The lottery spawns many of America’s favorite “get rich” stories. Everyone loves a good lottery story that involves a deserving person and a winning ticket. We see them in the news, holding their giant checks and beaming as they tell their stories. Surely, it is all happily ever after from there…..isn’t it?
Actually, no. The lottery people have yet to print out a warning of the possible side effects of winning the lottery which may include, long lost relatives coming forward, a deluge of pitiful sob stories from strangers, snake oil salesmen who want you to invest with them, relative with big ideas and people who are suddenly suing you, claiming that they bought the ticket or are entitled to a share.
Few people heed the warning of the curse of the lottery. Everyone assumes that if they struck it rich, then they would be set for life, and you never need to fear bankruptcy again. The fact is that you are MORE likely to file bankruptcy after winning the lottery. Filing for bankruptcy is actually one of the lesser curses of the lottery.
Andrew Jackson Whittaker wishes he had never won 314.9 million back in 2002. He opted for an instant payout of 111 million and pledged 10% to his church. Things quickly went downhill from there as he was caught up in a whirlwind of lawsuits, divorce, drunk driving and being robbed of over 750,000 at a strip club in two separate robberies. But those were the nice parts compared to the fact that his beloved granddaughter was caught up into the party life and died of a drug overdose. But at least Jack lived which is more than we can say about Abraham Shakespeare.
Abraham Shakespeare won 31 million back in 2006, and then mysteriously disappeared about 3 years later. His money disappeared just as mysteriously, although a female friend claimed he has given her over a million dollars just because they were friends. Turns out she wasn’t such a great friend after all, when Abraham’s body was found under a slab in her boyfriend’s yard.
William Post struck it rich in 1988 when he won 16.2 million. But within a mere 2 years after winning, he had been sued by his girlfriend who claimed she was owed part of the money, while his brother figured putting a hit on William would be the quicker route to getting his money. William lived, but he is now alone and almost completely broke.
Jeffrey Dampier got lucky when he won 20 million in 2005 but his luck ran out when his sister-in-law kidnapped him and murdered him in an attempt to get his money.
These are just a few of the examples of the curse of the lottery. While you may wish, hope and pray that you win it one day, there are those who have won it who wish they never had. So when your lottery ticket doesn’t turn you into a multi-millionaire, whether you realize it or not, that may have been the luckiest thing.
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