I love stories like this one, just not for the reasons you might think.
Michael Carroll scooped the £9.7 million lottery jackpot in 2002 from a £1 ticket.
He gave £4 million to his family before blowing the rest on cocaine, vodka, and brothels – and he claims to have bedded 4,000 women.
Began to run out of money in 2005 and appeared in court over 30 times.
Described how his lavish lifestyle was ‘the best ten years of his life for a pound’.
After a period of homelessness he is now works as a coalman in Moray, Scotland.
Here’s the thing. The Usual Suspects are going to whine and bitch about this guy’s behavior — you know, “People like this shouldn’t be playing the lottery!” and all that shit — but I love it. Let’s be honest: this guy was a total yob, working-class scum (as Mr. Free Market might put it); but why shouldn’t such people have a chance to be happy, too?
He wasn’t completely irresponsible about it, either: he did give almost half to his family, up front. I bet they’re glad he won.
As for “blowing the rest on cocaine, vodka, and brothels” and bedding 4,000 women… at least he didn’t waste it. (Just do the math: 4,000 women during his period of wealth is more than one woman per day, for ten years. Dude.)
And now he’s back to working hard for a living. Good for him. It’s not how I would have done it, but then I’m not interested in telling people how to live their lives, or how to spend their money, most especially windfalls. I’m not a Democrat, in other words.
I remember when our ship was headed to Hong Kong for a week long break from the Vietnam war. All of the old timers were briefing us young fellows on the “good ” places to visit. One salty old first class P.O. who might have served with John Paul Jones opened his wallet and said “I have five hundred bucks here. I’m going to spend two hundred on whores, two hundred on whiskey, and the rest – well I’ll spend it foolishly.” Not the same amount as the guy in the article, but certainly the same idea.
As a 19 year old who was raised by very Baptist parents I will say that Hong Kong was a very interesting place.
i liked it so much that i stayed for almost 30 years…
good times, good times…
There is an old saying: “He spends money like a drunken sailor!”
At least the sailor is spending his own money. Which is more than can be said for any of our politicians.
So, another man wins the lottery and gives away half of it and blows the rest. Is it any business of mine? (…other than for its entertainment value?)
NO, it isn’t.
I see you read the Daily Mail, as do I.
Once again Instapundit’s point about internet disintermediation proves itself. That we can read good stuff from anywhere in the world while sitting in our underwear drinking coffee is more nails in the coffins of rags like the NYT.
I just wish the DM would improve their cricket reportage — by that I mean, actually HAVE some cricket reportage.
That they don’t tells us all we need to know about their average reader, dunnit?
Not sure if the Brits have to pay taxes on their lottery winnings like we Americans do [*hawk*, *spit*], but assuming he didn’t have to, I’d say he spent £5.7 million and the rest he pissed away.
Also, from the last line in the story: “It is reported that the Queen took part in the first ever lottery, winning £10.” Don’t tell ME that the lottery ain’t fixed.
They don’t pay taxes on gambling winnings. Probably the only good thing about living there, financially speaking.
Brits pay tax on the ticket, not the winnings. The government *always* gets its share.
He certainly did his part to stimulate the local economy!
As long as he feel he got value for his money, I have no argument with him. At least he isn’t whining now that it’s gone, the way some lottery winner have.
Still, if I had a windfall like that, I hope I’d find something more interesting to do with it. For example, there are a number of out of print books I’d see published again.
Of course, with me it’s like the old joke about the man who prayed to God to win the lottery:
(Celestial voice) “Meet me halfway! BUY A TICKET!”