Many people probably fantasize about winning the lottery. In reality, the odds of winning any lottery are 1 in 300 million. We actually have a better chance of getting hit by lightning than we do winning the big lottery prize. Nevertheless, about 50% of Americans still buy at least one lottery ticket a year, hoping they will be that one lucky person among the 300 million.

I personally have won only a few bucks. But what’s it like to know a winner of a real lottery prize? One netizen was curious to know, so they asked: “Have you ever actually met/know someone who has won the lottery? What happened to them?” Surprisingly, there are a lot of folks who know lottery winners! And each story differs from the rest.

#1

My friends mom won like $100k or so when we were in grade 6. She was a single mom of 2 and they we’re pretty poor. She used it to give her kids a better, more comfortable life. It was little changes like the next winter they had new winter jackets and boots and stuff, not the worn old hand me downs they always had. My friends next birthday she got to have a big party for the whole class, nothing crazy just pizzas and stuff, but she’s never gotten to have that before and she was so happy.

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#2

My MIL won 33k on a scratch-off, she paid off some debt and got new windows installed on her house. The new windows in an 1890s farmhouse are amazing, don’t think I’ve seen a happier woman!

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#3

Friend won 1 million. They paid off their house. Saved for their kids education and basically don’t live paycheque to paycheque anymore. Both of them still work full time.

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#4

I had a patient, a hairdresser who owned her own shop, who won about 6 million. Her winnings were announced in the local newspaper.

She consulted the right professionals, worked a plan to sell her salon, and mapped a way to retire on her winnings without a change in her lifestyle.

But she told me that she had old boyfriends, and even guys that barely knew her in high school, who called her with some variation of, “you know I always loved you…”

She just laughed and blew them off.

Image credits: Earguy

#5

I won $250k on a $5 scratch off 8 years ago.it was right before Christmas and i had been fired 2 weeks befor. After taxes we got a check for $167k and some change. Paid off all credit cards, bought the wife a brand new honda accord, bought a small business. Lived off it for the next several years while I grew my business and my wife got her masters. It was life changing!

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#6

My sister’s ex won around $150 million. Nicest guy, his brother manages the money so he doesn’t blow it. Living his best life, money never changed him, because he was already so chill. Dude deserves it after putting up with my sister. Helped out my niece (not his daughter) with college.

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#7

My neighbor won the lottery in his sixties, it was something like 1.2 million in the late 90s. We lived in a trailer park in a rural part of the US, a pretty low cost of living area so the money stretched pretty far.He bought his trailer and land outright with the money and pretty much just spent everyday drinking on his porch and yelling at his goats. IIRC he used a good chunk of what he won to put his son and grandkids through college. Died of liver failure at like 85 or something. Not a terrible way to do it, all said and done.

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#8

A woodwork teacher from high school won the lottery twice, I think it was [only] around 250k each time, so he didn’t quit his job – but he completely gave up on trying to keep the class under control, he’d usually just show us YouTube videos of him racing superbikes in the countryside

He gave me a decent grade for a clock I made at least.

Image credits: helenemayer

#9

My uncle won $85k take home in the fantasy 5.

He spent the next month changing it into small bills and keeping it his in his garage.

My aunt never found out.

Anytime he wanted to make a purchase that was a little more than she would approve, he would act like the worlds best saver and break out all these smaller bills and pretend he saved it all.

He bought a newer bass boat and motorcycle among other things.

He’s my hero.

Image credits: anon

#10

I won 1500 US dollars. Received like 950 because taxes. Donated it all to an orphanage in my home country because I was doing ok with money. Since then there have been times I needed the money but I don’t regret it.

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#11

I won 2000 on a scratch off once! Fixed my missing tooth lol.

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#12

Someone got 30k or something. Not too much, not too less. She got a lot of hate for not “sharing her riches” whatever the f**k that means.

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#13

My aunts husband won $36 million. They bought property and travelled. He liked to fish and drink and build stuff. He passed away 3 years ago, but he was an awesome dude.

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#14

Friends of ours won 30 mill. They took a group of us on vacation. Bought a cottage and built a house not much really changed. They are doing great.

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#15

I knew a welder who won a 30 million jackpot.

He retired, bought two Ford GTs and spends his time doing yardwork, playing low stakes poker tournaments, and raising his two young kids.

His wife bought a crib from me used for their second child.

