That’s exactly what happened to Evelyn Adams, a worker at a convenience shop in New Jersey. Adams won the lottery for $3.9 million back in 1985, and then four months later, he won another $1.4 million prize.
The odds of winning the first jackpot were one in 3.2 million, while the odds of winning the second prize were one in $5.2 million.
How Twice Millionaire From Lottery Lost All Her Fortune?
But due to a number of poor business decisions and a terrible gambling addiction, Adams ultimately lost all of her money and found herself living in a trailer park.
After winning her first jackpot, Adams used the reward money which was given to her in $218,000 yearly payments to pay off some debts and start a college fund for her daughter.
Adams increased her monthly lotto ticket total from $25 to $100 and used the money to buy a car for herself as well as gifts for her closest friends and family members.
The newspaper also claims that Adams felt as though she had lost her privacy and couldn’t go anyplace without being recognized after winning two prizes.
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Woman Regrets Losing Lottery-Winning Prize
Adams’ family and friends were generally supportive of her newfound success, but some of them resented her newfound fortune.
Adams decided against continuing with her ambitions to study music and instead used some of her money to purchase the convenience store where she had previously worked, though she later decided to put it up for sale.
She also loaned out a portion of her gains, the majority of which were never repaid. Adams frequented the slot machines in Atlantic City casinos far too regularly, and by 2012, she had spent all of her money.
The lotto isn’t always what it’s made out to be, she said. I achieved the American dream, but I also lost it. The fall was really difficult. It is known as rock bottom.”
Adams continued: “Everyone coveted my cash. Everyone extended their hand. I never mastered even the most basic word in English, “no.”
“I wish I could go back and start from scratch. I would know better by now. I used to gamble a lot. Even though I didn’t lose a million dollars, I did lose a lot of money.” She declared: “I erred, some of which I regret, some of which I don’t. I am a human. I move forward one step at a time since I can’t go back at this point.”
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