Hey, Millionaires! When it comes to winning the lottery, only one thing is certain: everyone has
the same chance of hitting the jackpot. That means even young people win big sometimes. But
is that always a good thing? We're going to look at all the biggest and youngest lottery winners
who were just 25-years-old or less! Do you think their wealth helped them have a great life? We'll
soon find out. We'll count down to the biggest win at number 1, so be sure to watch to the end!
17. Tracy Makin When 16-year-old Tracy Makin
checked her lottery ticket in 1998, she was pretty happy to find that she'd won 10 Euros. At least,
that's what she thought she'd won. After all, supermarket workers from Belfast, Ireland,
don't win big, especially at such a young age, right? Maybe not, but Tracy was the exception.
A closer look revealed that she hadn't won just 10 Euros, but 1 million - or about $1.1 Million.
Even at such a young age, she spent her money wisely - it's all wrapped up in investments,
and she works a comfortable office job today. 16. Leah Sumray
Having money doesn't give you the right to do anything you want. Leah Sumray from England won
a million pounds - about $1.1 million - at the age of 21. And she promptly hopped on a plane for
a luxury holiday. Unfortunately, she was supposed to be testifying against a man accused of sexual
assault. It was a pretty important trial, but she obviously thought a holiday was even more
important. When she returned to England, she was arrested at the airport and spent
14 days in prison. 15. Jane Park
Jane Park decided she'd try out playing the lottery for the first time ever at 17.
Somehow, even though it was her first try, she actually won! Her million-pound win gave her all
the expensive cars, holidays, and clothes she could've wished for, but it also brought a lot
of misfortune. The threats of physical violence and extortion have obviously taken their toll
because she's since tried to sue the lottery for ruining her life.
14. Robert Salo Not all young lottery winners squander
their wealth. Robert Salo, who was 18 at the time of his win, was just a week away from his high
school graduation when he won a $2 Win for Life ticket, giving him an incredible prize of $1,000
every week for the rest of his life. But Robert wasn't interested in a life of luxury - he wanted
to become an electrical engineer but couldn't pay for his studies before winning the lottery.
His new wealth helped him follow that dream. 13. Charlie Lagarde
Robert isn't the only 18-year-old to win a prize that made sure he was wealthy for
his entire adult life. Charlie Lagarde from Canada chose to celebrate her 18th birthday
by purchasing her first-ever lottery ticket - it was the best decision she ever made.
She now gets 1000 Canadian dollars every week for the rest of her life. Her first big purchase? An
expensive camera to help her achieve her dream of becoming a National Geographic photographer.
12. Luke Pittard Luke Pittard stands out among
the other winners on this list. He was just 25 years old when he won a life-changing 1.3 million
pound jackpot - that's over $1.7 million today. The first thing he did is exactly what any of
us would do - he quit his job flipping burgers at McDonald's. But it's his next move that was
surprising - just 18 months after his big win, he was back at McDonald's flipping those burgers
again, and not because he'd blown all his money either. According to him, he just liked working
there. Now that's something you don't hear every day. Our next winner on the list, definitely comes
as contrast to Luke. Let's move on. 11. Callie Rogers
16-year-old Callie Rogers came from a broken home and lived in foster care when she suddenly won
1.9 Million Pounds - about $2.5 million today. To Callie, this seemed like a dream come true, and,
unfortunately, that's how she treated her money. She quickly purchased a house worth
about a quarter of a million dollars, excited to be getting out of her foster home. Then she
quickly squandered her winnings on breast augmentation surgeries, luxury sports cars,
cocaine, and nights out with friends. After all that spending, she tried to take her own
life in 2005, but her family luckily saved her. Her story had a happy ending, though - in 2013,
she said she'd never been happier with only 2000 pounds left and a healthy son.
10. Stuart Donnelly Back in 1997, a 25 million pound jackpot was won
by 12 people at the same time. One of the lucky winners was 17 year old Stuart Donnelly, who took
home the equivalent of about $2.6 million. That's a lot of money for a young boy to handle, and his
spending quickly got out of hand. Still, he found money to donate to worthy causes. He gave money to
the hospital where his brother was being treated for a genetic disorder. He also bought a secluded
mansion for himself, his sick father, and his best friend, who was suffering from polio. It didn't
help - his friend died only two years later, although he might have helped improve his quality
of life. Supposedly, Stuart now lives alone in his huge mansion, shut off from the world. I
wouldn't be surprised if he had to sell it since he burned through his money almost immediately.
