Lottery Winner Loses $114 Million In Four Years - Plus A Look At The The Biggest Winners Of All Time

I have to admit that Ole' Jack is kind of a folk hero. And, you have to feel a bit sorry for him given what he's had to experience, tempering any glad feelings winning the lottery may have brought.

That said, Jack has experienced a problem common with many lottery winners, one that has led many of them to financial and personal ruin. That, of course, is drug and alcohol abuse/addiction.

Nearly all of Jack's public adventures have involved his being in the bag; David Edwards was hauled in on at least 4 occasions for possession or being under the influence. Bud Post, late and former lottery winner from PA, was cited on many blotters for DUI, DWI and public intoxication. Several other winners have died from drug overdosing.

Jack has been ordered to dry dock detox by at least one judge. The record on Edwards isn't clear, but it's a safe bet that he's spent some serious time in narcotic withdrawal's from his use.

The question remains open as to how many lottery winners have gone off the deep end with drug/alcohol abuse, and how that in turn effected their handling of the winnings. We have to assume being drunk, high, stoned, wasted or in various stages of hungover or withdrawing cannot have a positive effect. And might entice one or two poor lifestyle and cash management decisions.

Maybe, instead of running right off with their winnings to lawyers and $$$ planners, the winners might try to give Dr. Drew a quick call, and place him on a retainer. A retainer for that day down the road when they wake up in a jail cell, more than likely somewhere in Florida or Texas, facing serious charges and wondering where all that dough went.

Or, maybe they shouldn't wait until then, but call Dr. Drew right now. Call him quicker than you can figure out what AA or NA mean.

The poor man was simply ripped apart... Who ever thought that winning the lottery would bring so much bad luck, he was a victim of his money and he is partly to blame for that. It's interesting that once he saw he is rich he taught he can conquer everything but the law is equal for each on of us and he got arrested for drunk driving... I am curious, did he ever served any time in alcohol rehab for that? If you ask me, that man lost much more than money in this experience.

The person must have already knowledge of money management, you need to grow this knowledge not to lost mind in such case .

While some of you folks are level headed and sincere... on the other hand their are some real dark horses in here. What ever brings out all the foul language and ignorant rheteric is beyond me. Get a grip and don't pay any attention to the gay people, they won't bothr you if you don't bother them 1st.

Money usually magnifys who people are because they have the means to act out what they sense is right for them and their imagination.

What will I do after I collect my multimillions ? Put the money in a safe place and start gathering the information that will have me diversified safely. ( By the way, In California they release your name to the public when you win big, you cannot win and keep it a secret ) Once everything is secure, then a lenthy vacation will begin and my mother will be along for the trip of a lifetime. This will give us time to sort out the new direction in life that will impact many people in a positive way that we can. We will rent a big motorhome 1st before we buy one... no point in buying a whole bunch of stuff that ends up owning you until we have fine tuned our plans.
Beyond that we will create ways to draw support to the people that can use it. One way will be through fund raisers and sponcers for automotive events that benefit the less fortunate. This I feel will be a great way to support those that are struggling while we have fun while helping others. It will also be a great way to set a good example for the kids and grandkid.
I might even be tempted to round up David Edwards and see if he is interested in wanting to pull his life back together. You can only help those that are willing to help themselves... so... I just might ask him if he is still around. Believe it or not I learned a very important lesson from David Edwards... to bad he stayed into the drugs... he chose his own path and it took him to a place few can recover from.
Some of the big joyful moments in life happen when you give to others while expecting nothing in return.

Who puts $500 grand in their car? You know, PEOPLE CAN BREAK IN TO YOUR CAR. Also, he must have put it out in the open, or they wouldn't have seen it. And the moron did it TWICE! He is also a pervert. Plus he was successful so he should have donated everything, then he could have kept his job and lived comfortably. WHAT A RETARD !!!!

So I guess there are two possibilities here, right?
He may have gone bankrupt for the public and frame everyone .. or he could have such a personality that would lead him to real bankruptcy.

How can we tell for sure?

If I were to win just "ONE MILLION DOLLARS", I would NEVER be broke again!!

