Landing the jackpot kerry899 can bring good fortune, yet can also have tragic repercussions. Some lottery winners end up spending their winnings irresponsibly and with tragic results.

Jack Whittaker took home the largest single Powerball prize ever given away; using it to give handouts to churches, diner waitresses and strangers.

1. David Lee Edwards

David Lee Edwards was a convicted felon from Ashland, Kentucky who rose from poverty to fortune when he won one-quarter of the $280 million Powerball jackpot in 2001. Unfortunately, all his winnings were spent within five years and he ended up living in a shed covered in human waste.

He used his money to acquire a mansion, several expensive cars and a Learjet; three losing racehorses; limo service business and fiber optic installation company. When hospice came calling at age 58 – penniless.

2. Mickey Carroll

After winning a five-million-dollar jackpot from New Jersey state lottery, construction worker Jay Sommers found himself under attack by coworkers. Unfortunately, that is exactly what happened.

Carroll was known as the self-styled King of Chavs but had begun frittering away his prize money on drink and drug binges, leading him into jail before eventually settling down and marrying Sandra in 2021. Now operating a double glazing business out of Sunderland.

3. Sharon Tirabassi

Sharon Tirabassi won $10.5 million from the Canadian Lotto Super 7 lottery in 2004, but quickly spent it all in less than 10 years and now lives paycheck-to-paycheck. Excessive spending and giving, coupled with poor investments led her down this path of financial ruin.

She spent her windfall money on cars, vacations and family loans; unfortunately this left her with many broken relationships and little to show for it.

4. Keith Gough

Lotterie winners often fall prey to friends and family as well as financial advisers eager to assist in spending their winnings, which makes retaining it all so hard.

Some previous winners may have frittered away their wealth irresponsibly; others have wisely invested theirs, like one couple that owned a Subway restaurant which brought them steady income.

5. Evelyn Basehore

Evelyn Basehore made headlines for her lavish spending after winning a lottery prize, spending every cent on bad investments and blowing the rest off at Atlantic City casinos.

Her luck didn’t hold in Atlantic City either; by 2000 she was broke and living in a trailer park despite winning the lottery. Her experience is but one example among many that prove winning isn’t always as much of a victory as it seems to be.

6. William “Bud” Post

Post’s misfortune in winning a lottery jackpot stands as one of the greatest tragedies ever witnessed by a lottery jackpot winner. Starting out with only $2.46 in his bank account, he pawned his ring for cash and gave it to his landlady to purchase 40 tickets – in short an amazing tale of woe.

After winning a $16.2 million Pennsylvania state lottery jackpot, he spent recklessly and got himself deeply into debt within one year, buying an overpriced mansion in Oil City along with car lots, restaurants and even an aeroplane that he didn’t know how to fly.

7. Jeffrey Dampier

While most people dream of winning the lottery, snagging a jackpot may not always make things better for winners – indeed there have been cases in which their lives turned more negative post-prize than expected.

Dampier was a security guard from Chicago’s West Side who won $20 Million in 1996. While most of it went into investments like real estate and low-risk bonds, Dampier spent some of it lavishly on cruises and gifts for his wife’s family members.

8. Ronnie Music Jr.

One of the primary pieces of advice when winning a lottery prize is avoiding short-term investments that might prove risky, such as Ronnie Music Jr of Georgia who used his $3 Million winnings to invest in his crystal meth business.

A 45-year-old claimed the top prize on an instant 100X the Money scratch ticket in early 2015 and told state lottery officials that he and his wife planned to use some of it for savings purposes.

9. Evelyn Adams

Lottery jackpot wins may seem like an incredible blessing, but life after winning can often prove to be much more complex than anticipated. Many former winners have quickly spent through their fortunes and ended up financially strapped.

Yancy was an intelligent winner who made the most of her prize. Using her winnings to launch a double glazing business in Sunderland that continues to thrive over two decades later.