9. Kricket Slik 21-year-old Kricket Slik from Ontario
reacted to her lottery win the way I probably would. When she went to scan her ticket,
and the machine told her she was now a multi-millionaire, she just didn't believe it.
When she finally went home and checked the winning numbers, she couldn't ignore it anymore. Her win
was a total of $3.5 Million. Incredible! How would you react in Kricket's position?
Let us know in the comments! And keep watching for even bigger wins!
8. Ianthe Fullagar Ianthe Fullagar from England
was just 18 and working as a waitress for the equivalent of $6.50 an hour when she
unexpectedly won a staggering 7 million pound jackpot! It's just as much as it sounds:
about $9.2 million today. Despite her young age, she spent that money really wisely.
Instead of throwing away all that money on luxuries, she invested it and now has even
more money than her win gave her. In 2010, she was named the 27th richest person in the UK.
7. Michael Carroll Michael Carroll is one of the
most notorious lottery winners in history. He was a 19 year old from Norfolk, England when he
won one of the biggest jackpots a young person ever got their hands on - 9 million pounds,
or about $12.8 million today. He quickly threw it all away on huge mansions, luxury cars, women,
and more drugs than anyone should have. When that didn't make him happy, he started destroying all
his fancy cars in demolition derbies he hosted in his garden. After two arrests and a blackmail
incident, he'd lost all the cash he had left. These days, he works as a garbage collector.
Are you ready to meet the biggest winners? You'll never guess the size of the jackpot
that the young person won in our number 1 spot! Keep watching to find out!
6. Sandeep Singh Sandeep Singh was only 22 when
he won his millions, but his young age didn't mean he wasn't responsible. He was working two jobs to
support his family when he won $4 on the lottery. He decided to spend his measly winnings on some
quick-pick lottery tickets. Good choice - one of them won the jackpot! He had to share the winnings
but still went away with a mind-blowing $30 million! He spent it really wisely - he paid
off his mother's mortgage, gave some to charity, set some aside for his family. He
was also adamant that he'd use a little more to complete a bachelor's degree in business!
We could all learn a thing or two from him! 5. Jonathan "Jay" Vargas
When he won the US Powerball jackpot, Jonathan "Jay" Vargas was just 19 and
working as a construction worker, giving him more money than most of us can even visualize.
Overnight, he had plumped up his bank account with $35.3 million. He tried to strike a balance
between living large and investing on a female wrestling show called "Wrestlicious," but it
didn't pay off. These days, he's apparently flat broke. The all-female wrestling TV show
probably wasn't the best investment. 4. Matt Topham & Cassey Carrington
Matt Topham and Cassey Carrington were childhood sweethearts from England,
but there's nothing ordinary about them. They were just 22 years old when they became some of
the youngest Euromillions winners ever, scooping up a ginormous 45 million pound prize - or roughly
$59.4 million! They set about spending their money on mansions, cars, lavish gifts for friends,
and expensive holidays. Their wedding must have been luxurious! They also had a child, but not
all their investments worked out. They were not allowed to build the eco-house they wanted.
Sadly, their 7-bedroom mansion is now a hotbed of criminal activity since they abandoned it.
3. Kelsey Zachow Most people would tell
you never to buy a lottery ticket on Friday the 13th. But for 24-year-old Kelsey Zachow,
it was anything but unlucky. It nearly didn't go her way, though - she totally forgot to check
her winning ticket! Finally, 11 days later, she had a look at her forgotten ticket and realized
she'd won $66 million! Most people would've spent it on a life of luxury, but besides a house and
a few cars, Kelsey said a large portion of her winnings would go to college funds for her son,
her boyfriend's daughter, and her little brother. That's definitely a worthy cause.
2. Shane Missler Shane Missler is one of the newest
winners on this list - he recently became the sole winner of a Mega Millions jackpot totaling $451
million! That's a staggering amount of money for anyone to win, let alone someone who's just 20
years old. He's taken a course in financial management. He says that, even though he's
going to have some fun with his new wealth, he's not going to follow in the footsteps of those who
threw their winnings away. Good luck, Shane! 1. Manuel Franco
In 2019, Manuel Franco from Milwaukee became not just the biggest winner on our list - he's
actually one of the largest jackpot winners in the history of lottery winners. You're not going
to believe this, but his win came to a massive total of $768.4 million! I know, it's more money
than any of us could spend, and there's no word on how Manuel Franco has chosen to use it yet
, but I can only imagine he is not going through any financial troubles at the moment.