Hi-

I am from WV, I don't know Jack Whittacker (I'm not from Putnam Co), but I do know others who know him. He is apparently a nice guy, really hard working and decent - I think he just got caught up in things and it spiraled out of control.

I am sure most of you have never been to WV - which is an incredibly beautiful, but troubled state. Many people are living poorly, but I think most of them are content to be humble. WV is very untroubled by the outside influences of capitalism and the middle-class that so inflict most of America. Most towns have a wal-mart and possibly a crappy mall in their county. I personally graduated from the only high school in my COUNTY (my town has one stoplight). So, know one really knows what they are missing.

Unfortunately in WV there is very little to do. Alot of kids drink and use shitty drugs, because that's it! You drive around and get loaded by the river and then end up pregnant and working in that only Wal-Mart. Or you go to community college and finally end up at WVU (in the 'city') where you fail out after two semesters.

Being a 'redneck' does not make you stupid and Jack Whittaker is pretty typical of the good ol' boys in the South. They drive huge trucks, carry a pistol, wear a cowboy hat, and they drink whiskey and beer. That is the culture.

West Virginian's have a lot of state pride - all southerners do. Most peoples' families have been there generations on the same land - all of them coal miners - and they won't leave.

To have someone come in with $115 million is probably completly unfathomable to somebody in Putnam (one highway and still some outhouses - I'm serious). Truly money didn't cause all those problems; Brandi Bragg must have been very misguided to begin with if she became a crack addict at 15! Come on! ANd the kids hanging out with her, well I don't think her money had much to do with their outcomes. They were druggies before they met and likely still are. The real crime is that Jack Whittaker didn't make smarter decisions with his money (10 cars for a 17 -year old girl?) or supervise his grandaughter - or talk to her about all the responsibilities of money.

Children don't understand it and shouldn't have to reconcile with managing it. Children shouldn't know it exists.

I'm also happy Jack acted typically 'redneck', prooving WV isn't a place to go and see and letting it remain as it always was - undeveloped and hillbilly.

PS. at least he isn't as bad as Jescoe White.

man if i won 113 million dollars yall i would by me a brand new trailer down in kentucky

Compared to David Edwards, fellow lottery winner and Kentucky resident just down the road from our buddy here.

Edwards not only blew all of his dough, but did it in less than 3 years. While Jack's purchases were modest Edwards were extreme: $1,000,000 worth of cars, countless knock-off antiques, private jets, paying off friends and bankrupt business ventures. Plus, his narcotic of choice: mainline heroin with forays into hillbilly heroin (Oxycontin), Meth and numberous trips to the local ER for opiate recharges such as Percocet. And, he had the added attraction of a spaced out druggie wife 25 years his junior who he refused to jetision.

Jack petered along with a regular, standard issue Mountain Region America wife, attended church and continued to show up and run his business (if for nothing else, to keep his personal range war with local organizing unions flaming). His demons seemed more in the average Joe range: heavy drinking, watching and tipping (and soliciting) strippers, driving large gas guzzling SUVs, roadside stops with the local authorities, poor taste in dress, lack of directions to a nearby dentist and gambling. Jack probably never did heroin, nor encouraged his wife to do so. He even saw to it that his family attended school. And, you could bet, your never going to find Jack hunkered down and living in a storage unit and his own bodily functions in the Hillbilly Heaven-Florida.

Edwards is currently under deep cover down somewhere in his native Kentucky. Rumors attest to his health being spent, as his money and his being broke to the bone. He's somehow managed to dodge more jail time for the various and sundry crimes he's been involved in since his fall from grace. His aching back, the one which led to his lack of regular work prior to the big win, ironically never fixed while he was loaded, er, rich. Why would a guy with $27,000,000 not spend a few bucks and get his back taken care of? Fear of addiction to narcotic pain meds? Plus, and an extra one at that, he's still married to Mrs. Edwards.

No, Jack is a mere pimp next to Edwards. Big Jack , according to reports, isn't broke but doing fine (financially). He had hired a noted PR firm to help change his public image. Instead of hit Jack up for dough, now its 'feel sorry for Jack'. It's hard to feel sorry for a rich guy. Edwards is the guy who could use the PR firm right now.

