How Winning a Huge Lottery Jackpot Exposes Your True Character
In 2002, Jack Whittaker won the highest lottery prize in history and wished he didn’t.
On a crisp Christmas Eve night in 2002, Jack Whittaker went to a party store and bought a Powerball ticket. The West Virginian prioritized his family. He also ran a successful construction business with a net worth of $17 million.
At the time, his company was strapped for cash. In his mind, he thought about the headaches he could get rid of with the winnings.
He watched the drawing and believed he had lost the $315 million jackpot by one number. But Whittaker was in for a true Christmas miracle as it was revealed that the numbers were broadcast wrong. He won the largest lottery prize ever.
Whittaker decided to take a one-time payout which came out to $113 million after taxes. He was charitable with his winnings.
First, he donated around $7 million to build two churches. Then he established the Jack Whittaker Foundation, using $14 million to get started. The goal of the charity was to help families in need.
Aside from his philanthropic endeavors, Whittaker donated generously to the performers of local strip clubs and gambled large sums of money. The world was his oyster.
