42 People Who Know Lottery Winners Are Sharing The Ways They've Seen The Money Change Them, And It's Really Surprising
Reddit user u/PurposeNearby4121 posed the intriguing question: "People who know someone who won the lottery, how did they change?" The replies quickly filled with an array of stories, both triumphs and tragedies, that had me totally engrossed. BuzzFeed Community members also chimed in with their own tales of lucky and lonely lotto winners. Here's what people shared:
1."I knew a guy who won $3 million, sunk a bunch into his business to get out of debt and expand, and it still went under. Blew through the remaining money on frivolous purchases, including cars, boats, and jewelry. He got taken advantage of by people, but he was super popular and the life of the party. Less than five years later, he was broke and working overnights at a warehouse so he could watch the kids during the day."
2."A guy I went to high school with won the lottery in his early 30s. He bought the low-income housing block he grew up in and his mother still lived in, completely renovated it, and kept it low-income housing. I don't know what else he did with the money, but he changed many families' lives for the better with that one purchase."
3."My ex-sister-in-law won a million and blew through it with absolutely foolish purchases. After the money was gone, she started embezzling from her employer and is now in prison. She can't be paroled because she has nowhere to go."
4."A friend of mine won half a mil when we were 19. I was about to lose my apartment and was talking about how I could sell some stuff so I could keep it for another month or two while I was job searching. She very calmly wrote me a check for the amount I needed (which is how I found out she'd won) and asked that I pay her back when I could. I wound up having to move anyway and lost touch for a few years while I was homeless/couch-surfing through a few states. When I was 24, I finally stabilized, found her on Facebook, and reached out, asking to send her a check for what I owed her. She was extremely happy that I was in a good place and thanked me for paying her back."
"We keep in regular touch, and she even visited with her husband while traveling through my area a few years ago. They're both such sweet, down-to-earth people. I'm glad I could repay her for her kindness, and that she's living the quiet, happy life she always wanted."
5."My friend's dad was a trucker from 1970 until he died in 2008. He used to buy scratch tickets in every state and regular lottery tickets. He would never say how much he won, just 'a few bucks' or say he broke even. When he died suddenly, there was life insurance and extra money, which helped my friend's mom. Then, a month after the funeral, they all got letters from a lawyer for a reading of the will they never knew he had. It turns out his dad had been doing very well playing the lottery (and playing the field). Over 38 years, his dad had won a combined $19.5 million in lottery money. He hit for $250k or more around 10 times, $3 million once, and $5 million once. Somehow, he'd hidden this from his family. He'd been smart and put it in the bank when he could have probably vanished at any time. As a result, there was $30 million to be inherited."
"Then, the real shocker: My friend learned their dad had fathered three other kids as well. The money was divided equally between four families."
6."Someone in my town won $110 million while on a holiday somewhere in the country. The dude became really arrogant and destroyed his relationship with both his wife and son. He bought some of the most expensive cars and multiple houses/properties. He then began wanting maids and private chefs, which led to his wife divorcing him. His son can't stand him anymore, and the wife is paranoid about him showing up at her house. It's a sad story."
7."Someone in my small town won something like a million dollars once. This was around 1995. He was separated from his wife. Well, his wife orchestrated the kidnapping of their little daughter to get money from him, and the daughter accidentally died. This is still talked about in our town. Also, he lost all the money by spending it partying and things for their greedy friends, and then he lost his daughter because of the POS wife. Not a winner."
8."I worked with a lady who was two cubicles down from me. She would buy the lottery religiously, and one Friday, our boss said to her, 'I'll laugh if you win the $55 million and come in on Monday and quit.' Well, she sure did. She was the first solo winner in my city, and she quit Monday morning. She and her husband didn't change much. They just remodeled their home and continued to live simple lives. Both are retired. She was 42 when she won. This was about 10 years ago now."