The moral is: if you win the lottery, please don't do what those guys did. To include going to church, as it did Jack no good. Or, for that matter, marry a massive drug addict who'll drag you down. And, of course, hire an ex NFL lineman to follow you around everywhere who is authorized (and encouraged) to slap you hard if you get out of line.

Best luck and wishes to Jack and Edwards; and their kin.

U fools..

If you win any amt of big $$ in a lottery...planning is more important than ever.

Yes, no worries, but at the same time...no planning means you will guarantee yourself going broke eventually.

Whitter was not much of a christian or a religious man if he was going to strip joints..

IM athiest and I stopped going to strip clubs 18 years ago (now 50)...

Much of what the 'losers' who win big ..are that they cant manage their own lives pre-win.

Plus when & if u win big...#1 ...lock up the $$ so u cant simply give it away...and ....dont be carrying around $$ like jack whitter... Stupid stupid stupid.

Plus the above 'socalled' winners who really showed some anger...probably really havent won a thing.

Also, any winner (especially older people) who chose annuity are fools... U guaranetee your own $$ but you are screwing all those who would be beneficaries..

Note, annuity from lottery doesnt go to anybody else at your death. unlike the lumpsum which is 100% yours after taxes.

I found this thread and thought I would post my experience.
I won $6.57 million after taxes instant payout after taxes in 2002.
The first thing I did was call my brother-in-law who is a Financial Advisor.

He set me up with a personal Banker and Lawyer who set my winnings up as a trust.
My name was never exposed in the paper..Only my hometown (very small town)....where rumors spread fast because we had a new Mercedes afterwards and put our home on the market and began building a very large home on the biggest lot on the lake.
We never told anyone who asked us if we were the winners. We simply said.."oh yeah..sure..WE WISH!"...
We told our friends my grandmother left me an inheritance.
The rumors died out and we have never had a single charity or person ask for 1 cent.

I did quit my job a month after winning, so did my wife.
We are in our 40's so we decided to keep working but in jobs we love instead....(remodelling homes)..We are actually making more money working half as much as we did before...

Our net worth has doubled in 5 years to $10 million. We give money to our church and to our kids schools for sports and art programs that were cut from funding.

Our kids are very popular and it is because they are active participants in school..not because of money or the cars they drive (all $20,000 or less cars that were Used when we bought them).
WE also never told our kids we won... I know this sounds strange but we figured the word wold spread quickly among their friends and also because they would assume they would be able to have anything they asked for...
Our kids believe we are wealthy because we work hard in our own business and from inheritance.

We only told 4 relatives under extreme confidence.....and that was only because we sought financial advice....

I have a home gym I use every day and have never been in better shape..I eat better, sleep better and love my life now.
I never have to answer to anyone but my wife and God.

I have no respect for this guy from WV who had over $110 million and lost it all.
What a loser.

The money does not change the person as I always said...The money only amplifies the personality they already had..and this guy must have been a real idiot.

Fuck you Winning the California Lottery. You sound like one of those homosexuals who keep posting on this page. I am sure that not only are you gay, but you are a scam artist. I won a lottery (not in CA) and I won't tell you my secrets. All I can is I am well off for the rest of my life (not like fuck-tard Jack - you think this moron has good advice).

I have some question about winning the California Lottery.
1. I keep reading that if you win the California lottery you should claim the winning with a blind trust. I keep looking for a sample of a blind trust but can’t find one, dose anyone know where you can find one for winning the lottery?
2. Could you claim the lottery as an LLC or a corporation?
3. I hear that one guy who won set up a non profit foundation. If you set up this non profit foundation before you claim the lottery winnings. Could the foundation be a partner in the winnings. If the foundation could be a partner in the winnings and the person who won gives 20% to the foundation, would the foundation have to pay taxes on that money?
4. Now lets say that you won the lottery for 100 million and you give 20 million to this non profit foundation and the foundation did not have to pay taxes on that money it receives would the person who won have to pay taxes on 80 million or 100 million?
When I win the California Lottery and I want to stay anonymous this is what I would like to do. Form a corporation and a non profit foundation, put them both into an LLC and have the LLC do a blind trust to claim the winnings. This way you would have 3 layers of anonymity. Tell me what you think.

Thanks
Anonymous

We all know Jack is a latent fag. Just look at the big fucker with tears in his eyes. That's definitely a rope sucking ass banger if I ever saw one.

