Trying your luck and winning a big prize is something almost everyone dreams of. There are multiple ways to do this: you can join a lottery or play at a real money online casino Canada site. Both can make you a millionaire if you’re lucky enough. But if you don’t make the right decisions, this dream can turn into a nightmare. The past is filled with stories of people who won the lottery and whose lives were ruined. We have selected some of these stories and listed them below. Here is the list of lottery winners who lost millions.
Denise Rossi – lost $1.3 million
Denise Rossi was married to her husband, Thomas Rossi, for 25 years. Everyone was talking about what a happy couple they were, but in January 1997, Denise Rossi filed for divorce, and the couple broke up. No one understood why until two years later, Thomas Rossi received a misdelivered letter from a company. The letter that was supposed to go to his wife had been delivered to him, saying that the “lottery payment” would be made shortly. This is how Thomas Rossi learned that his wife had earned 1.3 million USD 11 days before filing for divorce. He sued his wife and claimed half the prize, as the lottery was won while they were still married. The judge decided that he should be paid the whole, not half. Denise Rossi lost everything.
Ronnie Music Jr – lost $3 million
Ronnie Music Jr made $3 million at the Georgia state lottery in 2015. What would you do with this money? Forget any investment ideas you can think of because Ronnie had a much more original idea. He started a drug ring! Ronnie created a crystal meth ring with his lottery payment and began selling drugs. It didn’t take long for this “brilliant” idea to catch the attention of state police. Ronnie Music Jr was arrested in April 2016 and sentenced to 21 years in prison. All his money was also confiscated.
Jay Summers – lost $5 million
Jay Summers won the Michigan state lottery in 1998, taking home the $5 million prize. He was 20 at the time and had many dreams. One of them was to race in NASCAR. Summers literally created his own NASCAR team and started spending $200,000 a year on it. It wasn’t a bad idea actually, as he finished fourth in the Daytona race. He had the talent for the job! Unfortunately, he was completely incapable of choosing who to hand over his money to, because:
- He had put $2 million of his money in a trust fund, and the trustee scammed him – he lost all the money.
- His lawsuit against the trustee took years, and he eventually won, but the court ordered only $800,000 to be recovered.
- His lawyers received $380,000 of that money, and he spent $200,000 throughout the case. The rest of the money went to the NASCAR team. Summers lost all of $5 million in a few years.
Jeffrey Dampier – lost $20 million
Some stories can end with worse than disappointment. That’s exactly the story of Jeffrey Dampier. He won $20 million from the Illinois state lottery in 1996. What follows is reminiscent of a soap opera scenario. Dampier divorced his wife immediately but agreed to give her half the reward. He remarried shortly after but also began an affair with his sister-in-law. When his new wife discovered the affair, she threatened to divorce him, and his sister-in-law couldn’t stand Dampier’s desire to break up and shot him. Dampier died and was able to spend only a tiny fraction of the prize money.
Callie Rogers – lost $3 million
Callie Rogers won the UK’s biggest lottery jackpot of £1.9 million (about $3 million) in 2003. She was the youngest person to win this award. Callie was only 16 years old and working as a cashier in a supermarket. Unfortunately, the youth also caused her to make some wrong decisions. Rogers immediately resigned from the job and started spending her money without thinking about making any investments. Most of the money went to plastic surgery, the rest was spent on holidays, parties, and expensive gifts. In 2013, Rogers had only $2,580 left and still had no investments.
Lara and Robert Griffith – lost $3.5 million
But youth isn’t the only reason for making bad decisions. Sometimes adults can do the same. Lara and Robert Griffith won $3.5 million in 2005, and although they made some investments, they all failed. They spent most of their money on a luxurious lifestyle. They were married for 14 years but divorced in just a few years due to financial problems. Roger Griffith had only $10.50 in his pocket at the time of the divorce, and his wife was no better. She was getting financial aid from his mother.
Simona LeVey did her degree in psychology at Tel Aviv University. She is interested in mental health, wellness, and lifestyle.
