A father-of-two who won millions in the United Kingdom National Lottery became so bored after giving up his job that he turned to booze and eventually drank himself to death.
Keith and Louise Gough won £9 million in 2005, and like many others Gough saw the win as the "answer to his dreams".
But the couple, who were married for 27 years, separated just two years later after Gough gave up his job and began drinking out of boredom.
Devastating
Speaking last year Gough lamented the devastating effect of the win on his life.
"Without routine in my life I started to spend, spend, spend. In the end I was just bored," Gough said.
"Before the win all I would drink was some wine with a meal. I used to be popular but I've driven away all my friends. I don't trust anyone any more."
"When I see someone going in to a newsagent, I advise them not to buy a lottery ticket."
Fatal
The 58-year-old suffered a fatal heart attack in March this year, brought on by drinking and stress.
At the time it was believed that Gough had died penniless, but last week it emerged that he had left an estate worth almost £800,000.
At the time of his death a friend said, "They were an ordinary couple with a decent but simple lifestyle.
"The money ruined that and killed Keith. It went to his head and he couldn't handle it. The whole thing is a tragedy."
Misery
Since the start of the National Lottery a number of jackpot winners have admitted misery because of their windfall.
Earlier this year one of Britain's youngest lottery millionaires was found dead in his home.
Stuart Donnelly, who was 17 when he won £2 million in 1997, had become a virtual recluse as he struggled to cope with his new found wealth – and the sudden death of his father in 2000.
Donnelly spent his winnings on various things including houses, one of which was for his mother, charitable donations to a hospital his brother was being treated at and an executive seat at Celtic Football Club.
But he reportedly struggled to deal with the pressure of winning the lottery, particularly at such a young age.
Other lottery winners turned losers:
- Michael Carroll, a former garbage man, won £9.7 million in 2002 but claimed it had made him miserable. After he won the jackpot, his wife Sandra left him and took their baby daughter with her. Carroll turned to cocaine, was jailed and was later served with two anti-social behaviour orders.
- In 1999 Stephanie Powell won £7.2 million, but her family life began to break down as a result. Her partner Wayne Lawrence walked out on her, claiming the stress of her riches as his reason.
- In 1999 Phil Kitchen, a jobless carpenter, won £1.8 million but two years later was found dead in his £500,000 home after drinking himself to death.
What we have here are 5 people in the UK who couldn't handle their newfound riches, 5 out of hundreds. That's a very good percentage. If these people were having problems, they should have sought professional help. Unlike EVERYONE else, ALL of these people were able to afford the BEST in professional help. Why they didn't is their problem. The writer of this story is, however poorly, trying to somehow convey that winning the lottery is a negative experience. Hardly. I'd trade places with them anytime if they wish.
If they were unable to deal with their surroundings, they could easily have afforded to move to a resort island or do anything else they wished. They, IMHO, simply chose self-destructive behavior.
hearsetrax said: "curiouser and curiouser ...... is how many went public and how many did/n't realize they could've claimed it without any real public knowledge and or felt pressured to go public by the lotto commission ??"
We don't know if you are allowed to claim lottery prizes anonymously in the UK. You may or may not be allowed.
Many UK lottery winners opt to remain anonymous. It's allowed.
All these complainers that say winning the lottery is a curse blows my mind.
I would take my chances. I will be able to occupy myself just fine.
"Idle mind Devil's workshop."
This was quoted to me soooooooo much during my up-bringing.
With the money these people had, there were many things they could've chose to do.
If they were unhappy with having all of that money they could've given it all away and went out and got a job.
Or they could've opened up a business of their own.
They could've went back to school to learn how to manage large volumes of money and started a new career.
School alone would've taken up a lot of time.
They could've travelled the world first class.
Etc..... Etc.... Etc....
I'm creating a special relief program to help jackpot winners (and other rich people) with too much money on their hands.
All deposits are cheerfully accepted and may be made until such point as the aforementioned rich person can sleep comfortably at night.
Winning the lotto should not be the ultimate goal for people. If I win the lotto I will not want crazy fansy things becuse it will
leave you feeling good for a short time then it will leave you empty. I would have to write down all what I want to accomplish and even after I've
aquire that success I will start a new list. You can only buy and buy things until your so sick of buying.
You can only get "bored" if you only think about yourself. There are many, many, many causes to fight for with that kind of money. Help the homeless, the sick, the aged, etc. It's only when you look at life in a box do you get bored. Sad situation all the same.
I think you should give it all to the government to spread the wealth around.
It's not fair that you have all that money when there are people who didn't buy a ticket who don't have millions too.
You should share it all equally with them.
It's only fair.
