3 Lottery Winners Whose Winnings Ruined Their Lives

Lottery lump sum payout

Winning the lottery is a dream come true for many. With a lottery lump sum payout, people can pay off their debt, buy a house, start a business, and do all sorts of things to improve their lives. That, or they can get a lottery annuity settlement, and use the annual lottery payments as income while they pursue their dreams.

Sometimes, though, winning the lottery can ruin your life. Here are just a few times winners wish they’d never gotten that lottery lump sum payout in the first place.

Michael Linskey and Whitey Bulger – Michael Linskey won $14 million in the Mass Millions lottery when he bought a ticket from the South Boston Liquor Mart… which happened to be owned by the infamous Boston gangster Whitey Bulger. Bulger paid Linskey a visit, and soon after, Linskey came out and said that he bought the ticket with Bulger “and a few friends,” meaning he had to split the $14 million.

Amanda Clayton Forgets She’s on Welfare. – After winning the lottery, Amanda Clayton should have discontinued her welfare coupons. She did not, though, and consequently continued collecting the checks, despite having $1 million in her bank account. She spent five years in jail before dying of a drug overdose.

Jose Antonio Cua-Toc Gets Deported. – Jose Antonio Cua-Toc fled Guatamela to the United States in 2000, and 10 years later, won $750,000 in the lottery. A dream come true? Not really. Since he was in the U.S. illegally, he asked his boss to cash it for him, which he did, but then kept the money. Cua-Toc then threatened his family and was jailed for several months on terrorism charges. He eventually won some of it back in a lawsuit, but then faced the choice of being deported, or leaving the country voluntarily.

Who would have thought winning the lottery could ruin your life? If you have any questions, feel free to share in the comments. More on this. More like this article.

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