What would you do, if you won a major lottery? Most of us like to think we’d be smart, and caring. We’d invest in something, bank most of it and live of the interest, maybe start a business, and buy a home. And, of course, we’d take care of our loved ones, so that they were comfortable. We’re sure that some of these people thought like that, too. But it doesn’t always work out that way, does it? You can’t guarantee that every lottery winner has a head on their shoulders, and here’s proof of it.
Smash it up
Michael Carroll is notorious in the United Kingdom. The lager lout spent the vast majority of his lottery win on racing cars. What’s stupid about that you may ask? Well, as it turns out, Carroll wasn’t really interested in racing them. Instead, he wanted to crash them all. In a sport much akin to the video game Demolition Derby, he splashed the cash, smashed the cars, and indulged in a life of drugs and women. He even ended up in jail. Stupid spending doesn’t get much worse. But whilst we’re on drugs, let’s take a look at another silly purchase.
The drugs won’t work
When Callie Rogers purchased her very first lottery ticket, at age 16, and won – she couldn’t believe her eyes. The teenager pocketed £1.9m. That would be more than enough to confuse any teenager, but Callie did a spectacular job of spending it. Illegally. The then 16-year-old blasted her loot on drugs. Within 6 years, her small jackpot win was gone, and she needed to work as a maid just to make ends meet. Stupidity, as it turns out, can hurt.
Scoring an own goal
Most football fans in the United Kingdom would be interested in owning their beloved football club. That was certainly the case with John McGuiness. A die-hard Livingston FC fan, he decided to purchase the football club when it was suffering and going under. Unfortunately for John, he’d only won £4m, and by the end of his 18 month tenure, the club remained £2m in debt. It is certainly extravagant, but was it really smart?
Gambling and hotels
When Alex Troth won his jackpot, one would have thought he’d have bought a nice home. Not Alex. Instead, this silly spender decided to book a hotel room, at the cost of £1,000 a night. That alone is not exactly stupid. Staying there for three months whilst you blow the rest of your cash on gambling, is. He stayed at the hotel with his family, and for a short while, they were held in absolute comfort. That is until the time came to pay his tax bill. Whoops, Mr silly spender, big whoops.
Winning, but not really…
The funniest lottery purchase was made by somebody who hadn’t actually won the lottery! Stupefied? Well, not as much as this guy. Meet Howard Walmsley. This painter and decorator had actually convinced his closest friends, his bank and even shops that he’d landed a massive lottery win. The funny thing is, he hadn’t. He loaned out three of the latest Jaguars and splashed money that the bank thought he’d be getting back. The joke was solely on them, though. After an extensive period of waiting, the jig was up and everybody laughed at Howard, when he ended up in prison for 3 years for fraud. Still, it was a good ride, I’ll bet.
Leave a Reply