Image credits: PigStickerOnStone

#16

I sold mortgages for a bit and talked to a lady who was dead broke, in mountains of debt and was trying to consolidate debt and refinance her house.

Through the course of conversation, it came to light that she won almost $4 million playing the lottery (and took home ~$2 mil after taxes) about 3 years earlier.

She was in bad financial shape, so I asked what she did with all the money and how she got into the situation she was in, and she honestly had no idea.

Her words were essentially “We took a few trips, bought 2 new cars, paid off the house and stuff, but I have no clue how I spent $2 million and racked up over $100k in credit card debt in 3 years.”.

Image credits: perkasiedude

#17

Neighbor won a few millions, built an old folks home, named it after his mother and she refused to live there.

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#18

Coworkers sister won 2mil. 6 months later asking him, and me, at our job, for help to feed her children.

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#19

My dad

He hit 5 outta 6 numbers in 1989 won like 16 grand. Payed off the family debts spent the rest on a computer and started his own business out of our dining room. Bout to sell it for a couple million this year. One ticket literally changed our lives.

Image credits: Punkrockid19

#20

Aunts older brother won severel millions in the 90s. Several trips to rehab 2 bankruptcy filings and now he’s back working as a janitor.

Image credits: Temporary-Childhood3

#21

Two people, actually. One was a friend of mine in high school who won $15k on a scratch and win. She rented a house downtown and threw a party. Somebody said I should stop by and check in on her, because they’d been down to the party and hardly recognized anybody. Sure enough, I got there, my friend met me on the door, put waaay too much money in my hands and told me to go get a bottle of wine. She just partied with whoever was around until it was gone, took about three weeks.

Next was a friend of mine from Toronto who is mostly known for doing zombie walks. She won a ‘cash for life’ dealio and I think it’s around ten thousand a month. She bought a theramin and started making 50s-style monster movies and is generally living a high-rolling rockabilly lifestyle.

Image credits: greihund

#22

Technically, a kid from schools parents won a few hundred thousand.
His parents were chill, acted like they had the same money as before
But the kid was acting like a baller.

Image credits: BaldEaglz1776

#23

I know 2 people who have won significant sums (well, significant for me).

First guy won $100k back in the early 2000’s. Him and his wife agreed to split it between them. She bought a car. He slowly lost most of his half over the course of a couple of years playing in poker tournaments.

Other people aren’t friends, but I see them a few times a year. They won $61 million in 2013. They bought a home in my mom’s neighborhood (lakeside property, but priced in the $200k – $500k range back in 2013, depending on which lot). I’d met them several times before finding out that they were “screw you” rich. You’d never know they were more than a regular retired couple who had enough money in the bank to take cruises and such. They are some of the most down-to-earth people I know; nice cars, but nothing fancy, etc.

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#24

A friend of mine won about $250,000 at a casino, and then he lost almost all of it.

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#25

My stepdad’s brother won 4.3m 20 years ago. Still chillin. Invested in real estate and kept rolling them over for profit.

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#26

When I was 10 in late 70’s my friends family won 3 million. I went to his house to see if he was coming out. The house was empty and they were gone and I never saw him again.

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#27

Yep. A friend won the big Canadian lotto. Won 7 figures. Bought a beautiful home on Vancouver Island and kept his job with the BC government.

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#28

Worked with a guy who won like $3k/week for life on a scratch off. He continued working for like 6 months before he bought a truck and went and lived the O/O life in the oil fields of North Dakota. Bought everyone pizza on his last day.

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#29

A mates brother was in a syndicate at work back in the early 90s. They won and he gave his car to his brother and was looking at buying a house. It turned out that it was the most people ever at the time to win and he ended up only getting $20K. He asked his brother for his car back.

Image credits: MrFartyBottom

#30

I know someone who won $100,000 (after taxes) in his 20s. He bought his dream vehicle, a $20k motorcycle. The rest he used as a down payment on a house. It wasn’t life-changing money, but enough to give him a jump start on adult life. Kept his day job.

Image credits: cozy_fyre

#31

I know TWO people that won $30 million each – a coworker of my dad (my dad had to cover his shift when he didn’t show for work – turned out he was at the lottery office claiming his win) and my sister’s former assistant (she is still in touch with her – she built a home in and moved to France with her husband).

#32

Not the lottery, but I know someone who got into a minor accident on a rich person’s property and made $2 million in a settlement. Spent nearly all of it on d***s and alcohol.

