This year has seen many large lottery winners in the Kingston area and 2018 was likewise lucrative for the region, with lottery winnings jumping over 50% from the previous year. But while local winners seem to have kept a low profile since first celebrating their good fortune, some Canadian winners haven’t been so lucky…
Think about the kind of impact a multi-million lottery win could have on your life! With so much money available to you, your options will be unlimited. You could invest into anything
you want – buy a big home, a dream car, a vacation you always wanted to take and much more.
Considering the fact that lottery tickets cost no more than a few dollars, it very well justifies why people take their chances at winning such life transforming sums. This includes not only the many Canadian lottery winners of the past but also winners of U.S. lotteries like Mega millions, Powerball and others. While most seem to have enjoyed their new fortunes, some unfortunately have not – including these two Canadian lottery winners…
Craig Henshaw, Markham, Ontario
It was in September 2011 that Craig Henshaw bought a Lotto Max lottery ticket with the last few dollars he had left before payday. He won $21 million on the ticket.
However, his happiness didn’t last, as the lottery win drew the type of attention he could have done without. At one point, Craig had to hole up at a hotel room in order to avoid the stalkers and media that camped outside his apartment. A scammer also stole his credit card info and his email and phone would be constantly flooded with messages from all kinds of charities.
In the end, Craig had to even part with his teaching job as some of his colleagues reportedly badgered him to settle their debts. Craig’s father said having to resign from the teaching job hit his son hard as he had always been passionate about teaching. Craig has even claimed he’d be willing to teach anyone who wanted to learn, without being paid.
His love for teaching was been evident in the manner he invested his winnings. He’s among the lottery winners who have made a contribution to society, including by setting up an education
fund for family members as well as a scholarship at his alma mater, Western University.
Allen and Violet Large, Lower Turo, Nova Scotia
Allen Large and his wife Violet won $11.2 million lottery in July 2010 by playing Lotto 6/49. The couple from Nova Scotia quickly announced that they’d be donating the majority of it to charities and, living up to their word, they ended up donated to philanthropic organisations, local churches and family members.
The couple decided to give away much of the money since they felt they had already saved enough for retirement and, additionally, had never expected to win something as big as this jackpot, even though they used to play on a regular basis.
Unfortunately, scammers started impersonating the couple and would commit bank fraud in their name. Allen was heartbroken as the scams continued even long after his wife passed away in 2011.
You can learn more about Ontario lotteries at OLG.ca
“Know your limit. Play within it.”
PlaySmart.ca
THE ONTARIO PROBLEM GAMBLING HELPLINE : 1-888-230-3505
Release: Submitted
Image (cropped): Pixabay (cc)
