Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think you must be stupid to go public after winning the lottery?

84 replies

CartwrightMiss · 30/05/2013 19:10

Listening to the radio on the way and one story was a Euro Millions winner considering whether to go public and that they would be the 900th(ish) richest person in Britain.

I've played the what I would be if I won the lottery games countless times, aside from buying a yacht and travelling the world in my private jet - I'd love to give money to my (real) friends and family, people I know in life who are struggling and charities of my choice.

I really wouldn't need the publicity and the millions of sob stories begging me for money.

Aibu to think you'd be stupid to go public?

OP posts:
CashmereHoodlum · 30/05/2013 20:12

I wouldn't go public and I wouldn't tell a soul, but then I would want to give some to my friends, and how would I do that without them knowing? I feel quite anxious thinking about it, so who knows what state I would be in if I actually won.

elfycat · 30/05/2013 20:16

DH and I have agreed that if we won a very large amount (Euromillion figures) we'd tell our family that we'd won a much smaller amount on the normal lottery to explain gifts and upgrades in our lives.

If we win a much smaller amount on the lottery (say under £2 mill) we'd tell no-one and let people assume that any house we bought was mortgaged etc.

Now I just need to win!

HollyBerryBush · 30/05/2013 20:17

Depends how much you win .

See, when I win 186 euro millions I am buying BIG philanthropic things!

C999875 · 30/05/2013 20:18

I love your opitimism Warm fuzzy fun. xxx

elfycat · 30/05/2013 20:18

Cashmere tell then you won 5 and the bonus (look up how much that would have been).

Or a distant aunt died and left you a bit and you want to share your good fortune.

CashmereHoodlum · 30/05/2013 20:21

That's a good idea Elfy. I will try to remember that when I win, if I'm not too giddy with excitement.

elfycat · 30/05/2013 20:23

Champagne, giddy with Champagne.

Thing to buy no 1: Huge wine fridge
No2: House big enough to take No 1

AudrinaAdare · 30/05/2013 20:26

I would never go public mainly because I have always been afraid of being famous in any way / photographed and also because I have young children.

I have a cover story all worked out. DH (geek) is going to invent something incredibly important but hugely boring to explain. We don't really bother with friends and our family aren't interested in anything we do so it's perfect Grin

livinginwonderland · 30/05/2013 20:27

I wouldn't go public, but there's a customer who comes into the store I work in who won about £30m around 5-10 years ago. He still works and he hasn't changed a bit - he just a nice house, car and nice holidays to show for it. It's nice to see :)

Shenanagins · 30/05/2013 20:32

I'm sure i read that if you go public you will get a lot of support from Camelot including financial planning but if you don't you get nothing. If that's true maybe that's why people go public.

CashmereHoodlum · 30/05/2013 20:43

No, you get to meet the financial panel whether you go public or not. I can, however, imagine Camelot persuading you that they can control the publicity when they clearly can't.

HopALongMcLimpyLegs · 30/05/2013 20:47

I wouldn't keep private, but I would have staff to deal with the begging letters and annoying clingers on. I would launch my own charitable fund so that when I had finished rolling around in my piles of money and drinking champagne I would have a kind of 'job' I could get into.

AudrinaAdare · 30/05/2013 20:56

That's a good point Cashmere. I wouldn't rely on Camelot to keep publicity under control. There must be people who are experts at keeping one's name out of the papers. I'd be able to afford them.

chipsandpeas · 30/05/2013 20:59

i wouldnt go public but i would tell people but lie about the amount i had won so it would cover some of the more obvious spends
if i won the jackpot i'd say id got a good wedge from 5 nos and the bonus ball

forehead · 30/05/2013 21:02

I agree with posters who say that they would not tell
a soul. I wouldn't even tell my family.
DH is self employed , so we would say that his
business was doing well. However, if I won
10m+ I would move abroad for a couple of years.

