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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

If you won the lottery, would you go public?

305 replies

Frosty6611 · 08/08/2018 11:15

If you won the jackpot on the lottery would you go public? I think i’d just tell my close friends and family and start a new life somewhere.

OP posts:
Trinity66 · 08/08/2018 11:16

No way

ScreamingValenta · 08/08/2018 11:17

No. I wouldn't want to be inundated with begging letters.

MsOliphant · 08/08/2018 11:18

Why do people go public? I don't get why you would. Do Camelot do a hard sell on you do you think? You're forever going to get letters about people dog's legs needing surgery and distant relatives hinting that they've always wanted to go to Benidorm.

AnguaUberwaldIronfoundersson · 08/08/2018 11:18

Nope! I would tell them I'd won X amount, for example if I won £10m I'd say it was a million which is enough to help people but not enough to live on iyswim, but I would never tell anyone if I wont the massive Euromillions jackpot.

I think you get a lot of grief going public. I have heard stories about marriages ending, sacks of begging letters from the public, not being able to trust friends were not just after the cash...

Tink88 · 08/08/2018 11:19

No. I never really understand why the winners pose for pictures across newspapers. I wouldn’t want anyone to know a thing.

Dhal · 08/08/2018 11:19

Hell no.

anitagreen · 08/08/2018 11:19

Part of me would want to but on the whole I wouldn't. Not only for my families safety but also for my own sanity

LinoleumBlownapart · 08/08/2018 11:20

No

HildaZelda · 08/08/2018 11:20

Not in a million years!

jay55 · 08/08/2018 11:20

No but I have a small family and not many friends and move frequently anyway.

Bubblemagic11 · 08/08/2018 11:20

No way, not just the begging letters, what if you won loads like the Euros then you and your family become a target for scam artists, kidnappers etc ...that’s my paranoia sparking Hmm

MsOliphant · 08/08/2018 11:22

My toxic mother would be down at The Sun offices like a bloody racing greyhound giving an outlandish account of how I never speak to her because I'm mental or something like that. I just know she would.

RideOn · 08/08/2018 11:23

No way

Original poster
Frosty6611 · 08/08/2018 11:23

I couldn’t believe that Scottish couple that won 168 million on the euromillions a few years ago went public with it.

OP posts:
anitagreen · 08/08/2018 11:23

I've always thought for example if I won £69.6 million on the huge roll over Euro millions, I'd give my nan and granddad 3 million each, my parents 2 million each, my siblings would all get 500k each, my own children would get 1 million each. And I'd probably give 5 million to sands. And the rest would go into property's. Only one friend would receive money maybe 50k. And that's it. Having a huge amount of money frightens me

Redcrayons · 08/08/2018 11:23

no. Just immediate family.

babycakes1010 · 08/08/2018 11:23

No way...all the users and people you haven't seen in years will soon surface!

OnePotato2Potato · 08/08/2018 11:23

I think that if you want financial advice and guidance from camelot, it's part of the deal that you go public with it.

Teddy1970 · 08/08/2018 11:26

No way, does anyone remember the bloke who owned the record shop? He won something like 100 million on the euromillions, he went public and from that day onwards not only was he badgered for money non stop, but his children had to go to school escorted by bodyguards because he was terrified of them being kidnapped! Anyone know WHY you'd want to go public?

DoloresTheNewt · 08/08/2018 11:26

"Asking for a friend"

Zoflorabore · 08/08/2018 11:27

I think it would be very difficult to keep it a secret, this happened to our old next door neighbours.

It was 1997 and a couple of weeks before my 21st birthday, they won just under 2 million. Didn't go public.

Someone else did it for them and they ended up on the front page of the local paper, funniest thing was they got the woman's age very wrong saying she was much older. My parents think this bothered her moreGrin

The family were well off already, had the biggest and nicest house in the street and although they established new and very successful businesses out of it, the money caused huge trouble within the family.

I've seen them now and again over the years and are still very nice people and have done very well for themselves.

I wouldn't trust my kids to keep quiet though plus I live in a Close where the neighbours know everything and it's irritating.

We got new flooring and carpets last year the same week we were going abroad and one of the neighbours said "ooooh have you come into money?"

Yes we did, dp's nan had passed away and left him a small amount of inheritance.

Original poster
Frosty6611 · 08/08/2018 11:28

@anitagreen I once watched a documentary about lottery winners and most of them who had won very large amounts said it ended up ruining their lives. I often think winning something like 1 million would be far better than winning a ridiculous amount. I definitely think it should be capped at 5-10 million and the remainder could go to much better causes like the NHS etc

OP posts:
IKEAmeatba11s · 08/08/2018 11:29

Yeah I've heard they won't give you any advice or support unless you go public. I'd rather use my new millions to hire a top notch financial adviser I think. Can't put a price on the hassle you'd save by not going public.

glintandglide · 08/08/2018 11:30

No, but I do think it would be fairly difficult to hide amongst your immediate friends and family. I’ve decided I would wait about a year before doing anything crazy then tell people bit by bit

(I don’t even play the lottery)

I think people go public to control the narrative around it because we have such awful press that for big winners, they’d be tracked down

MorningsEleven · 08/08/2018 11:31

Not a soul. I believe you have to agree to publicity with euro millions but not the other lottery.

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