If you were to win a big lottery jackpot like, say $30,000,000 or something, do you think that everyone (family, friends, colleagues, etc.) around you would change?

I've been thinking about this and it's been a topic this week among family/friends during outings and of course, naturally 99% of them say of course not and the usual they'd always be them but I've heard otherwise and read that big winners such as Jack Whittaker (won US$315 million on Christmas day in 2002) have encountered life changes for the worst in terms of family disowning/friends becoming nasty and sabotaging him/etc. after his big windfall.

I've also heard of some others winning just a Lotto share of $3 million and their friends-turned-enemies started calling them again inviting them to dinner, their parents favouring them suddenly instead of the other sibling who's always been favoured, etc.

Question is; do you think that if you were to win the lottery , those around you would change drastically? Any experiences or know anyone who's experienced this?

I think people would start expecting more. I mean, when you go out with friends you'd be expected to pay, and people would want 'loans' (read donations). Probably more the small things, but a friend of mine won a $500 k court case and I don't think anything major changed for her. Her mum made her put a lot of it into long term deposit accounts so it wouldn't get spent. I dunno, she doesn't really talk about it a lot...

I wouldn't be telling many people. I would also give out an equal chunk to my top 10 friends and then some more to family. Those who are given a chunk will be under an agreement not to tell anyone. Probably blow up in my face though.

I've thought about this all before and would roughly spend it this way.

20% family
5% closest friends
15% charity
40% investments
20% everything else

I've always been pretty careful about who I choose as friends so any of the outsiders trying for a dig at my wallet would get a smack.

But I don't buy lottery tickets so I'll have to wait until I find out I'm the princess of some European country.

I think the extreme behavior changes probably only happen when the person who wins is in the lower class socio-economic band....or maybe has a background in that area so you get lots of relo's suddenly coming out of the woodwork etc.

I don't know.....personally I dont think it would change the people around me, some of my friends have more money than god and some not so much but it has no bearings on my relationships with them

Money makes people behave strangely, and you never know how they will react. I guess I probably wouldnt tell anyone, but I would help them out money wise where I could.

I wouldnt tell anyone except my partner and we'd be hella rich and noone would know how we afford to go out and get fucked up and shout everyone drinks every night

Brings out people's true colours doesn't it!? Money is a horrible thing when jealousy becomes involved. I'd def keep it on the low-brow if i won something like that.

Well i'de buy a nice house here in Melbourne for around $700,000 , pay all credit cards, nice new car, a trip around the world and retire from work and committ myself to voluntary work for the aged and disabled. I wouldn't announce it to anyone as my research shows the ferals come out of the woods and those who never wanted to help me would be pushing the hand out. Whatevers left over i'de probably invest it and help others here on S S.

il be winning the $40 mil in ozlotto tomoz nite - so il let yous know then what il b doing with it

Just got my ticket too!

It was actually my new years resolution - to start buying lottery tickets, and this one was too good to pass up.

My boyfriend's sister won the lottery once. I don't think it was a humungous amount, but a nice little booster. She bought a horse.

lol! As you do...

Speaking of which, nobody won.

Next Tuesday is $50 million again. Whoa...

It's a running thing in my family to say "if we ever win the lottery, well buy you all a nice little house somewhere you like..." we don't ever go in Lotto so it isn't likely to happen. I think if by some freak chance i got than much money, I'd buy my immediate family a house each, keep enough to buy a little apartment in the city for myself, put enough away to live by and then become a philanthropist. I always wanted to be able to donate money to things but could never do it.

Yeah, it's sickly sweet but having been poor my whole life i'd like to make people happy and not have to live like that.

Nice to see your around Bells, i've been worried about you so i'm relieved now.

Swimming in Comme des Garcons! And then some to my family and the rest for me to buy a place in Stockholm and in Sydney.

Quote:

Originally Posted by gandolf69

Nice to see your around Bells, i've been worried about you so i'm relieved now.

ta mate...it's been a long few weeks.
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