Now here is an interesting article on how some people who won a big price money lost it in one ways or another:
Jeffrey Dampier: $20 million in Illinois Lottery

Dampier and his wife won the $20 million prize back in 1996 and used the winnings to help his family out by buying them houses and the like. He also started a gourmet popcorn store in Tampa, Florida which performed quite well and provided jobs for his family.
But in July of 2005, Dampier went to visit his sister-in-law and her boyfriend when she claimed she had car troubles. Her boyfriend pulled a pistol on Dampier and the two kidnapped him and killed him. They were ultimately convicted in 2006 and 2006 and received life sentences for their crimes.
Source: Cafeterra
Barry Shell: $3.8 million in Ontario Lottery

45-year-old Barry Shell of Brampton, Ontario was broke as a joke and used one of his last dollars to buy a winning lottery ticket in 2009. He won $4 million Canadian dollars ($3.8m USD).
The thing is, Shell had a warrant out for his arrest on theft and possession of stolen property charges. Police arrested him after this photo of him claiming his prize was taken. He handed the cash off to a relative who later bailed him out.
Source: Cafeterra
Evelyn Adams: $5.4 million in New Jersey Lottery

In the mid-’80s, Adams won the lottery twice; once in 1985 and again in 1986 to defy all odds against her. The New Jersey native won a cool $5.4 million but was a heavy gambler. And with Atlantic City being located in New Jersey, it wasn’t long before Adams had lost all her money. Today, she now lives in a trailer park and is flat broke.
Source: AskMen
Fred Topous Jr.: $57 million in a Mega Millions drawing

Freddy won the seventh-largest jackpot in Michigan state history back in June of 2008. The $57 million prize was obviously long enough to last a lifetime-and-a-half, though he took the $33 million lump sum payment instead.
The problem was, Topous Jr. is a convicted sex offender who was released from prison in 2006. He’ll have to register as a sex offender until 2024, but when you can buy a private island like he can, it’s certainly not that big of an issue anymore.
Source: Cafeterra
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