9."My grandparents took our entire family on a cruise and then paid for all the grandkids' college educations and first cars. They bought a new house and cars, but they took the payment over years option, rode it out, and traveled all over the world."
10."They won $2 million, paid off their debt, and made a few large purchases. Friends, relatives, churches, and charities found out and asked for loans and handouts. Eventually, the money ran out, and they ended up stealing a bit from some organization they were the treasurer of because they wanted to chase that high again. I can't remember if they did jail time or just did community service, but they had to sell some things and ended up only slightly better off than they were before winning the lottery."
11."Years ago, I worked with a guy who won the lottery. He was only 17 at the time, and you had to be 18 to claim the prize, so his dad did it for him. Apparently, people came out of the woodwork looking for handouts, and the dad was generous. He gave his son enough for a down payment on a house, but after that, he lost everything, giving those handouts to people. My friend said winning the lottery was the worst thing that happened to his family. I don't think he ever even used the down payment to get a house, as he was still renting at the time."
12."My folks won it in 2015, and now they think they can just throw money at every problem. I became a widower, and their reaction was to throw money at the problem. No wonder I have no contact with them."
13."My coworker won $250,000 on a scratch-it. He ended up with $170,000. He bought a house and a used car, then took his kids to Disneyland. Then, the story gets weird. He wanted to move to a different state, so he sold his house and moved into a Value Inn in that new state. Then, he proceeded to never find a house. He spent ALL the money living in a garbage hotel. He had some pretty big problems that just seemed to get worse. Eventually, his mother passed away, so he moved back to his home state to live in his mother's old house. Poor guy."
14."My friend's aunt won about $800,000. She gave her immediate family members $1,000 each (about 15 people), paid her and her husband's student loans in full, paid off all of her debt and house mortgage, and decided to invest the rest. She still works at a school as a head teacher, and my friend tells me that her mentality is something like, 'What easy comes, easy goes,' so she doesn't spend the money lavishly."
15."She told not a soul, had her tax attorney create a trust to claim the winnings, then threw a huge party for her coworkers, whereupon she told everyone and gave her one-minute notice. We all laughed until we realized she was serious! The trust directs funds to several local charities, and high school students benefit from the scholarships at the small high school. She sold her condo, moved to Spain, and has been living her very best life for the past 23 years. I knew her on a professional level only, yet I am so proud of her."
16."My sibling's childhood friend's parents won $1,000 a week for life in the early '80s. It was hell for them. They were already the 'rich' relatives of both their families. In reality, they were upper-middle class. They sold their house and essentially went into hiding for over four years. Their relatives were absolutely RELENTLESS in trying to track them down to get their share. It was terrible. Their kids (14f, 10m) had to be pulled out of school. The family eventually modified their last name to be untraceable. One day, I came home from school to a carload of their relatives waiting to talk to my brother about his friend's whereabouts. It was frightening. Luckily, our neighbors intervened and made them leave. My brother was hiding in the house. He recognized them and ducked down the alley to the back of our house. We barely saw his friend after that. I think they moved to a larger city on the east coast."
17."My own dad won a few years ago. Not a huge amount, but in the seven-figure range. He was a single parent working construction all his life, so we were never well-off and were barely middle-class for years. My dad has become pretty weird about it. He's too afraid to spend it. He gave me some money to help me pay off some credit card debt, a little bit for a bigger car because my own family is growing, and he says he wants to help us with a down payment for a house. I don't like to ask for any help and have never asked him for a dollar because he's the type to hold it over your head. He also went down the QAnon rabbit hole, and we found out he spent thousands of dollars on Trump bucks, thinking he would be rich-rich. That crap was a scam."
"Last I know, he's spent hundreds of thousands on precious metals and weapons for the end of the world, but he still hasn't really made a dent in his money. Every day, he calls and tells me the government is going to shut down the banks soon, so he just wants to get rid of it at this point."
18."They bought a big house and went on loads of vacations, then years later, had to sell the house and downsize. In the end, they spent every last penny."
