Denise Rossi enjoyed lavish winnings, until it was stripped from her A woman had to give away her million lottery win to her ex-husband in a shock twist and the reason is diabolical.
This is a warning to everyone who could potentially win big while married.
Denise Rossi won her £1 million lottery jackpot ($1.3 million) and ultimately decided to divorce her husband of 25 years less than two weeks afterwards.
Talk about a wakeup call.
The woman, from California, USA, was happy to win her cash prize money, but decided to do something unexpected.
Denise Rossi won an immense amount of money (Fox)
She chose to keep the news of her big win from her partner.
When her ex-hubby, Thomas discovered her lotto win years after their divorce in 1996, after finding a letter from a company that gave out the payouts to lottery winners, he decided to take things further.
As he had found the letter which went on to describe information about the winnings, and shared how the company had ‘helped hundreds of lottery winners like you around the country receive a lump-sum payment for the present value of their future annual lottery payments’, he knew he had grounds to contest the money, and his right to a slice of the proverbial pie.
He took the matter to court, with proceedings revealing that Denise has actually mailed the original winnings cheque to her mum’s house, keeping it away from Thomas.
She was asked why she filed for divorce so quickly after she won the big prize, as she revealed that it was a convenient exit from the marriage, having looked for a way out for ‘several years’.
Speaking to People Magazine, Thomas revealed that he was ‘confused’ and ‘blindsided’ by the incident, saying: “She wanted me to move out of the house very fast. It wasn’t like her to act this way.”
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Denise was stripped of her earnings after withholding the money from her husband (Getty Stock Images)
The judge eventually ordered Denise to pay her 65-year-old ex-husband, 20 annual payments worth $66,800 (£52,600) each, which totalled the value of her entire winnings.
Connolly Oyler, Denise’s lawyer, stated that she may have been able to keep the winnings if she was honest about them.
He explained: “I could have argued successfully that it was her separate property. Or we could have argued and we would have reached some adjustment. But the judge got mad and gave it all to him.”
This isn’t the first time lottery winnings have broken a family up, though, with a 92-year-old father choosing to take his daughter to court in Australia after accusing her of ‘coercing’ him into giving her some of his winnings.
It does seem like the lottery can bring about a number of problems, whether that be with your family, or you know, actually collecting it.
The National Lottery revealed to LADbible that a Powerball winner from last year still hasn’t collected their £500,000 prize – so it may be worth checking old tickets and looking at the official website to see if it could be you.
If it’s me – it’s been nice knowing all of you lot in my life, but I’m off to live in a sunnier climate and I can’t take you with me.Featured Image Credit: FOX / Getty Stock Image
Topics: Money, US News, National Lottery
Britt Jones
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Updated 15:09 21 Oct 2024 GMT+1Published 12:22 21 Oct 2024 GMT+1
Couple who won lottery admit there is one thing they miss about life before major win
After Bill and Cath Mullarkey won the National Lottery in 2017, they moved from Coventry to the Caribbean island of St Lucia
A married couple from Coventry who won the lottery seven years ago revealed there is one thing they miss about their old life.
Rather than an extension on their holiday, Bill, 64, and Cath Mullarkey, 63, returned from St Lucia to a very special message, telling them they had won £1 million in the National Lottery in 2017.
“I thought it must be something like, ‘this could be you if you play tonight’, but no, the lady said, ‘congratulations, you’re the proud winner of the EuroMillions, £1 million’ and that was it,” Bill told the PA news agency.
Bill, 64, and Cath Mullarkey, 63, won £1 million in the National Lottery in 2017 (PA)
“It was life-changing, but it took time to sink in. Even for a day or two, it was surreal. I’m thinking maybe we’ll get a call back saying it’s a mistake, but no.
“When you see it’s all signed, sealed, delivered and then that’s reality when you see your bank account with zeros, wow.”
With all that money at their disposal, the duo decided to live out their dream by moving to St Lucia.
After already owning a plot of land on the Caribbean island, they have now built a home and their very own restaurant.
“We always thought of having our own place and ideally open our own little restaurant,” Bill added.
The couple have opened their very own restaurant in St Lucia (PA)
“We never thought it would happen but we dreamed and then that was the priority, that and help family members.
“We had got to that age in life where we thought it’d never be possible or we would be fortunate enough to think, ‘where do we really want to settle down’, and for me, it was a no brainer.”
Their restaurant, which opened in November 2023, is surrounded by mountain views and serves St Lucian food.
Although they do miss, what they call the ‘beautiful’ Coventry, the couple’s lives have now changed for the better.
