One of the most improbable things in life is to win a lottery, especially, those with huge cash prizes. The odds of winning a jackpot in some lottery games are one in hundreds of millions. Despite extremely low odds, many Americans gamble in hopes of securing a happy life, free from financial insecurities. However, real world is quite complex and lottery wins frequently become a source of unhappiness and troubles.
First, lottery win may ruin our relationships. Lottery winners are frequently approached by family members, friends, and even strangers for help. It is hard to say no when the person asking for money is someone you know. Lottery win may also lead to paranoia as it becomes a challenge to differentiate between authentic relationships and those relationships that are motivated by greed.

Second, lottery win may lead to bad habits. It is estimated that approximately 70 percent of lottery winners go broke within years, even those with millions in winnings. Lottery winners may engage in riskier habits such as excessive spending, use of illicit drugs, and other vices such as extra-marital affairs that may end up breaking up families. These riskier habits also increase exposure to lawsuits and scams.

Lastly, a lottery win may even cost the winner his/her life. There are only few states in America that allow the winners to remain anonymous so most winners have to go public with their personal information. Their pictures are posted on the internet by the lottery officials, and highlights from their press conferences may be shown on local news channels. There have been stories of lottery winners who were murdered by their romantic partners or family members. The killers hoped to acquire the wealth left by the victim. It is clear that a lottery win may increase personal security risk to the winners, with the winners ending up dead in extreme cases.

Despite extremely low odds, a lottery win is often considered a ticket to life free of financial worries. However, many lottery winnners find out that their win has not turned out to be the blessing they thought it would be; instead the win has turned into a curse. First, the lottery win may make the winner sad by ruining his/her relationship with family members and friends. Second, the lottery win may encourage bad behaviors such as gambling, excessive spending, and engaging in vices such as extramarital affairs and use of illicit drugs. Lastly, the lottery win may increase personal security risks to the winners, with the winners even ending up dead in some cases.