#33

Worked with a dude who had the top part of his ear bitten off by some rich person’s dog. Ended up getting like a quarter million.

The only thing he had to show for it was a beat up bmw and a d**g induced speech impediment.

#34

Worked with a guy in the 90’s that won 28 million. Never saw him again.

#35

Met a couple that were working class from a small town in Ohio. They won $32million. They took the annuity or they would have spent it all within a few years. Both families felt like they should support them and expected handouts. Still do. They have no idea of the value of money. Nice people but it really did not so them any favors.

#36

Hard to believe but I know a few people.

– There was a middle aged guy in my childhood neighbourhood who won 10 million, he bought 2 cars within 2 weeks of winning it – Dodge Viper and a Bentley. He then sold his house and Last I heard he moved down south. He also gave some to his kids and he has a son that opened a heat pump business.

– My parents have a camper trailer in a trailer park and a couple who they sold their old trailer to won 1 million. They sold the trailer my parents sold to them and bought a brand new one (unsure of what else they did with the money), they still continue to work full time.

– My uncle, won 50k. He’s retired from the military and also has a job working for the government, he clears over 150k a year with his military pension along with his job. He was literally in the middle of building a 400k house when he won it. He split it amongst his 3 children (my cousins) and didn’t keep a dime.

#37

When I worked at a bank I helped a guy deposit a $300K+ check. The man looked like a regular guy, dressed in dockers and a polo, drove a 90s or 00s Camry type car, at first I was wary of the amount of the check but we got to talking (and I called to verify the check) and he said that he won something like $15million and this was his yearly check.

I always thought that was really smart of him to not draw attention to himself by dressing casual and driving a “beater”. At the time I looked up his address and he did have a nice house on the water, I’m sure he has other fancier cars but you wouldn’t know.

#38

Mom won a bit and was able to get my siblings and I new clothes and move out so she didn’t have to stay in an abusive relationship.

#39

Yes sir! Dude was a broke redneck hillby that was drunk off his a*s, drove to the gas station for more beer, got a lotto ticket, won a bunch of money.

The story as I heard it was, this was ’01-ish, was after taxes and whatever he had $40M. Talked to a financial advisor, and they came up with a plan. $20M for him to blow, $20M for the advisor to invest. All tech stocks the investor tells him. So that is what they did.

Guy bought a new house, a boat, a car, vacation, new wife, the whole 9. I mean who cares if you blow it right, $20M is invested in .com stuff!

I dont see him much anymore. I dont think he has worked since then, but he is basically back to where he started, plus $1M or so…?

The guy was a tool, and not polite. But I feel bad that he actually had a decent plan to invest half, just a terrible financial advisor.

#40

Not a huge jackpot but a coworker won $10,000. Timing couldn’t have been better because it was right before she got married. Nice way to start off.

#41

A family friend won $200k. Payed off his student loans, put a down payment on a house and saved/invested the rest. He is an accountant. So not life altering but definitely set himself up good for his life.

#42

Old Guy won $1 mil at a casino. Paid his house off and went into retirement. Got bored 6 months later and worked in the cart barn at the municipal golf course. Played most days; then died a few years later from brain cancer.

#43

My wife, she got me. That’s basically the lottery. She feels differently.

#44

My grandparents won a couple hundred thousand back in the 80’s. Paid off their mortgage, and increased their retirement savings. Very practical. They still both worked until their mid-60’s when they sold their business.

#45

Neighbor won the state lotto back in the 1970s. He won $300,000 bought a new house. Nothing special happy ending!

#46

Relative won over $100 million. Got new houses, hired security to make sure kids stayed safe, then relationships with relatives and friends deteriorated because everyone thinks that money is theirs.

#47

I won the lottery once. Got 2 grand. I bought a computer.

#48

A girl I went to school with, her grandparents won 8 mil. They fixed up their house and cottage, then kept living normally beyond that.

#49

A friend of a friend won a high 6 figure settlement for police brutality.

They were trash and the money vaporized in a few years…. New cars that they trashed, a building that they didnt take care of.

The usual tale of ‘If your not good with little money, you’re going to be worse with a lot of money’.

#50

My aunt won 200k in a slot machine. She owned like 25% of a chevy dealership, she sold her part, retired and she takes like 1 week vacation every 2 months.

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