Many people wonder what happens to lottery winners. There are stories of big lottery winners that have lost everything even though they won millions. Many lottery winners are unaware that the government will take almost half of their winnings and fail to factor this in when they make financial decisions. Many become the subjects of litigation that eats up a large portion of their winnings. One Ohio lottery winner found himself the subject of several paternity suits by past wives and girlfriends seeking hundreds of thousands of dollars in back child support.

While most of the stories of big lottery winners are tragic there are some success stories. Brad Duke of Idaho won a $222 million dollar jackpot of the Idaho lottery and kept $88 million after taxes. Mr. Duke spent the first month assembling a team of financial advisors with the goal of investing and becoming a billionaire. Mr. Duke set up a $1.2 million dollar family foundation, gifted members of his family with $12,000 a year, and invested the balance of his winnings. Unlike many winners who immediately start to spend their winnings Mr. Duke put a lot of thought into planning for his future and financial well being.

What happens to lottery winners is not always pleasant. Research has shown that a large percentage of lottery winners are broke within five years. If you ever wondered what happens to lottery winners the story of William "Bud" Post is an excellent of a lottery win gone wrong. Mr. Post won $16.2 million dollars in the Pennsylvania lottery and is now broke and living on Social Security. A girlfriend successfully sued him for a share of the winnings and his misfortunes didn't stop there. Family members convinced him to bankroll several unsuccessful ventures and his brother was arrested while trying to hire a hit man to kill him. Post was eventually forced to file for bankruptcy.

Here area few more stories of big lottery winners. Willie Hurt of Michigan won $3.1 million in the Michigan lottery. Two years later he found himself broke and charges with murder. His lawyer stated that Hurt spent all his money on a divorce and crack cocaine. Ken Proxmire, also of Michigan, won $1 million in the Michigan lottery. He went into the auto business with his brothers and was broke in five years. Evelyn Adams won $5.4 million in the New Jersey lottery. She was broke and living in a trailer within a few years. She stated she gave most of the money away to family members.

These are just a few examples of what happens to lottery winners, some with a happy ending but many with a tragic ending. Stories of big lottery winners who have lost everything abound. Many winners are not prepared to handle large sums of money and some of the previous stories are prime examples of what not to do with a large lottery win.

Lottery players now have many choices. Several states have allowed the cross sales of tickets for both Powerball and Mega Millions. In addition some states are looking into offering the sale of online lottery tickets as a convenience for players. Hopefully future big winners will be as sensible as Brad Duke who invested his winnings wisely.