UK’s luckiest WhatsApp group full of National Lottery winners plotting ways to splash cash – AOL

The National Lottery is most people’s dream, banishing money worries and allowing you to create a life of stability and luxury. But the sudden influx of money doesn’t always work out well. In fact, one winner wished he had ripped up his £235 million ticket, such was the mess it caused, including a fraught divorce, numerous thefts and a gambling addiction.

Jack Whittaker said, “money is not what makes people happy”, after his life imploded following the Powerball, when he “pretty much lost everything” he held dear. Other winners say they were inundated with money requests from distant relatives and strangers after getting a newfound fortune.

Many winners choose anonymity to avoid this, however, several still choose to go public so they can celebrate their new life and meet other winners.

Andy Carter, the National Lottery’s ‘fixer’ who advises winners on how to manage up to £4billion in sudden wealth, says an exclusive WhatsApp community is one of the main benefits of going public.

“You probably don’t know someone else who’s won,” he told the Daily Mail. “There’s a community of winners, so they get introduced to each other.”

Here, the wealthy Brits help each other navigate a turbulent new world. They share details of their luxurious trips without “feeling bad” for their rare fortune, and exchange other advice on different destinations.

They can also organise charity events and discuss future projects, with several turning to philanthropic work. Recently, winners gave a complete makeover to a garden used by pre-school children at Sacrewell Farm near Peterborough.

While the lottery runs wellbeing courses to help people manage their win, the lucky group can also exchange experiences about managing their vast fortunes.

“It’s sudden wealth. Remember, that’s a different sort of wealth, it’s different from inherited wealth, or if you’ve built up a business and you sell it.”

While winners get advice from Allwyn UK, he advises winners to keep communicating with each other. In typical British fashion, he said if you have won the lottery, the best thing you can do is have a cup of tea with another winner.

However, one topic is apparently off the table. The numbers are never discussed, whether group members have won £1million or £100million. They instead just support each other through the “wacky” experience.