“We were happy before, but we are even happier now, knowing that we have this,” Bill said.
The pair are living their dream (PA)
“I’m grateful every day of my life and so is Cath, for the change that it’s managed to bring us
“What we’re doing now is for ourselves and living our dream, doing our thing, which we dreamt of, but never thought would be possible, so it has changed our life for the better.”
Located in the eastern Caribbean Sea, St Lucia covers about 617 square kilometres.
The island has a population of roughly 180,000 and is home to its famous twin volcanic peaks, the Pitons.Featured Image Credit: PA
Topics: UK News, National Lottery, Money
Anish Vij
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Published 22:14 17 Dec 2024 GMT
Brit who won £107.9 million on lottery after ‘predicting it’ shared surprising update on life after winning
Neil Trotter claims he told several people he would win hours before his lucky numbers came up
If you supposedly had the ability to ‘predict’ that you would win big on the lottery, you think you’d be able to foretell what the lifestyle of a a millionaire would be like too.
But Neil Trotter – who scooped nearly £108 million on the EuroMillions in March 2014 – admitted that he wasn’t prepared for just how different it would be.
Lottery winner who got £108 million explains it was difficult to adjust
Credit: TikTok/@viral_vids_worldwide
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The former car mechanic, from Coulsdon, Surrey, explained that he struggled to come to terms with the staggering number of zeroes in his bank account after his huge windfall a decade ago.
He had purchased £10 worth of Lucky Dip tickets and ended up bagging the £107.9 million jackpot after matching seven numbers.
Some people might reckon it was simply a stroke of luck that Trotter earned such a large sum of money – but according to him, it was written in the stars all along.
Speaking of his alleged mystic abilities in 2019, he said (via the Daily Star): “Being a Trotter, I knew I’d be a millionaire one day – and I somehow knew I’d win the lottery.
“I used to tell my dad I’d have a house with a lake, and he’d say, ‘In your dreams, son!'”
Del Boy and Rodney would be proud of this lad’s get-rich-quick efforts.
Trotter also claimed that he managed to predict his colossal win just hours before the EuroMillions draw took place.
Neil Trotter won nearly £108 million on the EuroMillions in 2014 (National Lottery)
Trotter continued: “I had such a strong feeling on the Friday that I’d win, I told the secretary at work.”
He also decided to tell his father’s friends that ‘this time tomorrow’ he would be rolling in it – only for his manifestations to materialise later that evening.
Following his win, Trotter says the best advice he received was from officials at Camelot Group, who advised him to not ‘do anything straight away’ – however, it didn’t take long for him to spend some of his cash.
He ditched his job as a mechanic, swapped his ‘old banger’ for a 2014 McLaren 650S Spider and purchased a mansion on a 500-acre estate which boasts ‘at least’ six lakes.
Trotter previously said he had also bought a house for his younger sister with his mammoth winnings, as well as a pony for his daughter.
Although not working another day in your life and limitless shopping sounds like heaven to most people, the millionaire said the novelty soon wore off for him.
The Brit said he found it difficult to adjust to his millionaire status (National Lottery)
In an update shared in 2022, Trotter said he found it difficult to adapt to his new lifestyle.
“Going from having to work to not having to work any more was quite a strange thing to adjust to,” he said in 2022, according to The Mirror. “I soon found out that sitting at home watching telly all day was quite boring.”
Trotter then discussed why he decided to go public with his win.
“If you want to live the dream, which is to have the house, the money and spend it, you’ve got to go public,” he went on.
But despite getting a bit bored from time to time, he’s still grateful for where those lucky numbers have led him in life.
Trotter added: “Winning allowed me to go back to my first love – racing. And I’ve the house with a lake.”Featured Image Credit: PA/Chris Ratcliffe/National Lottery/PA Wire
Topics: National Lottery, UK News, Money, Lifestyle, Euromillions
Olivia Burke
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Published 10:35 4 Apr 2024 GMT+1
Lottery expert explains the big mistake winners make that waste their millions
He’s issued a stark warning to National Lottery winners
A National Lottery advisor has opened up about the ‘big mistake’ jackpot winners often seem to make.
Andy Carter has witnessed over £2 billion worth of Lottery winners throughout his years as a senior financial advisor.
Over the last 18 years, the 50-year-old has helped more than 2,000 jackpot winners, who have taken home over £50k, organise their new-found wealth for the first few months.
The father-of-two introduces winners to financial experts who help with managing their money.
PA
Around 90 percent of National Lottery winners like to use the service Andy offers.
