Lottery Winners Who Lost It All: Cautionary Tales of Sudden Wealth.

[{"selector":"#anim-e8d187d5-34f6-426a-b55c-36874d252fcd","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] Winning the lottery is often seen as a dream come true, but for some, it turns into a financial nightmare.

[{"selector":"#anim-8cbe4731-3009-44ed-9bf1-035fafaaab43","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":600,"duration":800,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-44084bd6-a854-4155-b1da-42cd80770a5e","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(115.48386%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":600,"duration":800,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] Sudden wealth can lead to poor financial decisions, reckless spending, and even personal tragedy . Here are some cautionary tales of lottery winners who lost it all.

[{"selector":"#anim-c56d0e60-b264-426a-8a10-0ce001a5da92","keyframes":{"transform":["rotate(-540deg) scale(0.1)","none"],"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":1000,"fill":"both","iterations":1}] In 2002, Jack Whittaker won a Powerball jackpot of $315 million , but his fortune quickly turned into misfortune.

[{"selector":"#anim-8a01a861-9a0c-4ec3-9fe0-63da2c7d14e9","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-117.09678%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-febaa0a9-8b10-4e2b-9799-cb644889c5b8","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-899ff330-d871-4185-9b6d-7e6ca1b83b4d","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(0.15)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"forwards"}] He was robbed multiple times , faced legal troubles , and lost family members to drug-related tragedies .

[{"selector":"#anim-365e07f6-4423-4700-9f82-00bf5f1bab7d","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-36c1e40b-c169-4f5d-b6b3-6caa88f4bd76","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(0.3333333333333333)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] Evelyn Adams defied the odds by winning the New Jersey Lottery twice in the 1980s, totaling $5.4 million . However, she gambled away her fortune in Atlantic City and ended up broke and living in a trailer park .

[{"selector":"#anim-9e248d46-51f5-45de-9101-ab23f633567c","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(117.41935%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":1000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.2, 0, .8, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-e3a3435e-9190-4b61-a862-38117dcfa1f4","keyframes":{"transform":["rotateZ(180deg)","rotateZ(0deg)"]},"delay":0,"duration":1000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.2, 0, .5, 1)","fill":"forwards"}] At just 19 years old , Michael Carroll won £9.7 million ($14 million) in the UK lottery. He quickly blew it on luxury cars, drugs, parties, and reckless spending .

[{"selector":"#anim-3bd70cdd-9b59-4bff-84f4-592f7665f217","keyframes":[{"offset":0,"transform":"translate3d(0, -288.51314%, 0)","easing":"cubic-bezier(.5, 0, 1, 1)"},{"offset":0.29,"transform":"translate3d(0, 0%, 0)","easing":"cubic-bezier(0, 0, .5, 1)"},{"offset":0.45,"transform":"translate3d(0, -81.129894968%, 0)","easing":"cubic-bezier(.5, 0, 1, 1)"},{"offset":0.61,"transform":"translate3d(0, 0%, 0)","easing":"cubic-bezier(0, 0, .5, 1)"},{"offset":0.71,"transform":"translate3d(0, -27.581856184000003%, 0)","easing":"cubic-bezier(.5, 0, 1, 1)"},{"offset":0.8,"transform":"translate3d(0, 0%, 0)","easing":"cubic-bezier(0, 0, .5, 1)"},{"offset":0.85,"transform":"translate3d(0, -10.357621726000001%, 0)","easing":"cubic-bezier(.5, 0, 1, 1)"},{"offset":0.92,"transform":"translate3d(0, 0%, 0)","easing":"cubic-bezier(0, 0, .5, 1)"},{"offset":0.96,"transform":"translate3d(0, -4.500804984%, 0)","easing":"cubic-bezier(.5, 0, 1, 1)"},{"offset":1,"transform":"translate3d(0, 0%, 0)","easing":"cubic-bezier(0, 0, .5, 1)"}],"delay":0,"duration":600,"fill":"both"}] Lottery retailers often post the winning numbers on a display board or monitor inside their stores shortly after the drawing. If you bought your ticket locally, you can check the results right there in the store.

[{"selector":"#anim-c5cf0368-4141-4f0f-8450-704f51816419","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-a53abe1f-4c5e-4d11-ae87-e4935917be42","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(0.3333333333333333)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] Billie Bob Harrell Jr. won $31 million in the Texas Lottery in 1997. His generosity spiraled out of control , as he gave away money to friends, family, and strangers.

[{"selector":"#anim-095178f0-5f17-448d-ac3f-771efc7c75fd","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(1)","scale(1.5)","scale(0.95)","scale(1)"],"offset":[0,0.33,0.66,1]},"delay":0,"duration":1500,"easing":"ease-in-out","fill":"both","iterations":1}] STAY TURNED FOR DEVELOPMENT Learn more