19."They won something like $25 million in the mid-2000s and have since forgotten that before the lottery, they were a truck driver and teacher's aid. They sue just about anyone who looks at them wrong and has become a general plague on a town of 5,000 people."
20."A cousin of mine and her husband won a lot once, but I'm not sure how much. They bought a huge house in the woods and had eight children, plus they fostered many children. I babysat for them once, and when I tell you this place was huge…you could have fit my entire apartment now and then some just in their ‘movie room.’ 'hey also ha' two swimming pools, a tennis court, and a basketball court (converted every winter into an ice rink) in the backyard. I definitely envied those kids when I was younger."
21."My friend won just under $30 million and dropped out of college to learn to manage her money herself, then finished off her degree online and moved from the East Coast to the West Coast to start her dream career. She invested most of her winnings, works a 9-to-5 job she loves, got married, and has a couple of kids now. Her personality didn't change at all. She's goofy as hell with her friends and an absolute sweetheart."
22."A friend's family won when we were in junior high. Their house started getting all kinds of gaudy adornments. Big weird fountain in a U-shaped, really short driveway (where everyone else in the neighborhood had a straight driveway into the garage). Big stone lions on each side of the drive entrance. Comedically tall entrance door on a single-story ranch. Giant waterslide into their tiny pool."
23."She divorced her husband, a baggage handler for American Airlines if I recall, and married a rich, flashy Cuban guy. But, she did split the prize with her first husband."
24."My friend's family won when we were in fourth grade. They were already well-off, and their lives didn't change that much; their vacations just got nicer. What blew my mind was that this was their second win. First time was $50,000, second was $8 or $9 million. The dad just loved playing the lotto."
25."My ex's father won the BIG Powerball in Michigan in the '90s. He spoiled his kids with little consequences (none of them graduated high school on time, including my ex), divorced his ex-wife (who became a rich drug addict), let his new wife take over the finances, and in my opinion, it ruined their family."
26."A family member won a relatively small $200,000. I advised him to consult a financial planner to figure out how to put the money to work. Instead, he quit his job and threw it away inside of 18 months. Now, he's back to living his broke life, working for less than he was before he won the money. We barely talk anymore because I can't stand to listen to him whine about how much everything sucks because all his money is gone."
27."Idiot had a gigantic, tacky wedding to someone he soon divorced and had to pay out. Gave huge amounts to friends and family members who squandered it, just like he did, on a jet, skis, and houses. Now he's bankrupt."
28."A family member won a smaller state lottery, but there were a few winners, so her after-tax amount was about $750,000. She immediately dropped off the grid, got an attorney, and claimed the money without revealing her identity. She only told close family members four months after the fact, which was smart since our mom and a few of her friends immediately started asking for Gucci bags and other high-dollar items. Her personality remained the same, but she became a lot more carefree and took a year off work. She made a few luxury purchases (two Teslas and moved houses), but my father and I convinced her to invest most of it into her retirement and for her kids' college funds."
29."He bought a house, got sober, and invested a bunch of time into hobbies. He went from being a good guy to a great guy. Super proud of him."
30."This girl was jumping from one crappy job to another. She didn't win a massive amount, but it was enough to be able to study for two or three years without having to work. She was able to land a good job and nice paycheck thanks to her studies, so it basically changed her life for the better."
31."A friend of a friend ran a restaurant in NYC. The guys in the kitchen (dishwashers, porters, etc.) were in a lottery syndicate that cleared them a few million each. They decided to keep working at first. The restaurant owner noticed they kept calling out for shifts more and more often, and eventually, they quit or were let go. And it's probably not surprising. Continuing to work sounds down-to-earth, but it was a stressful, dangerous environment (burns and sharp objects) with unsociable hours, and they realized that life didn't have to be like that."
32."I know someone who won $750,000 and pretty much blew/wasted it in under two months. They bought every person who lived with them expensive vehicles and bought a house and a ton of other useless stuff. The truck they bought their kid was as much as the house."
