We all know that a large amount of money won in the lottery could possibly change life for the better, or even bring lots of happiness. But this is only happening if you know how to manage the huge amount of money properly.
Have you ever heard the statement, “Money can’t buy you brains?” – well, it is true for some lottery winners who blew their winnings and threw away their chance at the American Dream.
Presented below are stories of the dumbest lottery winners ever indicating that poverty is a state of mind. This has been proven many times by reckless lottery winners, over and over again.
1. Evelyn Adams ($3.9 million & $1.4 million)
Evelyn Adams was lucky enough to win the New Jersey State Lottery not just once, but twice, and in a very short span of time. Her first win was an incredible $3.9 million in October 1985, and it was followed up by another win of $1.4 million in February 1986—just four months later. Adams beat incredible odds to get her winnings, with the odds of her first win being 1 in 3.2 million. The second jackpot had odds of 1 in 5.2 million.
She was a heavy gambler. She didn’t think that maybe it was a sign that she should put away some money or perhaps invest it in something. Instead, she had the great idea to spend it all on 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.
2. Micheal Carroll (£9.7 million or $11.7 million)
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 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.
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 a cookie factory. That’s at least better than his first job.
3. Tonda Dickerson ($10 million)
According to The Sun report, Edward Seward finished up his cheap meal and handed Tonda Dickerson a lotto ticket as her tip in 1999. Dickerson, a then-divorced woman in her late 20s, won $10 million dollars with the ticket. “But Tonda’s colleagues had a different idea. They accused her of breaking a promise made to other waitresses to share any winnings from the lottery ticket handed over by Seward.” Even Seward sued her for millions.
In a bizarre turn of events, Dickerson was allegedly “kidnapped” by her ex-husband Stacy Martin who was armed with a .22 caliber handgun. When Martin was distracted, Dickerson got the firearm and shot him in the chest. Martin was rushed to a hospital, but strangely enough, no charges were pressed against anyone for the outlandish kidnapping and shooting incident. For 12 years after that, Dickerson was chased to pay $1 million in “gift taxes,” on top of hefty income taxes. It was reported that she got a job as a poker dealer at the Golden Nugget casino in Biloxi, Mississippi.
4. William Hurt ($3.1 million)
Yes, we assume he has been hurting after losing all his money. In 1989, William Hurt won $3.1 million in the Michigan Lottery, but rather than use that money to advance his life, he did the complete opposite.
Within two years, he was in the middle of a divorce (which took a chunk of his money), lost custody of his children, and had already thrown away most of his fortune on drugs – specifically crack cocaine. Oh, and he was also charged with the murder of his girlfriend. This one is actually kind of sad, now that we think about it.
5. Callie Rogers ($2.3 million)
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 $380,000 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.
dan