I won big on the lottery but refuse to give any cash to my family even though my mum’s sick – I have my own problems
A MAN has revealed that his family are incredibly upset with him, after he won a large amount of money on the lottery and refused to share it with them.
He revealed that his parents are struggling financially, but added that he believes that he needs the money more himself.
Taking to Reddit, the man revealed that the £227,000 win had been a lifeline after his divorce, as his ex had kept their car, and a lot of their savings.
He said: “My family is upset because I won’t split the money, citing a casual promise made years ago.
“However, I’m struggling with guilt.
“My family isn’t wealthy, my mum is diabetic and my dad is retired, and they do have their financial challenges.
“Naturally, I feel a pull to help them.
“Yet, considering my own recent hardships and the fact that I’m essentially starting from zero, I also feel I need to prioritise myself.”
The man added that he is planning a small, budget-friendly wedding with his new partner, and plans to spend some of the money on that.
He then asked if he was in the wrong for not giving the money to his family, and the posts was flooded with hundreds of comments.
Many people said that he had made the right decision by not sharing his winnings.
One person said: “My dad has always told me if you ever win the lottery do not ever tell anybody.
“Money changes people whether they want to admit it or not.”
Another person said: “Don’t let them manipulate you into spending it all on them.
“Take care of the urgent bills and invest the rest. Take care of yourself.”
Curse of lotto winners
Despite hitting the jackpot, countless UK lotto winners have suffered astonishing tragedies and lost their fortunes.
Callie Rogers
Callie became Britain’s youngest lottery winner when she won £1.9million in 2003.
The 16-year-old from Cumbria gave up her £3.60-an-hour checkout job and went on a spending spree, purchasing a £180,000 bungalow and a £76,000 home for her mum.
But she ultimately blew thousands on wild parties, three boob jobs and drugs, plus around £300,000 on designer clothes.
Eighteen years after her win, Callie was found to be claiming Universal Credit after blowing her fortune.
Michael Carrol
The self-styled ‘King of Chavs’ was 19 when he scooped £9,736,131 on the National Lottery in November 2002.
The part-time binman, who was wearing an electronic tag when he bought his winning ticket, immediately bought a £340,000 six-bedroom home in Norfolk.
He spent a further £400,000 on lavish home upgrades and dropped £49,000 on a BMW to park in his drive. He most notably invested £1million in Rangers FC shares.
Michael’s wife, Sandra, left him over his incessant party boy lifestyle and took £1.4million from the divorce settlement. By 2010, he had declared bankruptcy.
Roger Griffiths
Griffiths and his wife Lara netted £1.8million on the National Lottery in 2005.
Quitting their day jobs, the couple enjoyed expensive holidays and luxury motors and also splashed £800,000 on a barn conversion in Wetherby, West Yorks.
After wannabe rock star Roger spent £25,000 making a music record, the couple divested into safer assets but the global financial crisis hit and rendered them worthless.
In 2010, their uninsured home tragically went up in flames – and all their funds dried up three years later.
Lee Ryan
Ex-jailbird Ryan scooped the £6.5million jackpot just 17 weeks after the lottery was launched in 1994.
It later emerged he was accused of handling stolen cars and was imprisoned for 18 months after his huge payout.
Once released he spent a decade enjoying his riches, even buying a helicopter and a £2million mansion but ultimately ended up penniless.
Lee was dealt his final blow when he took an ill-fated trip to Kyrgyzstan and invested the last of his winnings in property, which failed due to an economic crisis.
Gillian and Adrian Bayford
The loving couple’s lives changed overnight in 2012 when they scooped a staggering £148million.
But just 15 months after the win, their eight-year marriage ended with both parties partly blaming stress on their mind-boggling win.
Adrian shacked up with ex-horse groomer Samantha Burbidge, who ended up bolting with his money, 30 horses, a horse box, and a car he gifted her.
Gillian was convicted of attacking her ex-lover Gavin Innes. She then moved on and started dating fraudster Brian Deans, who ended up in jail, and last made the headlines in 2021 for claiming nearly £40,000 in furlough cash.
Margaret Loughrey
Margaret scooped £27million in 2013 and became Northern Ireland’s biggest winner at the time.
However, the 48-year-old later admitted the huge fortune didn’t bring her any happiness.
She told local media: “Money has brought me nothing but grief. It has destroyed my life.”
Tragically, in September last year, Margaret, by now in her 50s, was found dead in her home.
Martyn and Kay Tott
The Totts got the shock of their lives when they realised they’d won £3million back in 2001 – six months after buying the ticket.
By the time they saw an appeal for the winner to come forward, they couldn’t find the ticket.
Computer records in their local Londis proved Kay really had purchased the ticket.
But a little-known rule stipulating that lost tickets must be reported within 30 days meant they would never receive the cash – eventually putting too much strain on their marriage and causing it to break down.
A third person said: “They will call you selfish and take your money until you are broke and they won’t feel guilty.
It’s your money, prioritise yourself.”
A fourth person added: “You were stupid for telling your family about your windfall.
“Either way, they are not entitled to your money.”
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