JewelFairies · 30/05/2013 21:34

I'm not sure I would even tell dh Wink

MumofWombat · 30/05/2013 22:18

I remember reading an article where they give advice. If you don't want publicity they recommend you tell no one. Not even family or close friends and that you have a cover story to explain the new house, car etc.
Apparently one of the first things that happen to big winners is they give you lawyers etc and strongly encourage you to make a will.
In the very early days of the lottery I knew of someone who had some accommodation block booked as a 'hidey hole' for big winners to go to so they could get their head around a big win away from everyone.

ApocalypseThen · 30/05/2013 22:21

I wouldn't. Your life wouldn't be your own. I'd be far more likely to buy a business (low profile, I'd only ever admit to it being a startup) and keep it afloat enough to tick over (in reality) and "employ" family on a lovely salary. It'd look like the family business was doing quite well and everyone would have enough.

Triumphoveradversity · 30/05/2013 23:39

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Alisvolatpropiis · 31/05/2013 00:09

Yanbu. Every single time somebody goes public with their massive win I just think they're incredibly dim and I should have won it because I'd be far less stupid Grin

sashh · 31/05/2013 05:40

I remember someone talking about winning and not having any publicity.

Camelot took him and his family to a country hotel somewhere and said 'do not tell anyone'.

The following morning the Camelot 'rep' (whatever they are called) arrived with the newspapers and they were on the front page of a few.

I think he had told one relative, who'd said, "don't tell anyone but ..." to someone else and then they'd done the same.

Can you imagine working on the phone line for Camelot taking the "I think I've won..." calls, that would be a great job.

foolmouse · 31/05/2013 07:14

Yanbu. I always remember the story my Dad told me about a guy in Blackpool who won and he was so down to Earth he still kept his little terraced house, job and went to the same pub. He didn't change but all his friends did towards him. They got so hostile and angry at him that it all basically ended in him being ostracised Sad and he had to leave the city he'd lived his whole life and loved.

I couldn't handle A) the sob stories and B) the absolute invasion of privacy. I remember last year or the year before that Euromillions winner where all this dirt got dragged up in the papers about her. Her son sold his story saying how they hadn't spoken in years or something. I couldn't be doing with shit like that.

I know people say 'if you don't go public there's a chance you'll be outed anyway' but really?Is it really that interesting to the national papers to be like 'here is the story of the secret lottery winner'. Just seems a bit daft.

Tbh I think i'd give some to close relatives, some to charity and then get our asses out of Britain pronto.

saintmerryweather · 31/05/2013 07:31

i dont think id go public as such but i wouldnt make much effort to hide it. id want a lovely big house with land and stables. id give money to my family but i wouldnt say exactly how much id won. if you won 80mil and gave someone 500k you just know theyd be thinking, you stingey bitch. even if thats more money than they would otherwise ever see in their lives.

i would love to be able to go to the local disabled horseriding centre near here and just say to them 'tell me what you need' and give it to them

manicinsomniac · 31/05/2013 07:48

I would tell my sister and my mum I think. But nobody else.

I've never even bought a ticket so I haven't ever really thought about it, nor do I know how much people win but I can't imagine hiding (at least the scale of) the win would be that hard.

Hypothetically, a 20 million win:
1 million - great house for me (could say mortgaged)
1 million - great house for sister (could say mortgaged)
1 million - great house for mum (could say upgraded)
2 million - savings account for my 2 children
5 million - invest/savings account
5 million - anonymous donations to friends and family who need it or who I am very close to (say 1000 - 50 000 each according to need and relationship)
5 million - anonymous donations to charities, largely in Brazil

After the shock of moving had died down I could spend some of the invested money at intervals where it wouldn't arouse suspision on things like holidays, visits, clothes etc.

Then it would all be gone!

Lazyjaney · 31/05/2013 07:52

It's in Camelots interest for winners to go public so I suspect they try every trick in the book to get people to do so. I wouldn't be surprised if they give winners the strong impression that things will go public one way or another (guess who will make sure of that...), and it's therefore better to try and manage it.

But no, I wouldn't if I could avoid it.