Those who suffered the "curse" of the lottery:Prev Topic Next Topic

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Jimhowlett

Northern Ohio
United States
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August 1, 2008
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Jun 17, 2009, 10:24 am

I have an idea for this thread: let's take into account the most notable examples of the lottery curse (e.g. Jack Whittaker, et al) and determine what traits they all share. The point of this exercise would be to determine what actually causes lottery winners to succumb to the "curse" and what we as LP members can do to avoid it should one of us ever win the big one.

Does someone want to go first or shall I?
JAP69

South Carolina
United States
Member #6
November 4, 2001
8,966 Posts
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Jun 17, 2009, 10:28 am

The first thing you do not do is tell that you are going to be generous with the money.

Numbers are where you find them.
lottolaughs

Sunny California
United States
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May 31, 2006
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Jun 17, 2009, 10:39 am

As far as a "curse", I really don't believe in all of that. Each individual "winner" has their own back story as any one of us. I think it goes more by what kind of person you are and the life you led before winning the lottery. If you had a lot of drama in your life beforehand you can bet it will intensify 100 fold if you come into millions of dollars. What kind of people are in your life, what kind of friends do you have? What is your mental state? Are you a more depressed or happy-go-lucky sort? Did you come from money or have been financially strapped most of your life? This will all have an effect on what happens to you in the long run.
Texas Joey

Katy, Tx
United States
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December 3, 2008
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Jun 17, 2009, 11:55 am

I think, personally, that the I.Q. is their curse!! Consider the source of the problem. Not a curse but questionable winners!!!

Joey
tiggs95

United States
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November 4, 2006
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Jun 17, 2009, 12:17 pm

I think a lot of winners who win millions want to spend it all before they die and that's a lot of the problem..
DelmarvaChick

Ohio
United States
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December 20, 2008
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Jun 17, 2009, 1:03 pm

I don't think any of us can speak to their traits because we don't know them personally. Who are we to say that Jack or Dave Edwards, or that lady in NJ who won twice, or that William Post person, were all depressed, all hardworking, drunks, druggies, or whatever? Our opinions come from news releases created by people who are paid to push drama.

I think the only person who would be qualified to say such would be someone who knew at least 2 unsuccessful winners. The only thing we can say is that they sucked at managing, what was for the winner, an uncommonly large amount of money.

Some people just can't manage large things, or project or events. It's why older people move out of the 3000 sqft house they have been living in for the past 30 years. That's why some couples have two children, while others have 18 like that woman on TV. My mother wanted to have 8 kids when she was younger...for some reason that number was signifigantly reduced to 2 after she had her first.

To manage large things you need help. You need the ability to get around that large house to take care of it, or enough common sense to know you should hire someone to help you...like a maid. The same goes for having all those children either by way of a nanny or family.

I don't know if any of those lottery winners had help. Maybe they did and it wasn't good, qualified help. Note there is a difference between that and well-meaning help. Well-meaning help will get you no where. A toddler may want to help you cook in the kitchen, but when you give him an empty mixing bowl and a spoon, is he really helping, or are you just keep trying to make him feel useful? Maybe the winner screwed themselves by not taking good advice and thinking they could do it on their own. I don't know. I wasn't there....all I know is the reported aftermath.
petergrfn

United States
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November 16, 2005
330 Posts
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Jun 17, 2009, 1:05 pm

I'm not superstitious so I don't believe in curses.....I think the "Curse of the Lottery" is a made up line by Media who want to make an interesting story.

To avoid problems :

Avoid Media exposure as much as possible(would be easier with small jackpot then huge Mega Jackpot).

Avoid "Friends" that suddenly appear when you've won the money...Also New Girl/Boy Friends that appear.. ie GoldDiggers.

Avoid Making rash financial decisions..Anyone who offers you an unbelievable return on your investments is a SCAM ARTIST.

If you live in a really small town...GET OUT OF TOWN for a good while.......CHANGE YOUR PHONE NUMBER..

Don't make any decisions while on DRUGS or ALCOHOL......also Don't DRIVE on DRUGS/ALCHOL....

Get a financial adivsor and accountant......claim the money in a trust and quietly as possible.......

