Men Who Won Millions in the Lottery, Blew It All, and Ended Up Broke Again (7 Photos)

Six stories of men who hit the jackpot with a lucky lottery ticket, only to squander their newfound fortunes and lose it all.





Pictured: Michael Carroll (his story is detailed in point five below)

1. Ronnie Music Jr.

Won $3,000,000, thought he was unstoppable, and got 20 years in prison



In 2015, Ronnie Music Jr., a broke 40-year-old from Georgia, bought a lottery ticket and walked away with $3 million after taxes.

The payout completely transformed life for the formerly penniless man, who still had plenty of years ahead of him. The money was more than enough to live in comfort for the rest of his days without ever working again—he could buy real estate, start a business, invest, or simply pursue his passions.

Instead, Music had other plans for his windfall.

Determined to multiply his riches, he decided the best strategy was to sink most of his money into a criminal syndicate producing and distributing methamphetamine. Overnight, the lucky winner turned into a drug kingpin's financier, hoping to turn $3 million into $300 million.

As you might guess, the plan backfired.

Law enforcement caught on quickly, and the FBI and local police soon took Music into custody.

All cash and assets tied to the operation were seized and forfeited. In April 2016, Ronnie Music Jr. was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison.

Fate handed him a ticket to a lifetime of wealth and comfort, but instead, he will walk out of prison as a penniless 60-year-old.

2. Daniel Carley

Won $3,700,000, blew through every cent, tried to "make some extra cash," and got 11 years behind bars





In 2006, Daniel Carley, living in a working-class neighborhood of St. Catharines, Canada, saw his life change overnight when he won 5 million Canadian dollars—roughly $3.7 million USD.

To an ordinary guy, that kind of money felt bottomless. Carley was thrust into the spotlight, posing happily with a giant novelty check like someone who had finally unlocked the good life.

For the first few years, he truly lived the dream.

Flashy cars, upscale housing, endless parties, and ostentatious spending quickly became his new normal. Carley wasn't just spending money—he seemed determined to show everyone just how high he had climbed.

The trouble was that even millions run out. About six years in, Carley learned a lesson many jackpot winners overlook: money disappears much faster than you think, especially when you blow it on luxury instead of investing it.

Yet even when the cash dried up, his lavish habits remained. To make matters worse, he was left saddled with massive debt.

Carley faced a choice: cut his losses, sell off the fancy cars, and rebuild a modest life, or find a quick way to keep funding his high-flying lifestyle.

He chose the second route.

He joined a drug ring and started dealing to rebuild his fortune. But his desperate attempt to regain his wealth only dragged him deeper into the criminal underworld.

In 2017, Daniel Carley was caught red-handed and convicted. The government seized and sold off his remaining real estate and vehicles to pay down his debts, leaving him completely broke.

He had a golden opportunity to turn millions into lasting wealth, property, or a business for his family. Instead, the jackpot brought him nothing but debt, ruin, and a prison sentence.

3. David Lee Edwards

Won $27,000,000, went bankrupt, and died penniless in a shed a few years later



David Lee Edwards' story is particularly tragic given where he started.

A convicted bank robber fresh out of prison, he had no money, no family support, and nowhere to live. His situation was so desperate that buying a decent meal was a struggle.

That was when Edwards spent his last remaining cash on water, a pizza, and two lottery tickets. One of them hit the jackpot, netting him a staggering $27 million.

For a destitute ex-con, it was a lifeline from above. But instead of quietly rebuilding his life, Edwards launched into an outrageous spending spree.

To celebrate, he threw a $200,000 party and bought a $1.6 million mansion equipped with a pool and tennis court. He soon added a $2 million private jet, thoroughbred horses, luxury cars, high-end jewelry, and even diamond-encrusted clothing.

He got married and showered his new wife with real estate, fur coats, jewelry, and luxury vehicles. Edwards acted as if he had tapped an infinite source of wealth, oblivious to how quickly his fortune was bleeding away.

In the first three months alone, he burned through roughly $4 million indulging every whim. By the following year, he had spent another $12 million on lavish living, estate maintenance, and expenses following the birth of his child.

Just four years after hitting the jackpot, Edwards was dead broke. He lost his mansion and jet to pay off debts, his wife left him, and the former millionaire was reduced to sleeping on hay inside a friend's freezing shed while battling alcoholism.

