THE LOTTO CURSE

Over the years Andy Carter has helped 2 000 lottery winners adapt to life as newly minted millionaires. Here he shares the worst mistakes he’s seen people make and reveals why instead of being a passport to freedom, a jackpot win can actually make things far more complicated

EACH week you buy that lottery ticket in the hope that this time it’s your turn, that come Monday you’ll be able to quit your job and begin a new life – one in which you can travel the world, splurge on whatever you want and never have to spend another moment worrying about money.

Be careful what you wish for, says Andy Carter, it seldom works out this way for most winners.

As someone whose job it is to provide support and advice to those who have lucked out and won Britain’s National Lottery, he knows only too well how a dream win can soon turn into a total nightmare.

Over the past 18 years, Andy has guided more than 2000 people who have won more than £50000 (R1,1 million) through the first few months of their newfound wealth.

In total, he has handed over more than £2 billion (R46bn). Although he and his team of seven advisers are banned from playing the lottery, Andy says he’s far from jealous.

“If you can’t enter then this job is the next best thing. It’s a great job – you’re a part of someone’s life at a time they’ll never forget,” says Andy (50), a father of two, who previously worked in human resources at the BBC.

He says each adviser has a geographical patch to cover and is sometimes matched with winners on personality and age.

“Winning the lottery makes people happier on the whole. It gives them more choice, but it can take a while to get there,” he says.

Inevitably, being plunged into a new world of wealth is a shock for winners, and the advisers are there to hold their hands – whether it’s a sole winner or a workplace syndicate.