Most of all I would try to stay grounded..........AVOID THE ELVIS syndrome and keep people around me that wouldn't just be yes men....people that would tell me when I was messing up and getting too big for my britches..So to speak.
Capricorn27

San Antonio, Texas
United States
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May 31, 2009
606 Posts
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Jun 17, 2009, 1:06 pm

Quote: Originally posted by Texas Joey on Jun 17, 2009
I think, personally, that the I.Q. is their curse!! Consider the source of the problem. Not a curse but questionable winners!!!

Joey

I guess it's the person. We don't have to worry about that now, maybe until we hit it!

*For example this happened to me a while back. I can't remember what scratch ticket I bought at the local

convenience store, it had to do with the "Roses", match two alike symbols and win a dollar amount according

to the LEGEND. Well, I gave it to the clerk and the clerk ran it through the terminal and said he couldn't give me the cash

because the computer told him I needed to redeem my ticket at the main Lottery office. Then, he took another look at my ticket,

and yelled out "Hey, no wonder! YOU JUST WON $20,000 !!" I grabbed the ticket away from him and looked at it closely, and noticed

that it revealed two matching diamonds, which were the top prize for that game! To make long stories short, there was this other guy in the store

that I usually ran into now and then, and like all lotto players , we would exchange strategies and talk about what lucky numbers

would be coming out for that nght. Not this guy, I would say HI, and he wouldn't have it! He would just turn away or look at me ugly, and right then

and there I knew not to bother him! Well, when my lucky day came around (for a brief moment I thought) this guy was standing right beside me

when the store clerk shouted my winnings, he got all excited and congratulated me and even hugged me! ?????????

I couldn't beleive it! He even asked me to show him the ticket, so I did......... when he checked it out he quickly pointed out that there's noway

it was a $20,000 ticket, because he played that game often and the symbols were winners , but that of a lesser amount, which turned out to be $2.00.

***I felt sort of embarrased but it wasn't my fault because the store clerk had started the whole thing without giving me a chance to really see for myself. Turned out I had scratched a "Diamond" by mistake.

****Anyway this guy after knowing that my ticket only payed $2.00, went back to his usual self, and gave me the cold shoulder! It was like turning on and off a light switch!

*****Goes to show you, money changes people. If you don't have money, they don't have time for you , but the minute

they find out you won something , they'll be knocking on your door!\\

****Anyway, good luck everyone!
MaddMike51

United States
Member #58,526
February 18, 2008
710 Posts
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Jun 17, 2009, 2:43 pm

Quote: Originally posted by Capricorn27 on Jun 17, 2009
I guess it's the person. We don't have to worry about that now, maybe until we hit it!

*For example this happened to me a while back. I can't remember what scratch ticket I bought at the local

convenience store, it had to do with the "Roses", match two alike symbols and win a dollar amount according

to the LEGEND. Well, I gave it to the clerk and the clerk ran it through the terminal and said he couldn't give me the cash

because the computer told him I needed to redeem my ticket at the main Lottery office. Then, he took another look at my ticket,

and yelled out "Hey, no wonder! YOU JUST WON $20,000 !!" I grabbed the ticket away from him and looked at it closely, and noticed

that it revealed two matching diamonds, which were the top prize for that game! To make long stories short, there was this other guy in the store

that I usually ran into now and then, and like all lotto players , we would exchange strategies and talk about what lucky numbers

would be coming out for that nght. Not this guy, I would say HI, and he wouldn't have it! He would just turn away or look at me ugly, and right then

and there I knew not to bother him! Well, when my lucky day came around (for a brief moment I thought) this guy was standing right beside me

when the store clerk shouted my winnings, he got all excited and congratulated me and even hugged me! ?????????

I couldn't beleive it! He even asked me to show him the ticket, so I did......... when he checked it out he quickly pointed out that there's noway

it was a $20,000 ticket, because he played that game often and the symbols were winners , but that of a lesser amount, which turned out to be $2.00.

***I felt sort of embarrased but it wasn't my fault because the store clerk had started the whole thing without giving me a chance to really see for myself. Turned out I had scratched a "Diamond" by mistake.

