Is There Really a 'Lottery Curse' ?

Lotteries are a multibillion dollar industry that offers players the chance to realize their dreams of sudden and great wealth. Most lottery players equate winning millions with happiness and contentment but history has shown that this is not always the case. In fact a few years ago there was a television special called 'The Curse of the Lottery' that detailed the sordid results winning the lottery had for several big winners. The show illustrated the hard cold fact that a sudden windfall of cash does not always end happily. Virginia Commonwealth University psychology professor Steve Danish has studied the impact that sudden wealth has had on several lottery winners. Danish stated, "The dream you have about winning may be better than the actuality of winning. There have been families that have just -- just been torn apart by this process."

For some a big lottery win has led several winners down the dark path to drugs, bankruptcy, destroyed families and even murder. There are many examples of big winners who hit it big and then lost it all. Lottery winner Victoria Zell won millions but succumbed to the temptations of meth and cocaine and ended up in serious trouble. Zell shared an $11 million dollar jackpot with her husband in 2001 and is now broke and serving time in a Minnesota prison as a result of a drug and alcohol fueled crash that killed one person and paralyzed another. Florida lottery winner Abraham Shakespeare won $31 million in the Florida lottery and was murdered by a woman posing as a financial adviser and friend and her boyfriend.

In 2002 Jack Whittaker won the biggest single payout in history. Whittaker was plagued by tragedy including the drug overdose death of his granddaughter who he had given a $2,000 a week allowance. Whittaker started to frequent strip clubs and at one club he was robbed of over $500,000 dollars. Two employees at the club who were later arrested drugged Whittaker's drink. Whittaker was well meaning establishing a foundation to provide food and clothing to low income West Virginia families and donating millions to various good causes. Whittaker now says he’s broke and wishes he had never bought the winning lottery ticket.

Some lottery winners have managed to avoid the 'lottery curse.' Brad Duke, of Idaho won a $220 million Powerball jackpot in 2005 and opted for a lump sum payout of $85million. Duke made some modest purchases and invested his money wisely and provided himself with a sustainable income proving that winning the lottery does not necessarily lead to tragedy.