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Original poster

Winning the Euromillions

303 replies

Ellabella989 · 04/10/2019 16:34

If you won the £169 million jackpot tonight, would you go public or keep it private amongst your immediate family?
I’d like to think I wouldn’t go public but it’s such a huge amount of money that someone is bound to find out and blab.

OP posts:
Biker47 · 04/10/2019 16:57

Private, I don't need the Daily Mail trudging up everything about me, and criticising every penny spent for the rest of my life. In saying that, other than my partner, no-one in my family or my sphere of friends would ever know when and how much I won anyways as I'd keep that private from them as well.

RuffleCrow · 04/10/2019 16:57

Private for sure. Imagine all the deadbeat relatives and former friends suddenly remembering you exist - and guess what they rilly rilly like you after all! Would be hell!

I'd probably set myself up as a (ghost) writer and pretend i'm just doing really well for myself. Spend it gradually. Slowly do all those things and buy all those things that would just make life a little bit easier. Put aside pots for the kids that they can 'earn' by trying really hard at their chosen career/ hobby so they still learn the value of hard work. Put money aside for the future. Have a couple of nice but not too showy holidays a year. Just have a nice life really, nothing fancy or attention grabbing.

Flippetydip · 04/10/2019 16:58

This is why I never do the lottery -horrendous if you actually won!!

Rockbird · 04/10/2019 17:00

I looked that up and Camelot or whoever does it these days confirmed that they support you whether you go public or not, everyone has access to the same support team.

PrettyShiningPeople · 04/10/2019 17:01

It would be a lovely dilemma to have!
There aren’t any benefits to going public as far as I can see, so I can’t understand why on earth anyone would.

Outsomnia · 04/10/2019 17:03

It is an obscene amount of money. So hopefully after all this time there will be a few winners to share the top.

It has also been capped, so you have a better chance of winning the lower tiered prizes now.

Best of luck to all who are in the draw!

Oh and I would remain anonymous of course, and hopefully stay happily together with my OH. So many of the big winners split up and divorce. Money can be dangerous and doesn't always make you happy, but you can afford to be miserable in comfort as my dear Dad used to say!

Jellybeansincognito · 04/10/2019 17:04

People say there’s nowhere to hide from the media @PrettyShiningPeople, they obsess over finding the winners who don’t go public.

Biker47 · 04/10/2019 17:05

As far as I understand it if you go public you get financial advice and help managing the media. If you don't and the media find out anyway you are on your own.
There must surely be other reasons for doing it as well, otherwise no one would do it.

Everyone gets help from Camelot whether you go public or not, they have to offer support for them to be able to operate responsibly. The only difference is they'll probably manage PR more if you go public, as obviously there is a public side to manage then.

The key reason why most people probably go public is because by the time they've rang up Camelot to confirm the win, they've probably already told their; family, mates, Facebook friends, everyone in the local pub, neighbours dog etc. that they've won the euro millions, so Camelot will probably point out to them, that there's someone in there who'll sell their identity to the papers for a couple of quid so they may as well go public and own it instead. There are still winners from years ago that have never been publicly identified, and had their mugs splashed across the tabloids.

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 04/10/2019 17:06

I think people might twig after all the cosmetic surgery I'd have . (Ankles to scalp, complete re-do)

seaweedandmarchingbands · 04/10/2019 17:06

I wouldn’t tell anyone at first. Just get serious financial advice, sort things in our lives the way we wanted them and then quietly give some money away.

zxcvhjkl · 04/10/2019 17:09

I would definitely be keeping it private from the media. I would tell my inner circle of family immediately (all of 2 people) and the full amount. Other family, friends etc would learn eventually that I had a win so I could treat them but I wouldn't divulge the full amount so as not to draw too much attention. I don't think I could begin the fathom what to do with so much once the standard house/car/holiday/gifts for family and friends are done and wouldn't want any pressure. Plus of course security issues.