Andy says he loves helping people look after their fortune, telling This is Money: “If you can’t enter then this job is the next best thing.
“It’s a great job – you’re a part of someone’s life at a time which they’ll never forget.
“Winning the Lottery makes people happier – on the whole. It gives them more choice, but it can take a while to get there.
“One day I might be sitting in an 85-year-old lady’s house with a cup of tea and a piece of cake and she’s telling me all her old stories.
“But then I could be on a building site with brickies who want to ‘lad it up’. I have to be a chameleon.”
Throughout the years, however, Andy has witnessed the downfall of people when they become a lottery winner, from relationships breaking down to making issues at home even worse.
Getty Stock Image
But the big mistake, according to Andy, is when Lottery winners give too much away.
“Winners want to help everyone out and this generosity comes from a good place. But people should work out what they need first,” he explained.
“For example, if they have children under 30 and want to help them out with a house purchase, can they afford to do that and give up work themselves?”
Explaining how his experts help out, Andy added: “The experts look at your whole life picture and make a plan, then winners can work out how much they can afford to help others.”
Splurging the cash on a sports car or a too-lavish of a holiday is also a no no from Andy.
“Can you fit a pram in the back of a sports car? Some winners hire a sports car for a weekend and then realise it wasn’t all it’s cracked up to be,” he said.
“They want that fantastic holiday to spend time with someone, more than the holiday itself.”
Although, nowadays, Andy says ‘around 98 percent of our winners as very cautious with their new wealth’.Featured Image Credit: PA/Getty Stock Image
Topics: National Lottery, Money, UK News
Anish Vij
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Updated 17:27 14 Jul 2024 GMT+1Published 17:28 14 Jul 2024 GMT+1
Retired couple have won 23m after ‘cracking code’ to win lottery
The retired US couple used a rare legal loophole they discovered back in 2003
A couple have won a huge £23 million on the lottery after ‘cracking its code’.
Jerry and Marge Selbee, from Evart in Michigan, managed to scoop the enormous win over a number of years after they found a legal loophole in two different lottery games.
The couple had planned to retire in their 60s, but back in 2003, everything changed when Jerry popped into a corner store which he used to own.
He spotted a new lottery game and noticed it had a ‘special feature’ called a ‘rolldown’.
Jerry – who has a degree in maths – said he took just three minutes to ‘crack its code’, before going on to win millions.
The format of the game worked differently to usual lotteries.
A retired couple have totalled a whopping £23 million in lottery earnings after casually finding a legal loophole allowing them to win regularly (CBS)
Varying from the standard rule where the jackpot keeps building until someone hits all six numbers – if the jackpot reached $5 million, and no one matched all six numbers, all the money ‘rolled down’ to the lower-tier prize winners, who matched five, four or three numbers.
Jerry’s exploits have become the subject of a feature film named Jerry & Marge Go Large – which was released in 2022 and stars Bryan Cranston.
Jerry has since explained just how he did it – but bare with us as it definitely gets a bit confusing.
He told CBS: “Here’s what I said. I said if I played $1,100 mathematically I’d have one 4-number winner, that’s 1,000 bucks.
“I divided 1,100 by six instead of 57 because I did a mental quick dirty and I come up with 18.
“So I knew I’d have either 18 or 19 3-number winners and that’s 50 bucks each.
Michigan would suddenly shut down the game in 2005 (CBS)
“At 18 I got $1,000 for a 4-number winner, and I got 18 3-number winners worth $50 each, so that’s 900 bucks.
“So I got $1,100 invested and I’ve got a $1,900 return.”
It didn’t take long for Jerry and Marge to start playing for thousands as Jerry said: “We played $515,000 and we got back $853,000.”
However, things changed when Michigan suddenly shut down the game in 2005.
But, as one door closes another one opens and the couple managed to find an almost identical game in Massachusetts called Cash Winfall where they were able to earn even more.
The couple would drive 900 miles to the state every time there was a ‘Rolldown’ and would buy hundreds of thousands of tickets at two local shops.
They said they would play 10 hours a day, 10 days straight, with over ‘$600,000 per play. Seven plays a year’.
The couple won millions on the games (CBS)
Jerry added: “Our first play was $80,000 with 40,000 tickets, and our last play was $712,000 with 366,000 tickets.
“We did spend 11 to 14 nights at the motel in South Deerfield and it was something we looked forward to.
“It was something different and it was profitable and it was able to help our family and help our friends out with a little financial boost.”
The Massachusetts state treasurer eventually shut down the Cash Winfall game.