# Does anyone actually know a lottery winner? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 6, 2000, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-actually-know-a-lottery-winner/14409 "2000-03-06T17:04:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![John\_Bredin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@John\_Bredin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Bredin)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2000, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-actually-know-a-lottery-winner/14409/21 "2000-03-06T23:57:00Z")
Several years ago, my parents got 5 numbers out of 6 in (Illinois) Lotto, back when it was only drawn once a week. They ended up with just about enough money to pay the special assessment for paving the alley (last damned alley paved in the entire village, 1947 to '80-something!) and repaving the sidewalk, with only a few hundred left over. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2000, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-actually-know-a-lottery-winner/14409/22 "2000-03-07T01:34:00Z")
This question would preassume lottery winners are completely alone. But yes, people know lottery winners. ---
**Author:** ![Kiki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dc4da7/32.png) [@Kiki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiki)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2000, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-actually-know-a-lottery-winner/14409/23 "2000-03-07T02:57:00Z")
I know a really big winner. It was Dr. Dreiling. I went to school with his daughter Jenny. She and a bunch of our friends lived on the same block and always used to party at her house. Her dad won the Powerball that was worth $34 million. He didn’t really need the money though… he’s an orthodontist and already had lots of money. I have gotten together with Jenny a few times since then but haven’t seen her dad. I wouldn’t say it changed him too much but he doesn’t seem to enjoy his job as much. (Yes, he still works… not sure why.) 😕 * * * That John Denver’s full of shit man! ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2000, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-actually-know-a-lottery-winner/14409/24 "2000-03-07T03:45:00Z")
A gaz > [@](#): > > Originally posted by Shirley Ujest: > **Interesting tidbit brought to you by my hair styliest: he does the hair of an attorney that specializes in people who’ve won /inherited great gobs of money. The lawyer said that most lottery winners go broke within the first year or so because of wild spending sprees. So, if you ever win the lottery, you need to have a plan to make sure you keep your winnings.** This is a very common happening for people who come into lots of money quickly, and aren’t used to it. Celebrities, atheletes, lottery winners, anyone who isn’t used to having a lot of money. People who inherit money are not usually quite so likely to dissipate it if they were born to it – “old money” as it were. Like your hairdresser’s attorney customer, I could tell you lots of stories – except I can’t, 'cause of confidentiality concerns. I assure you, though, that, all other things being equal, an insurance company underwriter would be happier insuring the recently-inherited-it-all scion of an old and wealthy family than he would be insuring the middle class kid who just signed a multi-digit millions sports or film contract, or the person who just won the lottery. -Melin * * * **Voted Best Moderator** Siamese attack puppet – California ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2000, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-actually-know-a-lottery-winner/14409/25 "2000-03-07T03:46:00Z")
??? I have no clue where those first four letters in my post, above the quote from Shirley, came from . . . . -Melin [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-actually-know-a-lottery-winner/14409.md?page=1)