33."30 years ago, a high school teacher won the lottery. He gave half to his brother. He bought himself a fancy car and continued to teach. He finally met someone to marry. He already had a house and just lived in the community. Super nice guy. It was something like $10 million. When I asked him why he didn't retire, he said, 'I am 30 years old. What else am I going to do with the rest of my life?' So, he taught for a few decades and then retired."
34."I worked with a woman who won a substantial amount shortly after the lottery was started. We worked in a small bank in central Texas, and all she wanted was to keep working, take care of her family with a new house, and save for her kids' college. After claiming the money, she had to quit within a few days of returning to work because people wouldn't leave her alone. The phone calls to the bank alone tied up our phone system to the point where they were unusable. She said people she hadn't heard from in years were trying to contact her, and random people calling for 'donations' were making her life absurd. After that, she quit, moved, and went no-contact with most people because she couldn't handle the hounding. I felt really bad for her because she seemed kinda shell-shocked from all the attention."
35."In high school, one of our gym teachers won the state lotto twice within a year, just under $2 million in total, I think. The only change we noticed was that he bought an H2 Hummer. As far as I know, he was still a pretty cool dude and kept teaching."
36."My childhood best friends' parents won a million. They put one daughter through dental college and the other through college for speech pathology in America. They still live in the same house I spent so much time in as a kid. As far as I know, they kept their same jobs until retirement. I went to their house once as an adult, and they were fostering kittens. They are the nicest people ever. I couldn't think of someone I'd be happier to win."
37."Her parents bought a large luxury house on a private road in a small English town. They had both their daughters' families move into the house, too. A year later, the dad left the mom for a young piece of skirt. They sold the house, and the mom split her share with her girls, and they all lived close to each other in rented homes. It's only been five years, but the money is all gone. Lavish holidays and overpriced rentals chewed through their funds. The mom now works nights in a care home and rents a small place with her two daughters. Both had their partners leave them as the money ran out. Lovely family, but it's sad to see them scraping by now when they had so much, once upon a time."
38."The dude who details my car won the lottery, and he still details cars. He used the money to buy his kids' houses and says he likes making people happy. A ridiculously amazing man."
39."My grandpa won the lottery in the '90s and bought a house with acreage in a small town. My grandma kept working. Eventually, they sold that and moved to a Florida trailer park for older adults. They invested along the way. The best investment they made was Netflix. They invested $60,000 back when it was just DVDs; when my grandpa died, it was worth $3.1 million. He always lived frugally. He had dial-up internet until he couldn't any longer. My grandparents helped anyone who needed it but ensured those people paid them back, so it wasn't a complete handout."
40."A coworker won 12 million in the '90s. She continued to come to work the next two weeks and then quit. She lives half of the year in Europe, and to this day, she doesn't admit that she won the lottery. Her daughter used to sing in an obscure band, and she invested heavily in the band, so it had some reasonable success for like 10 years."
"Also, My brother-in-law won enough to buy himself an apartment and a small car. He also quit working for two years. Then, the money was gone."
41."My grandfather won $125k in the lottery. He gave each of his three kids $5,000 and each of his eight grandkids $1,500. He bought a $50k motor home and traveled the country six months of the year."
42.And: "I have family who won $1 million. They paid off their house and their son's student loans, quit working construction (which they were doing despite being over 60), and bought a new car, which they continue to swap every couple of years. One family member turned into a total leech and thought they were entitled to a share because their sister had won this money. It was disgusting to watch, and the guilt trip was appalling; this sister was an awful person who literally considered herself to be a pampered princess and took total advantage until she passed away. Now, the lottery winners enjoy their hobbies, have no debts, and invest wisely, so they should be set for the rest of their lives!"
Have you ever known a lottery winner? How did the money change them, if at all? Tell us in the comments or share anonymously using this form.
Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.
