Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

Do you know a lottery winner

44 replies

WomensHours · 26/09/2021 21:58

Do you know anybody who has won a significant amount on the lottery?

What have they done with it?
Has it made them happier?
Do they still have it?
Are they still working?
Did they go public?

OP posts:

ChunkyMonkey2020 · 26/09/2021 23:14

I know someone who won 4 million on a scratch card. It didn't change her. She just wore nicer clothes and bought a bigger house. She did treat her close friends and family. One of my friends got an house bought by the woman.

ImFree2doasiwant · 26/09/2021 23:14

Yes, someone I know won 9.6 million years ago. Husband carried on working, she didn't. Sent child to a paid for school,bought a horse a house and a few nice cars, and have nice holidays. Very pleasant all round

Also, Michael Carroll.

myheartskippedabeat · 26/09/2021 23:17

My friend won about £90k on the postcode lottery she paid a big chunk off her Mortgage and went to Florida so had
A nice time and was sensible is bette riff with the mortgage payment amounts
But it's not hugely life
Changing as they both still work

TartanDMs · 26/09/2021 23:18

My uncle won the postcode lottery - about £300k I think (he had multiple ticket entries). He spends lots of his time abroad with his partner, enjoying life in the sun. He has no children, and lived a very restricted life for many years (long term unemployed, was a carer for his schizophrenic aunt for years), so it is really good to see him enjoying his late 50s. He is ridiculously generous and is always offering to take us to Spain or Greece. We don't see him much because he lives in Wales, in the tiny pit cottage that my great aunt used to live in before her death.

SaddenedByItAll · 26/09/2021 23:22

@Cagedbirdsinging

A woman I know won well over three million pounds . She was in charge of purchasing tickets weekly with the same chosen numbers for a family syndicate but insisted that she had bought the 'winning' ticket separately and was therefore hers and hers alone . It caused a terrible family rift and much of the money was spent on legal fees .

That's easy to prove though if the same numbers are bought each week. Much harder to prove if lucky dips are involved!

Suspicioussam · 26/09/2021 23:23

Yes a friend of a friend's mother in law won £30m. She and her boyfriend have since married and had another child and have been given about £5m from his mother.
They are really happy. They bought a beautiful house with land and have started a b&b business with several little cottages on the land. She spends her time helping to run that business whilst enjoying a very outdoorsy lifestyle with her children.
Previously she was skint, struggling to make ends meet with one child, didn't want to return to work but had to. He was also in a very low paying job.
The only downside I can see is it caused friction within her family, people expecting money from her. I'm sure she's had to deal with jealousy too.

Thisbastardcomputer · 26/09/2021 23:44

My friends aunt won £1.2m it really was wonderful for her, she had been widowed in her forties. She bought lots of people nice things and went on lots of cruises and really enjoyed her old age.

A lottery winner bought the garden of our next door neighbour and built 4, 6 bedroomed houses, for himself and family members they were an absolute bunch of scrubbers, we ended up moving out.

Paddington2 · 27/09/2021 00:32

My friend's father won £250k about ten years ago.

What have they done with it?
Paid off their mortgage, took the whole family (adult kids plus a few GC) on a couple of holidays, bought a static caravan at a UK holiday park, which all the family are able to use regularly.

Has it made them happier?
I believe so.

Do they still have it?
Not in cash, but they are living in their mortgage-free house, and still have the static caravan.

Are they still working?
Yes. But the pressure is off.

Did they go public?
I don't think so. Wasn't a massive amount.

Angliski · 27/09/2021 00:39

@ImFree2doasiwant lucky horse- what kind of house? Bungalow… semi..?

MimiDaisy11 · 27/09/2021 00:41

I knew someone when I was early twenties who, I believe, won around £2 million on the lottery. They too were young. They were working at a supermarket kiosk when they realised they won when someone came in asking for the numbers. They walked out straight after serving them 😂 I’d love an experience like that.