Ithinkwerealonenowtiffany · 04/10/2019 17:09

Id not tell a soul. Dh and only him.

I have a decent car, a detached 4 bed home with land. Dont like holidaying abroad. Id decorate the house, new kitchen and bathrooms. Buy more land, nice hotels in the uk and probably take the family to New York.

And enjoy life not worrying about paying bills. Then when I die, the kids can enjoy it

middlemuddle · 04/10/2019 17:10

I wouldn't be able to keep it entirely private as I'd buy a house and a car, currently rent and drive my ex's battered car so people would notice. I'd not confirm unless directly asked though.

cantfindname · 04/10/2019 17:11

I would tell my daughter and son and set each of them up for life with the things they love but can't currently afford.

I would buy the small farm I want and have the animals I want, plus help with them.

Donations (anonymously) to various charities and anonymous cash gifts to a few people who have been good to me.

Any left would be invested to live off and to be left to my children eventually.

Ithinkwerealonenowtiffany · 04/10/2019 17:11

I mean stay in nice hotels not buy them!

LadyLanka · 04/10/2019 17:12

I would not tell anyone. Probably sit on most of the money for 6 months, but during that time I would be looking at the most efficient way to distribute some of it to my family, endow a couple of free places at my old school, move back to where I want to live, have my house demolished and rebuilt and do some travelling.

randomchap · 04/10/2019 17:12

I probably wouldn't even tell the kids.

QueenofPain · 04/10/2019 17:12

I wouldn’t tell anyone besides my DP and parents I don’t think. I would invest in some good independent financial advice and start to look at a plan for how I can best help my wider family and some important charitable causes.

I understand that the financial advice from Camelot becomes chargeable by a percentage when you ask them to start acting on the advice that they’re giving to you, I.e. “Oh yes, please invest that money into x investment fund that you recommended”. However, i’m not sure of the point of investing money for a financial return if you’d won the amounts up for grabs tonight.

Outsomnia · 04/10/2019 17:14

Often wondered how you could manage to anonymously gift to others. I suppose it would be via a solicitor who would issue the cheque from a client account in firm's name or something. With a suitable note to tell them to enjoy it!!

QueenofPain · 04/10/2019 17:17

I’d want to set both of my siblings up but as they’re both boys in their early twenties i’d be incredibly worried about assisting them down a path of self destruction. Especially having already lost one sibling to an unintentional but fatal drug overdose.

How far can you go with the conditions attached to the money without it all becoming incredibly paternalistic and stopping people from forging their own natural path in life?

I think it’s a sickening amount of money really, and more than i’d like to win. I’d be happier with a smaller amount, just enough to be able to buy myself a nice big house outright, have enough not to struggle month by month, and to be able to buy everyone the occasional extravagant gift. Being able to dramatically change the lives of people that you love isn’t necessarily a good thing.

Branster · 04/10/2019 17:19

I’d tell DH, my mum and our financial adviser.
Not one other soul.
Outsomina this is what I thought too, there is one particular charity I would love to donate most of a big win to and that’s how I’d proceed but a solicitor located very far away from where I live.

Prettypumpkin · 04/10/2019 17:20

I'd tell my husband but thatd be it. I'd also put some away for our daughters but I'd make sure they weren't ever going to get 169million by giving lots of charity. I think that much would ruin lives

Original poster
Ellabella989 · 04/10/2019 17:23

If I won that much i’d probably give at least 100 million away to charitable causes. I’d love to be wealthy but having that much money would send me a bit mad

OP posts:
MonnaLiza · 04/10/2019 17:23

I would definitely go public and give a lot of it away and make the world a better place! I will start the MonnaLiza fund to help single mums, and poor kids, and disabled people (I am neither thank goodness), then will help arts organisations to support better life through art, and help local museums and start running a huge philanthropic empire. I would make so so many people's lives better.

Rapunzel91 · 04/10/2019 17:25

Definitely keeping it private between my family. Couldn't wait to share the money with them and make sure we're all settled for life!

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