How those dumb lottery winners managed to waste all their huge lottery winnings? It’s no surprise that giving millions of dollars to someone with minimal common sense doesn’t tend to work out too well. But that’s exactly what can and does happen every now and then thanks to a little thing called the lottery. If you’re ready to learn about the myriad of ways you can waste millions of dollars really fast.
Source: BEAMAZED – YouTube
Let’s take a look at those dumbest lottery winners of all time.
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How they managed to waste millions of dollars of their lottery winnings?
Evelyn Adams: (0:25)
There are many reasonable ways to use your money if you win the lottery. However gambling it all the way is definitely not one of them. Evelyn Adams was a clerk at a convenience store who won the lottery not once, but twice in 1985 and 86, winning a combined total of 5.4 USD million. Both wins occurred in the span of just four months after she began spending 100 USD on the lottery every week, but don’t be swayed into thinking doing something like that substantially increases your chances of winning. Your chances of winning lottery are still astronomically against you. She just got extremely lucky. Evelyn’s big wins paid out at 218 thousands USD a year rather than all at once. But this inability to blow it all in one go wouldn’t stop her making some colossal mistakes. After giving a lot of her winnings away to family and friends and losing huge amounts on failed business deals. She decided it was time to hit the casino. She became a regular at Atlantic city’s finest casinos and was someone the owners were overjoyed to welcome in not because of her personality, but because she was loosing every dollar from her lottery winnings. As they say in Las Vegas, the house always wins.
Janet Lee: (1:37)
52 years old Janet Lee’s life underwent an enormous unexpected change when she won a whopping 18 million dollars in 1993. She quit her job at a wig shop moved her family into a million-dollar house in St. Louis and began donating a ton of money to charity she became a big political donor owning her tableside seating with Bill Clinton and donor shindigs. But despite her humble beginnings as a South Korean immigrant, she developed a taste for luxury that exceeded the 620 thousand USD winning she was receiving yearly. She leased cars and borrowed millions from banks to keep her lifestyle going and to hide the truth of her financial instability from the public. Just eight years after winning the lottery, she filed for bankruptcy and two and a half million dollars of debt. The lesson if your taste is so classy that 18 million won’t cover it. You might have a problem.
Denise Rossi: (2:30)
In 1996 Denise Rossi won the California Lottery instead of telling her husband like she probably should have she kept it secret and attempted to get a divorce with an expedited settlement. Unfortunately for Denise her husband found out about her win and the court ruled that she’d failed to comply with asset disclosure laws. She hadn’t even disclosed her winnings to her own attorney who could have helped her hold on to the cash had he been made aware during the divorce proceedings. By default as per the law her husband received the entire undisclosed $1.3 million prize. Woopsey.
Americo Lopes: (3:02)
In 2009 a lottery pool made up of coworkers at a New Jersey construction company sent one group member, Americo Lopes to buy their weekly lottery tickets. To Americo astonishment when he did, he found that groups luck had come in big time. But for some reason, he decided that 38 and a half million just wasn’t enough to be comfortably split six ways. So, he claimed he bought the winning numbers all on his own. When his five coworkers took him to court the jury ruled that he’d had to pay each of them that 2 USD million settlement the stupidity wasn’t good. Americo tried to selfishly cash in. After all, it worked. He still walked away with 14 million after taxes. The real stupidity was that he thought his ridiculous lie would fool anyone. I suppose being believed doesn’t matter all that much when you’re sitting on 14 million.
BudPost: (3:52)
In 1998 BudPost spent 40 USD to buy lottery tickets. This purchase turned out to be the best investment he’d ever made. He won 16.2 million but things started going south. When BudPost seasonal girlfriend was claiming a third of the winnings in court. She said that she was the one who bought the tickets for him. BudPost brother was also out for his money and hired a hitman to try and kill him. Which luckily for Budpost failed Christmas dinner must have been awkward that year. Following this brush with death he splurged money on houses cars and airplane and both these purchases began to dwindle his funds which was made worse by constant legal fees resulting from one of BudPost unfortunate habits. They had been blasting a shotgun in the direction of people who came by his house to collect their debts. On top of that the cost of alimony from six separate divorces eventually led to BudPost spending his early years on food stamps with over 1 million in debt.
Alex Toth: (4:47)
Alex Toth purchased the lottery ticket that would win him 13 million At that time he had a grand total of 25 USD to his name. He also had a wife Rhoda and six kids from previous relationships so that 25 USD would have really needed to stretch but when the big one came, Alex and Rhoda decided to spend three months living in 1,000 USD a night hotel room in Las Vegas, they gambled, shopped and dine constantly and visited nonstop live shows living the dream but eventually they grew tired of the Vegas life. They bought a large trailer home in Florida and settled down. But drama soon came in knocking and Rhoda accused her son of killing their dog and setting their car on fire after they withdrew his allowance. Not long after that he filed for bankruptcy in the aftermath of their Las Vegas adventure. To top it all off. They were convicted of tax fraud for falsifying gambling losses to avoid paying some of their lottery winnings to the government. And the years that followed. The downward spiral continued. Alex was arrested multiple times for drug dealing and writing bad checks. Eventually, their fortune was so diminished that the tax had to move in with Rhoda son. The same one she’d previously accused of trying to kill her dog after a short while and that less than ideal living situation, Alex Toth died, without even that original 25 USD to his name.
