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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Aibu in thinking if you won the lottery you wouldn't tell anyone

50 replies

Cupcakeicecream · 08/04/2019 18:42

Just a fun thread really. In thinking that realistically if you won the lottery you shouldn't tell anyone as it would cause a load of problems. Or if you did win millions you would just minimise it and say y you had won a lower amount than you actually had.personally if I won the lottery i wouldn't tell anyone,maybe close family as I would probably give them some but I would probably say it was a lower amount than the real amount. Or if It were millions I'd probably just relocate.

OP posts:

OccasionallyIncomplet · 08/04/2019 19:37

Nope - In fact it's one of the golden rules of winning the lottery. I noted someone linked Reddit above which has some really interesting posts from previous winners.

There are countless stories of people losing their money due to entitled friends and family trying to get 'their share'. There are even times the winner has been murdered by family in order to gain their inheritance.

Stories of old friends, lovers, school friends etc all come out of the woodwork to sue, blackmail and beg for money.

However the general consensus is - don't tell anyone. Not family, friends and certainly don't go public.

icannotremember · 08/04/2019 19:38

I wouldn't tell anyone outside my very closest family. I'd be so worried that ds1 would tell people that I wouldn't even want to tell him!

DIZZYTIGGER87 · 08/04/2019 19:41

We wouldn't tell anyone... they'd figure it out though, because we've always said if we win the lottery we will open a fishery and I will have a holiday in the sun.

GuineaPiglet345 · 08/04/2019 19:45

I wouldn’t tell anyone, I’d tell my parents I’d won half a million to explain buying a bigger house and tell everyone else I’d had an inheritance.

I think people must be mad to go public, I bet the begging letters are awful.

pink412 · 08/04/2019 19:47

Keep it as quite as possible , give it a 6-12 months, get fired from work and go in a long holiday if it was a lot of a moneys if only a few million pay of debt. Put some away and carry on workin as a few million won’t last long.

winterisstillcoming · 08/04/2019 20:00

We didn't win the lottery but we sold a lot of separate businesses over 18 months and although people knew it happened we never really told anyone the total amount. After entrepreneurs relief was paid, I turned to my DH and said 'flipping heck, that's more than a lottery win'.

So we moved to a nicer house and ring fenced most of the money. I've had children and gone back to work a few days a week, so people assume that I work because we need to. We go on lovely holidays, fly first/business and I buy in help as and when I need it.

However we are not the types who place much importance on flash cars etc.

We do value the fact that if we or our family needed anything we've got it sorted. MIL needs to move, so we will be buying for her, and whenever she's needed anything, flights to help her sister, private physio etc we've just booked it for her.

Husband now a founder ceo of a large company which we started while I was on MAT leave so people still think he needs to work too.

We are really happy. For now.

GunpowderGelatine · 08/04/2019 20:01

YANBU. No way would I. I think Camelot offer free financial advice but only if you go public - but it's not like financial advisors aren't ten a penny so so what!

Jb291 · 08/04/2019 20:09

My immediate family would be told but nobody else. Perhaps professional tax advice would be needed but in those circumstances any professional would be bound by strict confidentiality. I would very quietly leave my job, I would probably go on annual leave and resign and never go back. No fuss no explanations required.

Lllot5 · 08/04/2019 20:53

I’d just tell family I’d won because I’d be giving them some otherwise keep it to myself.

MsAdorabelleDearheartVonLipwig · 08/04/2019 21:21

I wouldn’t tell anyone the actual amount but I’d certainly help out close friends and family. I certainly wouldn’t go public, Christ, can you imagine it? You’d be hounded for the rest of your life and never be able to trust anyone ever again. Would probably take the shine off a bit.

doctorboo · 08/04/2019 21:23

If it was a ridiculously large amount then we’d tell my parents how much and try help them with their property business (because they’ve not got great health), without lining my brothers pockets as he’s managed to piss 100k up the wall already. We’d also give a shed load to charity and put enough away for each child so they’d be able to get on the property ladder as adults.

We’d tell my in-laws we’d won enough to buy a house, a car that’s newer than our 16 year old one, and a family holiday for our boys.

If it was a smaller amount say 1-2 million, we’d definitely do house/car/holiday and save any left over.

Tohaveandtohold · 08/04/2019 21:31

I wouldn’t tell anyone except dh. I would start a property business with some of the winning ( like homes under the hammer type of thing) so that when I start helping my family members or living the high life, I would just explain it away as profit from my ‘investments’. They will actually believe me so no issues there.

Carpetburns · 08/04/2019 21:38

Apart from my immediate family, I'd keep quiet and say that we'd received some inheritance to justify the new house (or whatever).

Rockbird · 08/04/2019 21:45

Immediate family only. I don't have huge plans though, just a house with a sodding driveway!

C0untDucku1a · 08/04/2019 21:49

Id keep it absolutely quiet, develop my own business, ‘working from home’, so not actually quitting work and having people wonder...

jay55 · 08/04/2019 21:49

I'd make my family sign non-disclosure agreements before giving them their money.
I'd not tell anyone else other than my accountant and I trust him implicitly.

NameChangeNugget · 08/04/2019 21:55

I think I’d tell DH eventually but, that’s it

JK2012 · 08/04/2019 21:58

Definitely keep it quiet! 😂 everyone would want to be your best friend 🤛

recrudescence · 08/04/2019 22:01

No way. Plastic surgery and new identity asap. Would drop all friends and rellies - too poor and ordinary for my new life.

Sarcelle · 08/04/2019 22:07

Years and years ago a neighbour won a grand on one of the tabloid bingo games. They printed her photo. She got a lot of begging letters.....

AdoraBell · 08/04/2019 22:12

I wouldn’t tell. If I win a smallish amount I’ll tell DH, but because he and his entire family believe in sharing every scrap of info then a big win would be my secret. I’d tell him I’d won enough for X house/car/holiday.

checkingforballoons · 08/04/2019 22:27

I would very quietly inform both of my (virtually NC) parents that I had won and wanted to pay them back for everything they had ever done for me. After handing over their fiver I’d skip off to buy a nice house, book a holiday and surprise those closest to us with whatever help they needed.
Really must start playing the lottery.

MattFreisWeatherReport · 08/04/2019 22:34

I have an agreement with my sister that we'd split any lottery winnings 50/50 with each other, so I'd tell her but no one else. I hope she'd tell me!

MitziK · 08/04/2019 22:53

DP and nobody else, except one friend and his wife.

We'd suddenly acquire long lost family and 'friends', all of whom have had fuck to do with us when we would have been pathetically grateful for even a text to say 'how're you doing? Fancy a coffee/pint?'. There would be a tidy sum tucked away in Trust for each DC to be paid at a set time later, perhaps in property for each (to be explained as an inheritance if they actually needed it sooner) but the rest would be spent on moving back to DP's home county, probably a fisherman's cottage, getting a vehicle, a dog and not ever having to worry about money again.

Topseyt · 09/04/2019 00:53

I would keep it quiet. I certainly wouldn't be one of those who has photos plastered all over the media.

I would only consider telling a few hand picked, very close family members who I know can be trusted.

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