I don’t know where they are now but in the few years after it seemed to change them for the worst. Their relationship broke down. They gained lots of weight as they started eating just take away. They got a nice house but just seemed to be at a loss of what to do. After a year of lazing around they signed up to a college course they were planning to do before.

OldTinHat · 27/09/2021 00:46

When I was 16 in 1987 a lad in my year at school decided to play the Pools as soon as he turned 16. He won about a million with his first ever ticket. It was all gone by the time he was 17.

Harford · 27/09/2021 01:29

My aunt's friend win it, can't recall the sum, think it was in the millions. Aunt said the friend wanted it kept private but her brother let it out and after that, the woman became paranoid everyone was after her cash and she became paranoid and bitter. Generally, my aunt said it didn't bring her joy but that's all a 2nd hand account and I never met the woman and don't know if she still works, etc as my aunt said she was working in opticians when she win. Not seen or chatted to my aunt in over a decade as she never visits and is at other end of the country so can't get any updates.

Neighbor won 5.5 million around 2003. He still does manual work that he did before it on building sites. I don't think it changed him that much, he bought his 2 brothers' houses I recall. His first cousins who live at the other side of me always slagged him off as he wouldn't share it with them.

My mum's colleague win the EuroMillions over a decade ago. Mum was working with her at a hospital (bout 30 miles from where we live) and the winner was a nurse, her husband was a lorry driver. I can't remember how much but she left her job and I think mum said they split up after. He rang his wife on the night they win and said it, the wife thought he was joking until he turned up at the hospital with the ticket. Mum held the ticket.

Harford · 27/09/2021 01:37

That's easy to prove though if the same numbers are bought each week.
Much harder to prove if lucky dips are involved

I am in 2 syndicates and we WhatsApp the pics to each other before the draw. Generally, if there is any kind of syndicate the ticket should be photographed or something before the draw so that all participants have access to it so it stops this sort of problem. 1 person buying the tickets with no proof etc is a very bad idea.

ClareBlue · 27/09/2021 01:47

@Thisbastardcomputer

My friends aunt won £1.2m it really was wonderful for her, she had been widowed in her forties. She bought lots of people nice things and went on lots of cruises and really enjoyed her old age.

A lottery winner bought the garden of our next door neighbour and built 4, 6 bedroomed houses, for himself and family members they were an absolute bunch of scrubbers, we ended up moving out.

Are you Limerick

GrandTheftWalrus · 27/09/2021 03:19

I know the sister of the couple that won the 160 millions on the euro millions.

alwayscrashinginthesamecar1 · 27/09/2021 03:31

My driving instructor won $5.1m, I never saw him again! He moved back to Jamaica with his family apparently. And my oldest friend's neighbour won $13m in only of the first draws. He had a large family, and bought each of his kids a house but hung on to the deeds, very sensible really.

QOD · 27/09/2021 03:41

Yes. Equiv of a million from a syndicate (in the 90’s)
Killed himself and left 4 kids behind - was an abusive arse anyway

Chiwi · 27/09/2021 04:05

My best friend when I was about 11 parents won around £300k in the early 00s. Not a huge amount but they didn't tell anyone aside from my parents and immediate family- made out they had been lucky with investments to others and I was sworn to secrecy as an 11 year old.
The mum had just been made redundant and they were looking at loosing their house so it was good timing. They bought a lovely house, had some nice holidays, treated my parents to a very fancy London trip.
However as an adult I realise I was sworn to secrecy so the win didn't get back to the dad ex wife and child from that relationship who he had abandoned- takes the shine off it a bit!

Illdoitinabit · 27/09/2021 04:25

Yes, I married him!! He won 5 weeks before we were due to get married, didn't marry him for his money (or did I )
We bought a bigger house and now rent our first home. DH still works, I'm a SAHM. We didn't go public, although locally I'm sure quite a few people know, but told friends and family. I'd like to say it hasn't changed us, I would never describe myself as rich but we live a very comfortable life.

Flip

1 2