'I won millions on the lotto and it's completely destroyed my life'
A man has shared the best and worst things about winning €27 million on the lottery - saying it has brought him a lot of happiness but intense sadness at the same time
While most people dream about winning the lottery, one man claims it's not all it's cracked up to be. The anonymous man, who won a $30 million jackpot (€27 million), says winning the lottery turned him into a crank and destroyed his relationship with his family and friends.
He shared how he receives annuity payments ranging from $350,000 (€317,500) to $400,000 (€363,000), and he saved up his first few 'pay packets' to buy a house in South Bay, in Los Angeles, with ocean views, costing around $700,000 (€635,152).
But despite having enough money to never work again, he has a 9 to 5 job as a corporate executive assistant to avoid boredom. Taking to Reddit, he said: "They have no idea [I'm a lottery winner]. Why am I working? Because idle hands are the devil's workshop and I need to be productive."
However, while the money brought him financial freedom, he says it has destroyed his trust in people, including his closest friends and family. He added: "I have no friends or family because I refused to financially support them. "They were more than happy to ask me for money to buy a vacuum or to fix their teeth yet couldn't bother to acknowledge my birthday. They felt entitled to my money.
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"The ultimate betrayal was when they sold me out by telling their friends and family that I'd won the lottery and was giving money away left and right. They all disappeared as soon as I said I'm not giving them any money and do not ask me for money."
He says he is "much happier" now he has cut them out of his life - and now keeps his lottery win a secret from almost everybody. He added: "The money changed how people treated me. I'm much happier now than when I was around people who were only around me because I had money."
However, this wasn't the only negative impact the £30 million (€27 million) jackpot had on his life, as he admits the change in his bank balance also changed his mentality on life. He added: "I had all these things I wanted to do like learn how to box, travel, but never followed through with it. Winning the lottery has turned me into a curmudgeon.
"The biggest mistake was buying nice clothes from upscale boutiques. I realised I'm much more comfortable wearing my $20 Hanes hoodie than a $350 shirt from Emanuel Berg." After sharing his admission on Reddit, he was asked what's the best and worst thing about winning the lottery.
In response, he simply said: "Best - I don't have to worry about money. Worst - my wealth has isolated me. It's a double-edged sword. People want to be around you but 99% of the time it's motivated about money. I really don't spend much. My annuity is about $400,000 net and I don't spend even $300,000 a year."
Commenting on his post, one user said: "I know that pain, and I haven't even won the Lotto. I wish you the best, comrade." Another user added: "I know the grass is always greener on the other side but money is a great filter because you can see people for who they really are. Sounds like you have some serious trust issues. Most people don't give a s*** about your money.
"It doesn't sound like you put yourself in a place to be vulnerable in quite a while and it sounds like although you pretend like you don't care you're actually very concerned about losing your money otherwise you wouldn't care about people reacting in any sort of way."
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