23 Lottery Winners Who Lost Millions

one line man / Shutterstock.com
one line man / Shutterstock.com

The odds of winning the Mega Millions or Powerball are slim -- but the odds of your life devolving into chaos if you somehow pull it off are actually quite good.

Most lottery dreams share a few common themes: yachts and lobster tails, big tips, fast cars, the fast life and a mansion for mom. In reality, instant entry to the nouveau riche class has a way of wrecking friendships, destroying marriages, ending in bankruptcy or worse.

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Winning the lottery might seem like a dream come true, but mountains of unearned money are irresistible to greedy and resentful friends and relatives, con artists and charity cases, who scurry out of the woodwork to grab as much of it as they can. In other cases, it's the lottery winners themselves who can't get out of their own way -- reckless spending, giving, partying and gambling leave some worse off than they started.

Read on to learn about the hardest-luck cases of lottery loss.

Bob Bird/AP
Bob Bird/AP

Jack Whittaker

In 2002, Jack Whittaker won a $314 million Powerball jackpot which, at the time, was the biggest lottery prize in history. The West Virginia construction worker, known for his outsized cowboy hats and even bigger personality, remains one of the most extreme cautionary tales about the lottery's power to ruin lives. Whittaker reveled in the ability to give handouts, which he did until the money ran out, donating stacks of cash to churches, diner waitresses, family members, strangers and his local strip club.

His life turned to turmoil, according to ABC News. His wife left, his house burned down, he ran afoul of the law, he lost a daughter to cancer and a granddaughter to drugs. In 2020, Whitaker died at the age of 72.

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Ken McKay / Shutterstock.com
Ken McKay / Shutterstock.com

Lara and Roger Griffiths

Lara and Roger Griffiths' marriage ended in divorce less than a decade after the British couple won a $2.19 million jackpot. Roger chased his rock star dreams and spent big bucks for his band to release an album. Lara got a taste for the high life as the couple paid for exotic cars, an expensive house, designer clothes and accessories, and a pricey private school for their daughter.

They dumped hundreds of thousands of dollars into opening a salon, where Lara later worked as an employee to make ends meet. In the end, the couple was left with less than $10.

Tony Gutierrez/AP
Tony Gutierrez/AP

David Lee Edwards

Five years after Kentucky resident David Lee Edwards won a $27 million jackpot, he was penniless and living in a storage shed with his wife. The couple squandered their fortune on the typical goodies that sink so many lucky winners. They bought dozens of high-end cars, mansions and a plane.