaffham. He terrorized village by constant demolition derbies. Once he used a catapult to vandalize local shop windows in the middle of the night. In 2004, he was caught in his new BMW without registration plates and insurance. As a result, Carroll was banned from driving for six months. In February 2006, he was jailed for nine months for affray. It was noted in court while being sentenced that since 1997, Michael Caroll had 42 previous offenses on record. After a few years, and after he spent all of his cash, he applied for his old job as a garbage man. He said, he has no regrets about the way in which he spent his winnings. As of 2013, he lives in Scotland, and works at cookie factory. That’s at least better than his first job.
Number 1: Evelyn Adams [07:48]
Winning the lottery once is one thing. The odds are astronomical at best. It’s like being hit by lightning. Evelyn Adams beat the odds by winning the jackpot not once, but twice, collecting a total of over $5 million. Adams won the lottery in 1985 and again, just one year later, in 1986. She was a heavy gambler. She didn’t think that maybe it was a sign that she should put it away some money or perhaps invest it in something. Instead she had great idea to spend it all in gambling in nearby Atlantic City. It wasn’t long before Evelyn Adams had lost all her money. 20 years later, Evelyn Adams is broke, and living in a trailer. Money doesn’t always buy happiness, but it can if you know how to manage it.
