Have you ever known anyone who's won a big prize in the lottery?

[Janejanejaneagain]

daydreaming...would love to hear stories!

A man in my town won 9 million a while back. Seen him yesterday and hes in the throws of alcoholism, its really sad .

I’m guessing we never hear about the keep it low key winners, those who don’t really change their lifestyles massively, keep a sense of purpose & spend responsibly with occasional luxury spending & good causes - these are the stories I’d like to hear!

I read a lovely story about a couple who won a big amount some years ago in the northwest, and set up a local charity which has done an enormous amount for people in their area. They sounded incredibly grounded and warm.

Yes, my son's friend's mum won a million on a scratch card. He was there at the time!

A friend of my grandmother won a competition in a national newspaper, something like £1000 a week for the rest of your life. She had had quite a hard life and it meant she could give up her cleaning job and happily retire and enjoy herself.

My brother had over £100-000 from a syndicate win on a day I had no cash to be in it.

An ex colleague won 10k around 1990. Enough to put a nice kitchen in her first home.

A lad I went to school with entered the Pools as soon as he turned 16. He won a million. I'm 54 now, so we're talking a while back.

A neighbour won £30k on the Postcode Lottery just before I moved to the road. She spent it on a fancy new kitchen and still has the giant promotional cheque in display in her lounge.

Indon't think I would ever fully recover from that.

A friend of a friend broke up with one who won the lottery very soon after. Look up the UKs youngest lottery winner. I don't follow her story or have ever read it but she seems happier from the little I've read, since becoming 'normal' again.

I'd love to win. I'd love to be able to do some good in this world. After making sure my family was comfortable, I'd definitely do something good for others. Animals, random acts of kindness, kids, people who just need a boost. Just something to make things more positive. I do what I can now but I'm hardly well off enough to do any big gestures.

I’ve known 2 people in my life who have won big - one won the pools and paid off his mortgage and bought his 2 adult daughters a house each.
The other won over £100,000 on the lottery and was already so wealthy (him and his wife both had really well paid jobs and they lived in a mortgage free huge detached house), that he announced it like he had just won a tenner, like it was loose change.

Friends of my parents won £3 million as they were winding down to retirement. Bought a nicer house, saw the children were ok, have a nice car and travel lots.

Yes 2 people. One gave away a significant sum to his 3 children and then upgraded his house etc. the other still lives in same house he did at the time, a modest 3 bed, and still holidays in same places etc but retired early.

I don’t know her - unsurprisingly- but I read that Catherine Zeta Jones’ parents won £100k (bingo I think), back in the 80s that would have been a huge amount. It paid for her dance and music classes - so a very very good return on investment!

(As well as presumably paying for other things like a house!)

When I was at school, friend’s parents won 200k and paid off their mortgage with it. At the time I thought they were very boring but of course now I understand!

Yep - my mum and dad’s friends won well over 30 million. Lovely people. Given money to family and charity and although they now live in a very expensive property live a pretty low key life.

I also know someone who recently won 50k on premium bonds. Lovely for him as he was just about to retire.

What i always really want to know about the lottery winners is how many tickets they were buying and how regularly! Are they 'i spend £20 a month on the lotter' 'i spend £50 on the lottery' or 'i spend £3 every odd month'

My late Great Aunt won the pools many many years ago.

She and her husband bought a house then round the corner from their house a shop with a post office in it and the butchers next door. They ran the post office, their younger son ran the shop and their elder son the butchers. They split the profits four ways.

Their sons got mortgage free houses when they married. The sons sold the shops a few years ago when they both retired. They've were able to give their own children very healthy house deposits and help through uni.

@TheVengaBusIsComingMyBusPassIsForthcomingI think that plan for your ex sounds amazing! I would like to do the same to my sisters ex! It would be amazing.

That level of detail has obviously required some thought and some might consider it a little petty? Funny though!

Oh 100%, I would have my charitable fund, my family fund and my petty fund 🤣

Every time the euro millions gets over 100 million I think of all the good I could do in the world, and then all of the petty crap I could do to make his life just a little bit worse.

I would never get a sainthood.

Who wants a Sainthood? Being Saimtly sounds very tedious. Why do that when you can have so much fun being petty now.

We’ve had a few problems with some distant relatives this year. Whilst I’ve thought “that is few people off my list of who to share the winnings with” I hadn’t actually thought of how to seek revenge like you have. Worth a little ponder I’m sure

I was in a syndicate but joined the small independent business weeks after 6 staff had won

The boss was a horrible woman and decided to play a joke on them, and ask them to come into the business on a Sunday morning. On the counter were six envelopes. They naturally thought the business was closing and this was their notice letters. A couple of them were upset, crying etc. Horrible boss laid it on thick, strung it out for ages, saying she was sorry to have to do this, and she hoped they would understand, they were upset

Then she told them to open the letters at the same time. They had each won £13K in the syndicate. What a cow she was, but it backfired because two handed in their notice, then I joined.
Worst boss I have ever had in all my working life not just for that

My cousin won £7M in the early days of the lottery. Did all the usual things, big house, new cars, had a villa built abroad.