Right?
if he got SO BORED, he could had work out, start a work out gym club and start working out....for crying out loud, have sex every minute, do something...
in the, U.K the kids are, SO DARN FAT, because of the cold, start a workout gym for mothers, BOREDOM, is that a joke...that could, NEVER happen...Rich and bored....maybe because you are too, selective/picky/proud like most people...start a teen, tea club, or spinach/cucumber, ect club where people go and eat cucumbers or talk about, how much they love to eat cuccumbers...
boredome, is that a joke...
when you hear cases like that that dont make sense, like boredome after been rich, is because the persons are, gay, lesbians, love to have sex with kids or babies or: maybe because they are too, selective/picky/proud/prejudice like most people...
when you talk to those people they can not have a BMW color green it has to be purple...A BMW dude...i´ve seen people like that and is creepy....
i´ve talk to people who you can not tell by the outside but inside, you can tell they got a chronic condition where everything, HAS to be the way they want it....same color, same height, same material, right switch, ect...
it is a mental condition, you cant see it....Sometimes if you look at, phrenology of the face you can see it...i dont know if is the mirror or what...
CAL-LottoPlayer,
Can we assume you've won a jackpot? No one is immune from the temptations and tribulations of lottery winners. Even modest amounts will subject winners to the vagaries of aiding in family financial difficulties, loss of friendships and constant requests for money from stangers, much less the tendency to indulge in drinking, gambling and spending binges. I take my hat off to those who keep a level head when they come into money. However, there's always a few who demonstrate their inability to control their demons when fortune smiles upon them.
personally I think if I got that lucky surely I'd be too busy creating the ultimate haunted house and dare those would be beggers to come within "2 clicks" of my house b4 I'd carpet bomb them
as for friends and such its thar choice to ethier ride the rollercoaster or step off and find themselves without and as its been also said thars plenty of charities and good to be accomplished ... NOT TO MENTION ALL THE MISCHIEF to get into with one's fortune
I have not won a lottery jackpot (yet), but I have been on SSD for about 2 years now. It is quite boring after working for 30 years, but I find small things to occupy my time. What I don't do is get drunk. I don't think that the lottery win was the problem. I think the problem was there in the first place!
When I win a jackpot tonite, I will be able to afford some new hobbies!
I'm with you on this one! Sounds like a plan to me ...
I bet they'd recover REAL fast ...
hey Ridge,
Just think about it! With all the Jack Daniels you consume, you’re ahead of the game and don’t need to win.
I on the other hand, can enjoy moderate drinking and only on occasion.
Feeling thirsty?
DD
Moderates are simply approval seekers without the cojones to get off the fence and take a stand on anything for fear of losing approval from one side or the other.
They're the politically correct crowd.
Nobody likes moderates.
God doesn't even like moderates: Rev. 3: 15-16
You ever go drinkin with me, you ain't gonna be drinkin moderate, I guarantee ya that.
And where we'll be drinkin there's a pretty good chance you'll be fightin afore we get outta there (specially if yer wearin yer Birkenstock sandals or yer flip flops).
I hope you don't fight moderate too.
Maybe Keith Gough's children and wife didn't apply themselves towards having a good time spending money with him (e.g., cruises, trips within our country, weekend outings, playing tennis together, etc.). Living together in a resort community could have been the answer, I don't know if they tried that during their first 2 years of the jackpot win.
Hey Rd,
What are you gonna do if your tea-baggers don't win next week? Who's in charge of making the Kool-Aid, Tiggs? LOL!
all the problems are solved.
Brace yo seff Nino, there's a tsunami coming Tuesday as I predicted to you months ago.
And it's gonna wash a lot of your favorite crooks away.
And it's not gonna be stopped by all of your party's cheating and lying and voter fraud and hatred of this country.
Truth will out.
Rd, you might be right about the change coming, but the part about cheating, lying, and voter fraud will never end. It makes no difference which party is in power. We should have put an end to it, 40 years ago.
I agree CARBOB but since we didn't act 40 years ago it's gotten completely out of hand.
Politically appointed judges are now dismissing complaints about voter fraud out of hand.
And the Democrat party in particular has gone from lying and cheating to thuggery and borderline evil while the news media covers for them.
I would support throwing all members of both parties out of office except for a very select few.
I am going to drink a special farewell toast though, to the slimy mollusk Harry Reid on November 2nd. Never again will I hear that creepy, squeaky, feminine voice with the reptilian smile preaching his lies from the halls of power. What an unmitigated pile of horse sh**. I didn't know they could pile it that high.
Buh-bye Harry, buh-bye.
tiggs is still peeing booze he drank in 1959..God them were the days..
MY party???? HAHAHAHAHAHA!!
