LOTTO PAIN
I won £800k on lottery when I was 28 but blew it all – now I’m working in a restaurant & still paying off student loans
If you or someone close to you is affected by gambling addiction, there are a number of places to seek help
AN “embarrassed” lottery winner has candidly shared how he blew his £800,000 win in just eight years.
The man, who chose to remain anonymous, scored the jackpot on a scratch card when he was 28-years-old.
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Now aged 36, he has none of his winnings left and is working at a restaurant to make ends meet.
“I’m quite embarrassed by it,” he bravely admitted.
He spent the windfall on gambling, explaining that buying the scratch card was a form of betting in itself - an addiction he wasn’t able to beat after the win.
“I’m a former lottery winner,” he shared on financial advice radio show, The Ramsey Show.
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“I won a million dollars on a scratch ticket in the state of Virginia, US when I was 28.
“I’m 36 now and I have gone through it all.
“I gambled to buy the ticket, right?
“So that never stopped.
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“(After I won, the gambling) was more so casinos, sports gambling.”
The man shared that not long before he called into the show, he had been attempting to turn his life around.
What are the Signs of Gambling Addiction?
According to Be Gamble Aware charity, the following signs may indicate a problem:
- Spending more time and money gambling than you can afford
- Finding it hard to manage or stop gambling
- Having arguments with friends and family about money/gambling
- Losing interest in normal hobbies
- Increased time thinking/talking about gambling
- Lying about your gambling, or hiding it from those who care about you
- Chasing losses and gambling to get out of financial trouble
- Gambling all your money away
- Borrowing money, selling possessions, or not paying bills to fund your gambling
- Needing to gamble with bigger sums of money, or for longer, to get the same buzz
- Neglecting work, school, family, personal needs or household chores because of gambling
- Feeling anxious, worried, guilty, depressed or irritable
He said he had reached out to , an addiction support group, and made an appointment to speak with someone that can help him beat his addiction.
He said he was now working as a restaurant manager earning just shy of £60,000 ($75,000) per annum.
The man also had two student loans yet to be paid off, totalling approximately £23,000 in debt.
The Ramsey Show hosts - Ken Coleman, Dave Ramsey and George Kamel - helped him devise a financial plan live on air.
George offered a glimmer of hope that the debt could be paid off within a year, with him creating an emergency fund and beginning to “chip away” at the sum.
“Then, we’re going to get a fully funded emergency fund so that you never have to go back into debt again, so you have a financial foundation,” George said.
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“But the bigger piece is getting your spending under control and getting this addiction under control.”
Research has previously found that lottery winners are more likely to file for bankruptcy than non-winners.
Get Help for Gambling Addiction
If you or someone close to you is affected by gambling addiction, there are a number of places to seek help
- NHS specialist clinic for problem gamblers (in England & Wales only, for those aged 16+).
- The UK's main support and counselling organisation, who also run the National Gambling Helpline (0808 8020 133).
- A charity who use the same 12-step approach as Alcoholics Anonymous.
- A support group for family and friends, run by the people behind Gamblers Anonymous.
- A 24-hour service for those feeling suicidal (116 123).
- A free helpline for those up to the age of 18 (0800 1111).
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