Hitting the jackpot means you can afford anything: one or several luxury homes, exotic vacations, around-the-world cruises, expensive cars and much more. But, there are some lotto winners out there who had a very different idea of what they would like to do with their sudden windfall. Their purchases are one more outrageous than the other, but one thing is sure: there will be others to go even further in the future.
1. His Own TV Show
If you are a fan of America’s top lottery, Powerball and you have the luck to hit one of its enormous jackpots, you can be sure that you can afford to make even your wildest dreams come true. There is no limit to it! Jonathan “Jay” Vargas is a living proof to this. What was his dream? Having his own wrestling show with an all-female cast. And he made! He managed to have his own TV show called “Wrestlicious”. However, making his dream come true cost Jay Vargas his entire lottery fortune of $17 million. Moreover, the show turned out to be a lot less successful than expected. So, besides losing his money, Vargas also lost his show.
2. An Acre on the Moon
How many UK homes can you buy with £1 million? All right, maybe not so many if you are looking into the luxury segment of the real estate market. According to the Business Insider, a one-bedroom flat in one of London’s high end neighborhoods is all you get for £1 million. But, David Copeland from Hereford had a different idea. After a new car, a few cruises and many exotic vacations, the 31-year-old man decided to I buy an acre of the Moon, one on Venus and one on Mars. This purchase might seem extravagant, but it was actually not so expensive. It all came down to £120. A small sum, but a useless investment, you may say. This is not Mr. Copeland’s opinion. He is quite satisfied with his purchase as it makes a great talking point at parties.
3. A Water Park
Many people love spending their leisure time in water parks, but donating all your lottery winnings to build one? That would be too much! This is what most people would say. Not John Kutey and his wife Linda! Back in 2011, they played Mega Millions as a syndicate with other co-workers, and this brought them $28.7 million – their share of a $319 million Mega Millions jackpot. Two decided to donate $200,000 to building a water park in honor of their parents.
4. A Disused Jail
When he pocketed a £10.2 million jackpot, Peter Lavery splurged on everything and anything: from luxury cars and A-list properties. But, once the novelty rubbed off, Mr. Lavery moved on to a much more soul-filled project, buying a disused jail in Belfast that he turned into a whiskey distillery. How much did the venture cost him? Over $5 million. But, it was not money spend in vain. As it turns out, the lucky UK Lottery winner knows a thing or two about whiskey, and his distillery grew to be an extremely profitable business.
5. A Soccer Team
Pocketing a similar amount of money, John McGuiness started his new life as a lottery winner just the same: luxury cars, apartments, houses, and a lot of parties. But, after a while, he decided to go back to his true passion – football. So, Mr. McGuinness invested a £4 million in Livingston FC, a lower division Scottish soccer team, and he aimed to bring it to the finals. Unfortunately, his story does not have the same happy ending: the club then became riddled with debt, and Mr. McGuiness lost his enormous investment.