Yikes, are you gonna be disappointed when your crooks turn out to be no better than the last ones!
End what 40 years ago?
"MY party???? HAHAHAHAHAHA!!"
Ah yes, like rats from a sinking ship now. I really can't blame ya though, loyalty means little to those without honor (not you, your former party).
They'd have cut you adrift at their convenience anyway without a second thought if it benefitted them in the slightest.
It's their nature.
End what, you say?
Allowing them to be corrupt.
Allowing them to become the ruling class.
Allowing them to do whatever the hell they want to do.
Allowing them to have the audacity to think that they are above the laws they place on us.
I heard Obama on the news yesterday saying that he knew the people didn't want government run healthcare but he did it anyway because it was the right thing for America.
Tell me this Nino, if it's the right thing for America, why is it not the right thing for Obama and his family and Congress and their families?
Why do they get to opt out of this healthcare nightmare they created and not face fines and penalties and jail-time like we do?
Why does this Democrat President and Democrat Senate and Democrat Congress we have now get to be above the law?
Why did they write legislation that specifically says that only they don't have to obey this new law?
So yes, perhaps if we had nipped this behavior in the bud 40 years ago, we might not have given rise to the outrageous behavior we are witnessing now on the part of our elected officials. They honestly believe they are our rulers now. They don't think they work for us any longer. They don't think they have to obey us. They'll p*ss on your leg and tell ya it's rainin.
We have a saying here in Tennessee that fits this sad time in our nation's history: "This sh** has done got otta hand."
And we're fixin to do somethin about it right quick.
What ! wrong with you people ,especially you sully 16, if you should be mad at people who did nothing to you. The people you should be mad with happen long ago is still keeping people upset with the wrong crowd. Speaking of wrong crowd, what the deal with the Tea Party now showing the world their true colors if anyone thugs it's them.Why would you be afraid of Black people.Where is the hate coming from.Sorry I don't want to hijack this thread but had to ask the question.
have a good day. I question America just like, I question God.
I get what you're saying, but what was significant about 1970? That's what I'm not following.
Politicians by their very nature are deceitful and selfish. The lowest forms of life. I'm loyal to none, so it's definitely never been MY party.
I just hate to see you all worked up and full of hope for a new group that's inevitably gonna break your heart anyway. You're gonna get an ulcer, lol!!
You'd have to ask CARBOB to get what he meant when he said "40 years ago" but I took it to mean "a long, long time ago."
He may have been referring to Nixon's shenanigans though.
We've had many bad presidents though: Woodrow Wilson, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Jimmy Carter (2nd worst), and Obama (the worst in the history of our nation).
Did you really write this that you diden't hear this about Bush when he was in office..You musy not have a TV or read a newspaper or maybe your still smoking pot from the 60's..There still blaming Bush..DUH!!...The Tea Party members are the Democrats from the 60's who got unstoned and found out the Dems was wrong all the time..They are now the Tea Party but just can't get that busting up people and raising cain like they did in the 60's..Louise you need to go back and bury your head in the ground again...Good luck babe you will need it..tiggs health insurance is going up 27.00 a month starting next year..If you can't figure that out times that by 12 months..we'll wait..Maybe tiggs will be lucky and die before then..
The government taking my money to give away to someone else is wrong. I have a family to feed also, if they didn't over-regulate every aspect of private business maybe there would be more jobs, I'm not afraid of anyone and race has nothing to do with it, I've been watching the ugly side of food-stamp fraud for years and i'm sick of it. IT'S NOT HATE IT'S ANGER!!!!!!!!
no one in this country has the right to take away my life liberty and pursuit of happiness, this includes taking my money to give to someone whose going to gamble it away,
if you can afford gambling, drinking and smoking then you don't need me to feed you. I'm not working to feed strangers. charity is my choice to when and who.
I see you're hitting the sauce kind of hard again today Louise. I'll try to address your issues (if I can figure out what they are) very early in the morning before you get all liquored up. Perhaps you can read what I have to say and then respond before you get completely plastered out of your mind for the day.
Hey MADDOG, I don't know if it's just me or everybody but all I'm seeing is an empty box.
Hey tiggs, save your money and come to jail with me.
Imagine what would happen if we flood all the jails because we refuse to buy his product (gov. insurance) and refuse to pay the fine and refuse to cooperate in any way, shape or form. Let's see how many millions of Americans he wants to house and feed in jail.
Screw him, he said "not one more dime" and that's just what he's gonna get from me.
If your a sensible person in spending and savings before you win big in the lottery,I would think you'll be after you win too. Now if you are a nut case before you win big in the lottery, you'll be a nut case after you win big in the lottery.Now,doesn't that make a whole lot of sense ?.
That's it in a nutshell, larry.