Amanda Clayton: (6:04)
Amanda Clayton, won 1 million in the lottery in 2011, which might seem humble compared to other lottery winners. But for a single mom without a job living on welfare, a million dollars can go a very long way. That being said, people who win a million dollars don’t usually have much reason to continue claiming welfare. Amanda saw things differently though and continued to collect 200 USD every month in the form of government food assistance checks. When a reporter asked her about this, she was claiming that as she was still unemployed, there was really no reason she shouldn’t receive welfare
Her words. Amanda: “I have bills to pay I have two houses.”
Unsurprisingly the local families who really did need welfare didn’t share her viewpoint and public outrage ensued. In the aftermath, Amanda was arrested and charged with welfare fraud and just a year after winning died of a drug overdose. I guess it goes to show recklessness and greed. All right, dangerous mix.
David Lee Edwards: (6:57)
If you’re going to win the lottery, it makes sense to spend some of your winnings on your interest. David Lee Edwards spent a third of his life in jail. He won $27 million Powerball lottery. David’s first mistake was choosing to take his winnings in one payment in a lump sum. This always means a lower total and of course, more opportunities for disasters, spending choices, David bought two homes right off the bat, one for 1.6 million and another for 600000. But he didn’t stop there. Far from it. He bought a Lamborghini Diablo, a Dodge Viper, a private jet and a $35000 Hummer. Those all are fairly normal things to by by newly rich. But as mentioned, David was also big fan of the medieval weaponery. He spent on a collection of around 200 antique swords and armor sets, but no amount of antique sharpened steel could save David from his other relentless appetite. Drugs addiction, which strained his bank account. Just five years after buying his winning lottery ticket he was broke living in a storage unit. Soon after that he died leaving nothing behind for his daughter who he promised to provide a great life. So if you win big money and want to do your family proud, avoid sword shields and syringes.
Martin Todd: (8:16)
Englishman Martin Todd bought a lotto ticket in 2000, but totally forgot about it until months later, when he tuned into the TV lottery, the lottery runners were appealing to the winning ticket holder for weeks prior to come forward. Martin realized the winning numbers were the ones he bought, but he couldn’t find the ticket anywhere. Despite correctly remembering the store date and the exact time he bought the ticket. That piece of paper itself was nowhere to be found. When he got hold of the lottery company, he learned the true meaning of devastation since he’d failed to file a loss ticket claim within 30 days of his purchase. He got nothing to top it all off the stress of the ensuing years of unsuccessful legal battles attempting to claim the money cost him his marriage, it’s safe to say Martin Todd probably felt pretty dumb for not keeping that lottery ticket safe.
Michael Carroll: (9:02)
Aged only 19 English garbageman Michael Carroll won 11.8 million in 2002. Soon traded the trash truck for an array of other expensive cars, all of which he parked up in his newly acquired mansion, of course. But Michael had a bit of an unfortunate taste for destruction and aggression. He was known for throwing rocks at strangers as a teenager as well as all sorts of other man he channeled this energy into the destruction derby. He built in his mansions backyard and soon he’d smashed up countless expensive cars as well as the mansion itself. He also began consuming 3,000 USD worth of cocaine each day. The local police setting up a hotline specifically for neighbors with Michael Carroll related complaints. Soon he was totally broke and he returned to the garbage man life but he certainly had a good time while it lasted.
Andrew Jackson Whitaker, Junior: (10:00)
He may share half a name with a former president, but that’s about as far as anything resembling presidential wisdom went for Andrew Jackson Whitaker, Junior. He won an unbelievable 314 million dollars in 2002. But had an odd habit of keeping massive chunks of winnings it in cash. Once $545000 that he kept in his car was stolen. Later more lumps of cash were stolen in similar circumstances. But the biggest losses of all revolved around a very familiar type of place casinos. Andrew had a serious gambling problem. His big losses became so bad that he was sued by casino for bouncing one and a half million in checks. With endlessly costly legal battles with other people he owed money to as well as near constant charitable donations. He could no longer afford. His enormous fortune soon dwindled away. The full 314 million dollars was gone in just four years.
Callie Rogers: (11:00)
It’s pretty hard to be mentally prepared for a lottery win, especially when you’re only 16. But after winning 3 million in 2003 16-year-old Kelly Rogers insisted she’d Spend it wisely. Over the following years however, she bought four houses a bunch of cars and had multiple expensive boob jobs and other cosmetic surgeries. She also got into the habit of buying gifts in the form of cars for whoever her boyfriend was at the time. Like other winners with a lack of guidance, she developed an unfortunate habit for the white powder. She’s burned enough of her winnings, that she has to work as a cleaner to provide for her kids. That said, she claims that now for the first time, she feels like she has everything she needs. That may be true, but I’m sure that having a million dollars or two around wouldn’t hurt.
