Timothy Schultz, from Iowa, US, won $28 million (about £22.4 million) on a 40p Powerball ticket in 1999 when he was 21. While he says most close friends and family still treated him the same, not everyone did.
Dark side of winning
He noticed the downside almost immediately when he started receiving “stacks of letters from strangers asking for help.” Speaking to Fox in 2022, he said: “Most people were supportive and happy for me, but I did receive stacks of letters from people asking for money.” He added: “It felt like some people viewed me as a walking, talking ATM machine.”
In a recent interview, Schultz noted: “Lending money could quickly complicate even a close friendship.” He admitted struggling to trust people, wary of those who might be friendly for the wrong reasons.
First purchase and new career
Despite his huge windfall, his first major purchase was a Nintendo 64, something he could not afford on his previous low wage. Now a journalist, he runs the YouTube channel Dreams & Fortune, where he discusses life-changing lottery wins with other winners.
Advice for players
His advice to UK Powerball players who might win big: “Live within your means.” Reflecting on his own experience, he would tell his younger self: “I’d probably start by saying, ‘Buckle up.’ That dream of winning is about to become reality, and your life is going to change faster than you can possibly imagine.”