His bankruptcy went hand-in-hand with severe health issues and substance abuse. As his health plummeted, the unpaid bills kept piling up.

Eventually, his ex-wife took the gravely ill Edwards to a hospice and covered his care for a few months. The man who once held tens of millions died there a few weeks later at age 58, completely penniless.

His downfall is a chilling reminder of how quickly immense wealth can vanish when spending spirals out of control.

4. Lee Ryan

Won $8,300,000, made a disastrous marriage, and ended up homeless on the streets of London



Lee Ryan was no stranger to hardship.

In 1995, the Londoner—who had a criminal record and was awaiting trial for handling stolen cars—hit an $8.3 million lottery jackpot.

Life changed overnight.

He went on a lavish buying spree, purchasing a helicopter and a mansion, walked out on his family, got involved with a new woman, and eventually moved to Kyrgyzstan.

That was where his fairy tale quickly unraveled.

According to Ryan, his new partner was part of a scam that wiped him out. Trusting her implicitly, he transferred his fortune to her accounts—and she promptly ran off with the cash. At one point, the disgraced millionaire had to sell his own wedding ring just to afford a ticket back to the UK.

Returning to London offered no fresh start.

By 2010, Ryan was homeless, sleeping in train stations and cardboard refrigerator boxes, and relying on soup kitchens. British tabloids dubbed him the "Lotto Lag"—a play on his conviction and lottery win.

5. Michael Carroll

Won $12,000,000, lost every penny, and went back to working as a binman



When 19-year-old binman Michael Carroll bought a lottery ticket, he could never have imagined how drastically his life was about to change. Coming from a working-class background, he was living hand-to-mouth and spent his last pound on the ticket.

The ticket hit.

Carroll won around $12 million. For a teenager living paycheck to paycheck, it was unimaginable wealth.

With the money came a wild, out-of-control lifestyle.

Chunky gold chains, diamond rings, expensive booze, and non-stop partying became his daily routine. He famously spent around $1 million on a single gold chain.

His estate turned into a wild party pad. Carroll later boasted about his countless flings and high-class escorts, sparing no expense to bed glamour models and adult stars.

The wild spending didn't stop at women and parties.

He developed severe gambling and drug habits, routinely blowing fortune-sized sums in a single night and smashing up brand-new sports cars.

His millions vanished just as quickly as they came.

Within a few years, the fortune was gone. Faced with crippling debt, Carroll liquidated his remaining assets and eventually moved away to start fresh.

In a poetic twist, he ended up right back where he started: picking up trash as a garbage collector.

Carroll's story remains one of the most famous cautionary tales of how a massive windfall can destroy a life faster than it can build one.

6. John McGuinness

Won $12,700,000, lost it all on a football club, and wound up destitute again



In 1996, 26-year-old John McGuinness was working as a hospital porter in Falkirk, Scotland. Living with his parents because he couldn't afford a place of his own, he had modest prospects.

Then came the National Lottery win that changed everything.

McGuinness scooped nearly £10 million (around $12.7 million at the time). For a young man on a porter's salary, it offered ultimate freedom.

At first, he shared his wealth with family, friends, and his ex-wife. He bought luxury cars, a villa in Spain, and began investing in various ventures.

His fatal mistake, however, was his passion for football.

A lifelong fan of Livingston FC, he decided to buy the club outright rather than just sponsor it.

He poured roughly £3 million into fulfilling that dream.

After taking over, McGuinness poured even more cash into team rosters, stadium upgrades, and infrastructure, desperate to push the club into the big leagues.

The catch was that the club came with massive liabilities. McGuinness personally guaranteed millions in loans and signed financial contracts without fully understanding the legal ramifications—having unwisely failed to hire a lawyer for the deal.

As club expenses mounted, his personal wealth disintegrated.

In 2004, Livingston FC plunged into administration. The loan guarantees came back to haunt McGuinness, who was forced to liquidate his personal assets to settle the club's debts.

Everything was auctioned off—his Spanish villa, luxury cars, and home in Scotland—as debt collectors swooped in.

By 2007, McGuinness filed for bankruptcy. With his fortune utterly wiped out, the former multi-millionaire was forced to live on state benefits in public housing.

Unlike others, his undoing wasn't drugs, alcohol, or wild partying—he simply dumped a massive fortune into a debt-ridden football club he had no idea how to manage. Ultimately, the man who once held nearly £10 million lost everything and landed right back in poverty.