From the Independent

Lottery winner dies five years after win

By Theo Usherwood
Saturday, 3 April 2010


A former baker who won £9m on the Lottery has died five years after scooping the jackpot.

Keith Gough, 58, won the jackpot with his wife Louise in June 2005 but spent much of his winnings on racehorses, fast cars and an executive box at Aston Villa.

He died on Saturday at the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford, Shropshire. It is believed he suffered a heart attack.

Yesterday, John Homer, who owns a newsagents in nearby Broseley, said he still remembered when "Goughie" bought his winning ticket.

Mr Homer, 65, said: "It was a Wednesday and a roll-over from the previous Saturday.

"It all went down hill from there. He and his wife split. He had a drink problem and it got progressively worse. He was a nice chap and we got on well.

"It's very sad because it should have made him a very happy man but he didn't get the best out of it.

"He had a box down at Villa Park and he used to have a go at me because I'm a Wolves fan.

"You never expected any sorrow or problems but he must have had some although he never spoke about them, not to me anyway."

Mr Gough, who separated from his wife of 25 years in 2007, reportedly checked into the Priory rehabilitation clinic in Birmingham for treatment.

When the couple scooped the jackpot, Mrs Gough, a secretary, said her husband had a dream that their numbers would come up.

"I dismissed it and told him that 'everyone has those kind of dreams' and to forget about it. I never believed it would come true," she said at the time.

Mr Gough, who owned a T-registered Skoda when he won, said he had had to "pinch himself", before adding: "I have never had any dreams come true before and now I suppose I don't have to have any dreams!"

But the win soon ruined his life. Last year he told the News of the World: "My life was brilliant. But the lottery has ruined everything. What's the point of having money when it sends you to bed crying?

"Now when I see someone going in to a newsagent I advise them not to buy a ticket."

Rapid change is hardly ever good.

Originally Posted by Francois Cellier

FKeith Gough, 58, won the jackpot with his wife Louise in June 2005 but spent much of his winnings on racehorses, fast cars and an executive box at Aston Villa.

Ah the puritan streak. Spending his winnings of all things, and on pleasant things! Sin and corruption!

"I spent 90% of my money on women, drink and fast cars. The rest I wasted."

- George Best

I'd like to see a contentment survey of lottery winners, because frankly this nasty, carping "it doesn't buy happiness" rigmarole sounds a lot like the descriptions of witches sabbaths by religious types in the middle ages: "food, drink, dancing and sex until dawn, but they don't enjoy it you know, not really".

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Quote:

I'd like to see a contentment survey of lottery winners, because frankly this nasty, carping "it doesn't buy happiness" rigmarole sounds a lot like the descriptions of witches sabbaths by religious types in the middle ages: "food, drink, dancing and sex until dawn, but they don't enjoy it you know, not really".

Why don't you spend as much as you can buying lottery tickets, against the possibility that you will win (a small possibility, I have to admit) and, when you win, tell us how all that is shit, and how it has bought you true happiness.

Presumably you would embark on a fast, eschew fermented or spirituous liquors and abstain from sex, especially until dawn.

With a million dollars in the bank, surely, way to go.

I win a dollar every time I don't buy a ticket.....I'm ahead millions already......

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Originally Posted by Zichao

"I spent 90% of my money on women, drink and fast cars. The rest I wasted." - George Best

I don't get the obsession about drinks and fast cars but, apart from that, I am with George Best!

Quote:

I'd like to see a contentment survey of lottery winners, because frankly this nasty, carping "it doesn't buy happiness" rigmarole sounds a lot like the descriptions of witches sabbaths by religious types in the middle ages: "food, drink, dancing and sex until dawn, but they don't enjoy it you know, not really".

It's been done and, usually, the result hold true i.e. people eventually screw it up and I think bankruptcy is also fairly common (£9m is a nice sum but it may not be enough to see you through if you stop working...).

Basically, what Francois said. Sudden fame, sudden wealth tend to destabilise most people. For some reason.

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Google thinks there's some debate on the matter: survey lottery winners happiness - Recherche Google

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Two factors matter: The size of the win. You need a good handful of millions to fuck up someone. Not some measly £50k.

And also the distribution method: If you give £10mil as £333k a year for 30 years, you are seriously transforming the problem as compared to dumping £10mil in someone's lap in one go. I think the craziness decrease significantly in that case (and, iirc, a lot of the US lottery gains are distributed like that - As a coupon/bond payment. The Columbian Mafia was said to look for winners to buy them off - It allowed them to wash their money and the winner could get all his cash in one go...)

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Originally Posted by Gilles de Rais

Two factors matter: The size of the win. You need a good handful of millions to fuck up someone. Not some measly £50k. And also the distribution method: If you give £10mil as £333k a year for 30 years, you are seriously transforming the problem as compared to dumping £10mil in someone's lap in one go. I think the craziness decrease significantly in that case (and, iirc, a lot of the US lottery gains are distributed like that - As a coupon/bond payment.

Very much so.

Have you got any stats to prove that?

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