Love stories usually go something like this: boy meets girl, sparks fly, then comes marriage and then the ups & downs that come with married life. Throw in a sudden, life-changing win and things can get a little MESSY.

Let’s take a deep dive into where big wins lead to big breakups:

Would you spill the beans?

Denise Rossi thought she had the perfect escape plan. After 25 years of marriage, she won $1,3 Million (over R25 Million), kept it a secret and then filed for divorce 11 days later. The audacity!

For 2 years, her ex-husband Thomas, went about his life completely unaware that Denise was swimming in cash. However, karma was not about to let her get away that easily. The truth finally came out when a judge ruled that Denise violated asset and fund disclosure laws and handed Thomas a hefty payday. The final ruling? Denise was ordered to pay her ex $67,000 (over R1,2 Million) per month for 20 months. Lesson learned? If you’re going to win big, either be honest or be much sneakier than Denise.

Who gets the bag?
Picture this: you file for divorce, move on with your life and win big BUT your divorce is not finalized. Should your soon-to-be ex get half the winnings?
So, a woman, let’s call her Mrs X wins $15 Million (over R270 Million) while legally separated from Mr X. How did Mr X find out? Picking up your kids in a Bentley is a dead giveaway.
According to Canadian law (home of the X’s), any property acquired during the marriage, including separation, is still considered shared. Mrs X had to cut Mr X a cheque. However, she put his half in a trust. Meaning that he got his share but only under conditions she controlled. Petty or practical? You decide.

A secret worth $30 Million

In 2022, an anonymous man in China won $30 Million (over R500 Million). Instead of running home to celebrate with his family, he went full-on secret agent mode. He chose to keep it a secret from his wife and child. To claim his prize, he showed up incognito wearing a mascot costume – yes, that’s right.
His reason for keeping the prize a secret is that he is concerned that the sudden wealth would negatively impact their work ethic and future plans.

I don’t know about you, but I can’t help but wonder if my father is secretly a millionaire and has just been ‘teaching me humility’ this whole time. Dad, if you’re reading this, now is a good time to come clean.

So, what would you do if you won big? Keep it a secret? Share the wealth? Or set up a trust just to make a point? Test your luck with over 800 games on LottoStar and you could win up to R75 Million. Who knows? You might just get to find out firsthand how you'd handle a sudden fortune.