Ummmm, I am a fag and I want to play the Jack's Homo Slut Machine. I hope I get the gang rape jackpot. Nothing like being in the middle of a bunch of Tranny Homos.

The Cowboy Jack slot machine is really meant for latent homosexuals. When you plan the machine they handcuff you to it and then if you win several fags come out and make you suck them off. Yes, this was designed by none other than "Fag JackMeOff BrokeBack Mountain Cowboy" Whittaker. Nothing as ironic as a homosexual redneck.

The money stolen at the Pink Pony WAS recovered; it was found put by a Dumpster behind the building. Also it would be really clever of him to claim he has no $ left so people stop bugging him! I might have. But that is only speculation. I even went to Caesar's to look for the "Cowboy Jack" slot machine he invented and nobody seemed to know about it or they said it was hidden "behind the wall over there somewhere". And I still feel very sad about his granddaughter, nothing is worth that price.

He should of been more careful. If I had a big windfall, the first thing I'd do is plan everything carefully. Consult an Attorney, get a P.O. Box, get an unlisted phone number, and don't come forward right away. All kinds of people will try to come after you when someone gets a big windfall, with all that publicity on the news.

Ah Jack(off) looks so sad in his photo. What a jackomo (jack off mother fucker). I just ate a bunch of enchiladas with jalapenos, beans, and onions. Now who wants to lick my ass crack/rim and suck on my balls?

Why do you fuckers have a hard time accepting the word "redneck?" If America views you as a redneck you are a redneck no matter where you are from. Jack looks like a redneck and, thus, is a redneck. And you folks who don't accept the word "redneck" are just "rednecks in denial." I don't feel sorry for this jerk-off. Not only is he a "redneck," but he is an idiot.

A self-righteous jackass gets what's coming to him, it's called Karma, and he whines like a baby.

And a good case for having 314 people win a million each as opposed to one d*ckhead winning 314 million.

Everyone can clearly see why he has no friends but try explaining it to a self righteous jackass and they won't get it.

What a dumb redneck!

This is priceless.

You're in my prayers. There are things in life that money just cant buy.

Yeah, I don't feel too bad for someone that..

1) Has a half million in cash in their car. Get a credit card dude.

2) Has another 200,000 in his car after not learning his lesson the first time.

3) Had his fortune in cash in a bank account that could be withdrawn from check forgery. Get a financial planner and invest. At least have that money tied up in bonds other safe investments.

Easy come, easy go.

easy come, easy go. The fool who never knew.

with the lottery money, comes the curse of all those who could not win it.
All people buying ticket are expecting to hit jackpot .... that burden of expectation attaches some sort of bad wishes and curse to the price money ....

Although thats not the explanation for the foolish acts he committed later on.

Dear lord, just let me win and I'll prove this stereotype wrong...other than the strippers and gambling..and buying other people shit they don't need, and giving relatives a bunch of unearned money and tellin' them "here! go kill yourselves"...and stuff like that and whatnot.

First of all Je255j, he's from WV, that makes him a redneck. Second, he tried to pay off God and then got involved with drugs and strip joints. He lost $545k from his car (who keeps more than 10 bucks in their car) and then he still kept enough in there to lose $200k more. He's an idiot. If you feel sorry for him for that, you're an idiot. And I'll give you $1000 and see if you keep it in your frickin' car!

MORON

This stupid fucker gambled away his money. He also spent it on hookers, I mean strippers. He was a millionaire before he won and still is. As for the stupid hillbilly question, He appeared on NATIONAL TV without his false teeth. STUPID FUCKING HILLBILLY!

It is easy to find accounts of many lottery winners who have lost all their wealth. I remember Paul Harvey talking about the first lottery winner--for $1 million--who ended up a bankrupt, 50-something year-old man with no job skills, sacking groceries to make ends meet. Associated Content relates that 1/3 of lottery winners go bankrupt within a few years after winning. I remember seeing a report about an organization formed to train new jackpot winners how not to ruin their lives with their newfound wealth.

It is obvious to me that he didn't actually lose the money, he just pretended to lose the money so that he wouldn't have a bunch of leeches begging from and suing him.