Assassination, abduction or substance abuse – all a part of a curse following lottery winners.
Gamers may even see the lottery as a fortunate ticket that can make all their desires come true.
This can be the case for one fortunate particular person from France, who has simply scooped the £216,150,000 EuroMillions jackpot.
The particular person’s id isn’t identified but, however Nationwide Lottery confirmed that one particular person has gained the large jackpot, equal to 250million Euros.
They matched the numbers 24, 31, 34, 41, and 43, whereas the fortunate stars had been 06 and 08.
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Different previous fortunate winners embody the Irish ticket holder who pocketed the £208 million EuroMillions jackpot in July.
As did the Britons who, solely just lately this yr, noticed £83,000,000 and £65,000,000 jackpots drop into their financial institution accounts.
However these tickets change into a take care of the satan.
Consider it or not, the truth of scooping a jackpot is completely different to what many people think about.
Historical past has numerous examples of winners whose lives took a flip for the more serious after scooping a big sum of cash.
Some research counsel lottery winners within the US usually tend to declare chapter inside three to 5 years in comparison with the common citizen.
Round one-third discover themselves in monetary hassle – and it doesn’t finish there.
The stress could power somebody to spiral into despair, and result in alcohol and drug abuse and issues with household and associates.
One such instance within the UK is Michael Carroll, a bin man who gained £9,700,000 on the Nationwide Lottery in 2002 – however declared chapter 9 years later.
Dubbed the ‘Lotto lout’, he gave £4 million to family and friends, together with £1,400,000 to his spouse Sandra Aiken.
However shortly after the couple wed in 2003, she determined she had had sufficient.
Over the subsequent few years, Carroll appeared in courtroom greater than 30 instances whereas a mansion he purchased in Norfolk fell right into a state of disrepair.
He has admitted he wasted thousands and thousands on cocaine, playing, prostitutes and consuming two bottles of vodka a day.
By 2013, Carroll was broke and homeless, so he returned to Scotland and labored in a biscuit manufacturing facility after which a slaughterhouse earlier than touchdown a job as a coal man.
Alongside chapter and substance abuse, there are cases of individuals dealing with threats comparable to kidnapping after successful the lottery.
In 1960, Sydney salesperson Bazil Thorne and his spouse Freda scooped the equal of £1,500,000.
The seven greatest Euro Hundreds of thousands winners ever
€250 million (£216,150,000), August 19, 2025, nameless winner, France
€250 million (£209,087,500), March 28, 2025, nameless winner, Austria
€250 million (£208,000,000), June 17, 2025, nameless winner, Eire
€240 million (£200,733,952), December 8, 2023, nameless winner, Austria
€230 million (£192,376,378), July 19, 2022, nameless winner, UK
€220 million (£184,022,527), October 15, 2021, nameless winner, Haiti (French Polynesia)
€215 million (£179,830,489), Could 10, 2022, Jess and Joe Thwaite, UK
The couple grew to become in a single day celebrities, however the fame and fortune introduced tragedy.
It was on July 7 when their son Graeme was kidnapped whereas on his solution to faculty.
A hefty ransom demand was issued with threats to throw the eight-year-old to the sharks in Sydney.
His physique was finally found on waste floor in a suburb. The case is also referred to as the primary kidnapping for ransom in Australia.
A well-liked Reddit thread attracted feedback on the darkish facet of successful the lottery.
Person BlakeClass gave their tackle the pitfalls of a jackpot win, from unfortunate tales of woe to what it is best to instantly do if you happen to match all of the numbers.
‘It’s one thing of an open secret that winners of obnoxiously giant jackpots have a tendency to finish up badly with alarming regularity,’ they wrote.
Sharing some key steps folks ought to take after successful, they listed: ‘So, what the hell do you do in case you are unfortunate sufficient to win the lottery?
‘That is the completely most vital factor you are able to do immediately. Nothing. Don’t inform anybody.
‘1) Instantly retain an legal professional. 2) Resolve to take the lump sum. 3) Resolve proper now, how a lot you propose to present to household and associates. 4) You’ll be inspired to rent an funding supervisor. Appreciable stress will likely be utilized. Don’t.
‘Funding managers cost charges, often a proportion of property.’
This text was initially printed on March 29, 2025
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