Four years ago Scottish girl Jane Park won £1 million on her first ever EuroMillions lottery ticket. She was 17 at the time and it should be noted that the UK allows the purchase of lottery tickets to anyone 16 and older.
But it seems that it’s not a good idea for kids that age to actually win substantial amounts of money. Jane had worked a £8 office job at the time and lived at home with her mother in a council flat. Clearly she was not from a well-to-do background and when she won the money, her life turned upside down.
Camelot, who operate the National Lottery, provided her with assistance right away, setting up a legal and financial advisory team to help her cope with her newfound wealth. Of course, Jane went shopping right away, buying shoes, handbags, a car, a Chihuahua and getting herself breast implants, saying she would’ve had more work done, if doctors had allowed it. Thankfully they didn’t.
Four years on, at the age of 21, Jane, who’s never been outside of the public eye since she won the money, confessed that the lottery win ruined her life. She says that gambling should not be permitted to teens under the age of 18 and that she was even considering suing Camelot for negligence.
She expressly said that she wished she’d never won the money and that sometimes she just wants it all to go away, but at the same time she is not actually considering simply giving her money away. But she has curbed her shopping sprees, after she realized that none of the material stuff actually makes her happy. She wonders about the purpose of her life, because it all feels shallow and empty. But what 21-year old actually knows the purpose of their life?
Despite her previous spending, Jane hasn’t actually blasted through her money. She owns two properties and whilst she still likes shoes and bags, she won’t go mindlessly spending her money anymore.
Apparently she also decided not to sue Camelot anymore. Camelot has issued a statement saying that they would continue to support Jane, if she chose to take that path. But Jane’s biggest supporters seem to be her mother and siblings and those friends she’s had since before the win.
Ultimately she is right, teenagers should not be given that amount of money, because most teens have no inkling how to handle so much money, especially if they never had any.