Benjamin Franklin once said, “Money never made a man happy yet, nor will it. The more a man has, the more he wants. Instead of filling a vacuum, it makes one.” There is no doubt that these 8 people would agree with that quote. Each of them won millions of dollars playing the lottery, only to end up losing their winnings and even ending in a far worse position than when they started. Here are just 8 people who have lost it all.
1.) Ken Proximire
Amount won: $1 million
How he lost it all: Ken was a tool grinder from Michigan when he hit the jackpot. After winning, he moved to California and became an entrepreneur. Within 5 years, his businesses failed and he had to file for bankruptcy $100,000 in debt. After his wife left him, Proximire returned to his job as a tool grinder.
2.) Willie Hurt
Amount won: $3.1 million
How he lost it all: Just 2 years after winning his fortune, Hurt was charged with murder. According to his lawyer, he spent his money on his divorce and his crack cocaine addiction.
3.) Callie Rogers
Amount won: $3 million (£1.9 million)
How she lost it all: Callie Rogers was just 16 years old when she won her claim to fame. Like most 16-year-old girls would do, she spent a good chunk of her money on shopping, houses, vacations, and cars. She also purchased breast enhancements (to the size of 34F). Rogers also bore two children from a known criminal and spent $400,000 on cocaine. After 6 years, she works as a cleaning woman to support herself and her two children all while still paying off her debts.
4.) Janite Lee
Amount won: $18 million
How she lost it all: Janite was a very giving woman. So giving, in fact, she continued to give her fortune away to charitable causes, universities, political candidates, and to a family in South Korea. She even bought a house for the St. Louis Korean American Association. While her political donations earned her meals with political figures such as Bill Clinton and Al Gore, she had a huge gambling problem. She lost over $300,000 in one year alone! After eight years, Lee had to file for bankruptcy after having only $700 left in her bank account.
5.) Suzanne Mullins
Amount won: $4.2 million
How she lost it all: Mullins borrowed almost $200,000 from a lending company using her lottery winnings as collateral. She agreed to pay back the company using her annuity payments. Once a rule changed, enabling her to receive a lump sum, she cashed out the rest of the winnings and stopped paying the company. Naturally, the company sued her. Mullins blamed her debt on her son-in-law’s medical bills, which topped $1 million. The lending company won the lawsuit, but Mullins does not have any assets to pay them back with.
6.) William Post
Amount won: $16.2 million
How he lost it all: When Post won the money, an ex girlfriend sued him for a share of the winnings (and won). Post’s brother hired and hitman to kill him in order to inherit some of the money. Post then was persuaded to invest in family businesses in Florida that he failed to see a single dime from in return. When a bill collector came to to collect a debt, Post fired a gun on him. All the spending and court and lawyer fees made Post $1 million in debt after one year. He now lives off his Social Security checks and food stamps.
7.) Jack Whittaker
Amount won: $315 million ($114 million after taxes)
How he lost it all: When Jack Whittaker won his Powerball lottery, it was the largest amount won in American lottery history. While he did give 10% to charities and $14 million to his own foundation, Whittaker had many troubles. Whittaker was arrested multiple times, had over $545,000 stolen from his car, had $200,000 stolen from his car (again), was sued by a casino in Atlantic City for bouncing checks, and was hit with a divorce. That isn’t even the sad part of the story. Whittaker’s 17-year-old granddaughter was found dead after she overdosed (apparently her monthly allowance given to her by Whittaker financed the habit), and this happened just a few months after the granddaughter’s boyfriend overdosed at Whittaker’s own house. In 2009, Whittaker’s daughter (and mother of his granddaughter) was found dead in West Virginia.
8.) Jeffrey Dampier
Amount won: $20 million
How he lost it all: 39-year-old Dampier won $20 million in a Florida lottery. He was kidnapped by his own sister-in-law and was murdered by her. The sister-in-law was helped by her boyfriend at the time. Dampier had previously given gifts and even paid his sister-in-law’s rent using some of his winnings. The sister-in-law, Victoria Jackson, was found guilty and is serving three consecutive life sentences.
