If you won a large sum of money

[dakcp2001]

on a scratch off or in the lotto, would you tell your family? Just curious! We took a day trip to a casino to celebrate a birthday and on the 2 hour drive we were contemplating how we would spend our winnings should we ever have the chance...ahhhhhhh...what fun. It starts with buying a nice vaca home in Central Fl!

Our extended family consists of people who can't hold down jobs, and squander their money and then constantly try to borrow money with a sob story or two or three. Borrow is a term I use loosely, we learned that this money never comes back and therefore we do not lend anymore. There is no way we would tell anyone if we were to get lucky. lol. How about you?

We would move away and keep it secret!!!

 

[FireDancer]

It depends on the amount. Anything significant like the Powerball or even 1 million I would not only keep private from anyone I don't want to know but I would hire an attorney before claiming the prize so it would be done in the name of an LLC or some other corporation type. I have family I don't speak to that I wouldn't want to find out about the winnings by doing a Google search.

 

[suejai]

I would tell my family and friends. If the win was big enough I would also be sharing. We would also be getting a lawyer and an accountant/financial planner. We would like to create the beginnings of "old money", but that's if it is a very big win. Here's hoping

 

[Sgt Mickey]

Yeah I think I would tell them. We agreed that if we won big enough we would buy everyone )not EVERYone but those family closest to us) something they need so I would need a reason why I can suddenly buy MIL a new car. I did tell dh that I refuse to pay off anyone bills

 

[Rora]

I think the only person I'd tell would be my DFi and my parents. No one else!

 

[Hercules10]

Spend mine at the nudie bar so fast no one would have the chance to sponge...

 

[NMAmy]

If I won a large sum of money, I'd split it with my mom and my sisters.

 

[dakcp2001]

Spend mine at the nudie bar so fast no one would have the chance to sponge...

I am picturing the Steve Bushemi scene from Armageddon, Minnie Mouse.....lol

 

[LuvOrlando]

My family, as in the one I came from? That's a big fat no for the same reason as Firedancer.... that's all I'd need, giving them a reason to inject their crazy selves back into my finally peaceful life. Even the thought of it makes me woozy. Now my In-Laws, yes, because I would probably share a bit once my house was paid for and trust funds were erected for everyone that lives in my house.

 

[momof1princess]

i'm with firedancer...i'd get an attorney and not tell anyone. almost everyone in my immediate family is very deeply in debt (2 have filed bankruptcy) and they would be at my door before i could claim the check. i would anonymously pay off my mom's home and my dad's home, as well as pay to repair my in-laws' home and set aside money to care for my grandmother. other than that, i don't really need anything..except a housekeeper. i would hire someone to clean my house once a week, so i wouldn't have to worry about working AND keeping house.

 

[minniecarousel]

There are so many close family members that I'd love to help. It would depend on how much money we're talking about. I'd like to be generous.

(guess I'd have to play the lottery in order to win!)

 

[Mouse House Mama]

If it was super powerball money (like a hundred million say) I would not tell anyone right away (except dh of course!). I would hire a lawyer, collect the money without being identified and then I would quietly do things to help my family. I would pay off mortgages, put large sums of money in their bank accounts etc. I would eventually fess up but I would want to really surprise those that I love. Some day.......

 

[MizTink]

i really wouldn't have a problem with my kids, DB, DS & her 2 kids, or my parents. beyond that, forget it! these are the main people in my life, and the ones i would enjoy sharing the wealth with!! we joke that if any of us ever had the $$$ we would build a compound and all live together!!!

 

[Evil Genius]

I wouldn't tell a soul, just fade off into the sunset looking for cabana boys.

 

[Piecey]

I didn't think you could claim the money anonymously? I thought they wanted you out there to promote the lottery so that other people would believe it could happen to them!

We've already decided we'd move. We want to move to the Las Vegas area but are waiting on things to level out for us.
So if we won, we'd buy a house out there. Give the one we own here (paid off) to his BIL & girlfriend... but that is all they'd get from us.
We'd set up a college account for our neice...

We'd definitely fly to Australia to visit my brother like ASAP!

 

[ICF]

I didn't think you could claim the money anonymously? I thought they wanted you out there to promote the lottery so that other people would believe it could happen to them!

I thought that was the case as well.

I'd hire the attorney as well as changing my phone #'s before coming forth.

I don't have any deadbeat relatives, but I would try to minimize as much of the people contacting me looking for handouts as possible.

 

[bookgirl]

on a scratch off or in the lotto, would you tell your family? Just curious! We took a day trip to a casino to celebrate a birthday and on the 2 hour drive we were contemplating how we would spend our winnings should we ever have the chance...ahhhhhhh...what fun. It starts with buying a nice vaca home in Central Fl!

Our extended family consists of people who can't hold down jobs, and squander their money and then constantly try to borrow money with a sob story or two or three. Borrow is a term I use loosely, we learned that this money never comes back and therefore we do not lend anymore. There is no way we would tell anyone if we were to get lucky. lol. How about you?

We would move away and keep it secret!!!

My mom, stepdad and I have a thing where we would all split any lottery winnings (course I haven't bought a ticket in a year and a half so I'm not exactly holding up my end of the endevor). I'd give my brother, dad, nephews or my best friend anything they needed. I wouldn't even think about hiding it from them or think twice about sharing. The rest of my family (both of my parents were later in life babies so all my gradparents and aunts and uncles are gone) I'd tell if I saw them, which is like never, and might help out but I wouldn't share automatically with them or seek them out.

Gambling winnings are usually not shared much. Sometimes one of us hits something big (like less than a thousand we're not very high rollers) and then that person will pick up dinner or maybe share a hundred with the other two.

I'm not sure I would release my name to the media if I won, that's just asking for the extended family and freeloaders with a sad tale to find you. I'd rather give to the charities or needful people that I choose.

ETA: No you do not have to release your name, of course everyone has some scumbag relative that would sell the info to the press, but you can claim you money and withhold you name from the media.

 

[shortbun]

Well, good question. I think I'd rather choose who to share with. I'd definitely see that my neice and nephews got some college money but I don't think I'd give their parents a dime...OR, I might invest it and live off the interest IF that's possible these days. I'd definitely pay off my mortgage and make sure I had new efficient vehicles. Vacations, dream homes...already do that. Who would I tell? My best friends and my MIL. None of them would bother me for money and I could get them cool presents whenever I wanted without them having to feel guilty.

 

[MomofKatie]

Depends on how much $$ we won. If it was BIG $$ (over 10 million), I would be careful about who we told, but would be OK with my immediate family knowing (our parents, brothers and sisters families). We would definitely share some $$ with them- probably pay for nieces' and nephews' college, pay off parents' houses, go an a REALLY nice family vacation, etc.

 

[Handbag Lady]

I would sing it from the rooftops.



I come from a long line of gamblers. Everyone in my family is lucky. My aunt won $7k on the lottery twice, my uncles both have hit major trifectas at the track, my grandad won at the track so many times...even my sister uses slot machines as ATMs.

I'm not lucky like they are so yes, I would have to brag right back.

And then they'd show me how to do the taxes and stuff as they know all that jazz, too. (like my aunt keeps all losing lottery tickets in case she wins again, they off-set something to reduce her liability.)