****Anyway this guy after knowing that my ticket only payed $2.00, went back to his usual self, and gave me the cold shoulder! It was like turning on and off a light switch!

*****Goes to show you, money changes people. If you don't have money, they don't have time for you , but the minute

they find out you won something , they'll be knocking on your door!\\

****Anyway, good luck everyone!

So,why did the terminal say that it couldn't pay you & you would have to redeem the ticket at Lottery Headquarters if it was only a $2 winner?

I won $21,000 on a $2 scratch ticket once and I haven't forgotten what kind of ticket it was & doubt if I ever will.It was Double Blackjack ticket.
Coin Toss

Zeta Reticuli Star System
United States
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January 17, 2006
11,788 Posts
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Jun 17, 2009, 3:03 pm

Can we say 'the more you have to flash, the less you'll keep your cash'?

Not sure it's not a matter of IQ, or maybe we could say "street smarts".
For example, Jack Whitaker hanging out at dance clubs with hundreds of thousands of cash in the trunk of his car was really not a display of "street smarts". In fact, that was "asking for it".

Those who run the lotteries love it when players look for consistency in something that's designed not to have any. So many systems, so many theories, so few jackpot winners.

There is one and only one 'proven' system, and that is to book the action. No matter the game, let the players pick their own losers.
grandpajohn

williamsburg,ohio
United States
Member #71,027
February 17, 2009
603 Posts
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Jun 17, 2009, 3:09 pm

I remember one guy like 20 some years ago hit the old Ohio Super Lotto and at that time was for a record ammout.He got his money went to a car dealership not far from where I live and wanted to buy a sports car.This was back when ''Smokey and the Bandit" was out so he wanted that car it wasn't a month he wreack it charged with DUI and if I remember the story right they also found drugs in his car at that time.Sad

I have always told my wife if we won it big I wouldn't even tell my two kids that we won till I had things set up the way we wanted it.Reason why my son can't keep his month shut now my daughter she would take it to the end but I wouldn't want to put anything on her.

thing that would be hard on me is changing my phone number it has been in the family before I was even born.When my father past away like three years ago I had it put in my name.But anything else i think I could handle it cause it like someone said its how you grew up in money on had to work hard for it and i know where I came from I wouldn't do anything dumb with it.Put back money for grandkids is number one for me.Then my kids then me and the wife.Then if it was big enough

"Don't Give Up.Don't Ever Give Up"

Jim Valvano ex N.C.State basketball coach
CowboysFan

Sunny California
United States
Member #63,788
August 8, 2008
220 Posts
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Jun 17, 2009, 8:20 pm

Its just like with pro athletes. I see stats all the time that say within like a 10 year period of retiring most of them go broke because a lot of them never grew up with money and therefore buy everything they can. They also don't plan for the future because they are living in the here and now but when the future does come they aren't ready for it and they have no money. Its important to plan for the future! If I ever won a large jackpot I would never want to go back to the way I was living before so I would have fun with the money but not go overboard and lose it all in 5 years.
DC81

MI
United States
Member #54,828
August 31, 2007
985 Posts
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Jun 17, 2009, 9:59 pm

I think another big issue is that many of these people are just flat out fools, goes for athletes, actors or many other entertainment professions where people become rich and then lose it all due to squandering on an excessive lifestyle, not paying taxes or being flat out ripped off by people who are supposed to be working for them. It seems like the few who do hire someone end up either not listening to the person they have hired or take a total hands off approach and let the person(s) have free reign over their assets. Not to mention that if you had problems of a non-monetary or family (you can after all move away from family) kind before you won then those problems are likely going to follow you after you've won and possibly get worse, like when it comes to drugs. But in the end it's all just flat out foolish ignorance and stupidity.

You can't predict random.
SmoothJuice

United States
Member #54,388
August 17, 2007
313 Posts
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Jun 18, 2009, 1:02 am

Already millionaires?? that's a good trait.
C5VetteMN6

Florida
United States
Member #66,779
November 6, 2008
10 Posts
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Jun 18, 2009, 8:04 am

Money doesn't change people ... it changes everyone around you.

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