{"id":410,"date":"2017-03-15T08:51:22","date_gmt":"2017-03-15T08:51:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/planet7\/blog\/?p=410"},"modified":"2024-02-22T10:25:18","modified_gmt":"2024-02-22T10:25:18","slug":"lottery-winners-success-stories-and-catastrophic-failures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.planet7casino.com\/fun-time\/lottery-winners-success-stories-and-catastrophic-failures\/","title":{"rendered":"Lottery winners\u2019 success stories\u2026 and catastrophic failures"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Admit it: you\u2019ve thought about it. We\u2019ve all thought about it. That secret dream, that far-fetched fantasy, that almost guilt-inducing question that flits through your mind every now and then. You know what I\u2019m talking about. What would I do if I won the lottery?<\/em> Some lottery winners went from hero to zero fast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like I said \u2013 we\u2019ve all thought about it. Everyone has some type of plan for when they cash that check worth millions. But for many who actually win, nothing goes according to plan. In fact, everything goes terribly, horribly wrong. Important lessons of the incredible importance of properly manage your bankroll when gambling<\/a>, learning to take your winnings in stride and how to budget when the table goes cold to learn to live to play another day! Listed here are only a few lottery winners who had millions of dollars one day, thanks to a lack of foresight and self-control, and not long after\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026 WERE BROKE:<\/h2>\n\n\n
\n
\"lottery<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

In 2002, Michael “Lotto Lout” Carroll<\/strong> showed up to collect a \u00a39.7 million lottery prize wearing an ankle monitor. What a great sign indicating how this fairytale might end. Carroll was not conservative with his cash, and at one point was smoking \u00a32,000 worth of crack cocaine per day and hosting huge drug and alcohol-fueled parties <\/a>in his home worth \u00a3325,000. His wife, fed up with his lifestyle, left him with their daughter shortly after his win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He admitted that once in 2004, \u00a3100,000 worth of gold was stolen from him \u2013 but, the next day he \u201cwent out and bought it all again.\u201d Over the next eight years, Carroll managed to spend the entirety of his fortune on drugs, expensive jewelry, gambling<\/a>, and an estimated \u00a3100,000 on prostitutes, and in 2010 was receiving government assistance \u2013 a meager \u00a342 per week. But, this story isn\u2019t all bad, since Carroll seems pretty happy. \u201cThe party has ended and it\u2019s back to reality,\u201d he said. \u201cI haven\u2019t got two pennies to rub together and that\u2019s the way I like it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can Lightning Strike Twice?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Evelyn Adams<\/strong> won the New Jersey lottery not once, but twice in two years, collecting a total of $5.4 million in 1985 and 1986. She spent it on gambling and gave money to friends and family, saying, \u201cEverybody wanted my money. Everybody had their hand out. I never learned one simple word in the English language \u2013 \u2018No.\u2019\u201d Adams lost all her winnings, and currently lives in a trailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

William \u201cBud\u201d Post III<\/strong> won his $16.2 million in Pennsylvania in 1998, and everything went downhill from there. His brother hired a hit man to kill both him and his sixth wife, relatives convinced him to invest in shoddy business plans, and Post was arrested and jailed after he \u201cfired a shotgun at a man trying to collect a debt.\u201d Post died in 2006 of respiratory failure. At the time was living off a monthly allowance and food stamps after declaring bankruptcy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026 WERE MURDERED:<\/h2>\n\n\n
\n
\"Lottery<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

In 2006, Abraham Shakespeare<\/strong> won the staggering $31 million jackpot in Florida. Three years later, after having spent most of his fortune, Shakespeare mysteriously disappeared. In 2010, his body was found buried underneath a slab of concrete. Police charged a woman close to him \u2013 and who gained $1.8 million during their friendship \u2013 with his murder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jeffrey Dampier<\/strong> won $20 million in 2006 in Illinois, and used his winnings to move to Florida, where he opened a gourmet popcorn shop. In other words, he was one of the most level-headed big lottery winners ever. Unfortunately, less than ten years later in 2005, Dampier was robbed, kidnapped, and murdered by his own sister-in-law and her boyfriend. One of the jurors who convicted Dampier\u2019s sister-in-law was quoted saying, \u201cHe didn\u2019t deserve this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026 COMMITTED SUICIDE:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Billie Bob Harrell Jr.<\/strong> won $31 million in 1997 in the Texas Lottery jackpot. He bought a ranch, several houses for himself and family members, new automobiles, and made large donations to his church. But Harrell\u2019s generosity backfired. Not long after winning, he found everyone asking for money, including relatives, church members, friends, and even strangers. His spending and contributions piled up, and eventually ended his marriage. Less than two years after winning, Harrell committed suicide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026 LOST EVERYTHING:<\/h2>\n\n\n
\n
\"lottery<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

In 2002, Jack Whittaker<\/strong> won the largest jackpot ever at the time, worth $314.9 million. Then, everything that could go wrong did. His car was broken into twice with a total of $745,000 stolen (of which $200,000 was recovered). Two club employees planned to drug and rob him. Later, Whittaker\u2019s granddaughter was reported missing and later found dead of an overdose at a friend\u2019s house. Whittaker was charged with a DUI and sued by Caesars Atlantic City casino for writing faulty checks to cover $1.5 million in gambling losses. Later, Whittaker\u2019s daughter was found dead. And in 2016 his home completely burned down. Whittaker has since said that he believes he is cursed, and regrets winning. \u201cI wish I\u2019d torn that ticket up,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, what\u2019s the old saying? Be careful what you wish for. In the long run, it\u2019s probably better to lose a few bucks at the tables than end up like these lottery winners. Play wise, play well and have fun at Planet 7 Casino<\/a>! And if you do join this club, or hit a million-dollar progressive jackpot on slots, remember: easy come, easy go. And try to keep a low profile.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"real<\/a><\/figure><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sometimes when dreams come true too easy, things go downhill fast!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":677,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"yoast_head":"\nLottery winners\u2019 success stories & failures | Planet 7<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Winning the lottery may seam like a dream. But sometimes, things go downhill fast. 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