Celebrities Who Have Won the Lottery
When the s**t hits the fan and jackpots start booming into the hundreds of millions, celebrities love to start getting in on the action. One of the most recent Mega Millions jackpots – that reached into the $500 million range – drove celebrities like Rob Dyrdek, Nick Jonas and baseball superstar Matt Kemp to drop hundreds of dollars on tickets.
For us average joes, it can be a little frustrating to think that we’re competing against people that certainly don’t need the money that comes with winning a big jackpot. But, at the end of the day, we’re all in it to win it and the celebs are only helping that pot grow to unimaginable limits.
A Look at the Celebs that Have Won the Lottery
So, which celebrities were lucky enough to have won the lottery? Well, actually, there isn’t really any information out there claiming that any big time celebrity has ever won any kind of monumental jackpot prize. Most celebrities have obviously been lucky enough to win the genetic lottery, but they haven’t had the same type of luck when it comes to the lottery games that we all know and love.
While celebrities have had a tough time winning the lottery themselves, there have been quite a few people that have become major celebrities after winning the lottery. Unfortunately, most of their celebrity status has been due to bad circumstances, taking over their lives after striking it rich. Let’s take a look at a few people who achieved celebrity status after winning the lottery.
Jack Whittaker – The Poster Boy for Life After the Lottery
Jack Whittaker was the president of a large contracting firm and had already established himself with a net worth in the millions before taking home a $315 million Powerball jackpot back in 2002. Whittaker became a worldwide celebrity after a few wild things happened in his personal life.
Whittaker had two instances – one in 2003 and one in 2004 – where thieves stole over $700,000 from him. The most troubling thing, however, was what happened to some of his family members in the years following the win. In 2003, the boyfriend of Whittaker’s granddaughter was found dead in his home from an overdose. In 2004, his granddaughter was found dead in plastic tarpaulin. Then, in 2009, Whittaker’s daughter was found dead in her home in West Virginia.
The story of Whittaker’s life after winning the lottery turned him into the poster boy for infamous lottery winners whose life was ruined after hitting it big. For someone that was lucky enough to have won the lottery, it seems that Whittaker had quite a bit of bad luck take over his life following his win.
Abraham Shakespeare – Murder and the Lottery
Abraham Shakespeare had his life change in the blink of an eye after winning $30 million in a Florida lottery in 2006. Shakespeare was illiterate and had a difficult time understanding how to manage his new found wealth. He gave away hundreds of thousands of dollars to prying friends and family who took complete advantage of him.
In 2009, Shakespeare’s life came to an unfortunate end after being murdered and found under a concrete slab. The woman charged with the murder was yet another associate of Shakespeare’s that took advantage of him. His story has been featured on a multitude of different television programs, including Snapped and Curse of the Lottery.
It’s unfortunate to think that the people that have become famous due to winning the lottery have become it by making poor decisions and having the unfortunate circumstances take over their lives.
As for all the celebrities playing the lottery, it doesn’t look like we have too much to worry about when it comes to them ruining our chances. They can have the genetic lottery, we’ll take the money.
