By Daniel de Visé, Nick Penzenstadler, and Veronica Bravo USA TODAY To determine is the lottery curse real, a comprehensive decade-long tracking study of 31 major jackpot winners was conducted to uncover the truth behind the fabled myth. Everyone who has played the lottery has surely dreamed of what they would do if they won. Stories about staggering Powerball jackpots evoke images of family compounds, vacation homes, early retirement, and vintage cars.
But what about the fabled lottery curse? Common wisdom suggests that showing a Powerball winner means showing a shattered life: someone who squandered their fortune, wound up in prison, or died a mysterious and untimely death. One widely quoted data point instructs that one-third of lottery winners (or 70%, depending on the source) lose it all within a few years. However, tracing those statistics to a reputable source proves nearly impossible.
To find out if the narrative holds truth, the fortunes of 31 publicly identified Powerball winners who claimed jackpots greater than $50 million between late 2012 and 2016 were analyzed. All have now lived 10 or more years as lottery winners.
Most Lottery Winners Are Thriving, Not Failing
The investigation revealed that most lottery winners are doing remarkably well. Of the 31 Powerball winners, at least nine have obviously thrived: living good lives, celebrating their good fortune, and finding unique ways to give back to their communities. At least seven of those winners started charitable foundations, and all nine have made significant gifts to local causes.
Only two Powerball winners seemingly succumbed to what popular culture defines as the lottery curse, facing subsequent setbacks or misfortunes sufficient to spawn national headlines.
The remaining 20 Powerball millionaires have largely chosen a life out of the public eye. At least two are dead, while several others own multi-million dollar homes, suggesting they haven’t frittered away their fortunes. None of those families has made national headlines in the decade or more since they won Powerball, indicating that their quiet lives are highly stable.
Debunking the Myth: What the “Curse” Actually Means
If there is a lottery curse, real-world data and winner testimonies indicate it is not the kind of hex that leaves you penniless or dead. Instead, the initial phase of winning is more akin to spending a few weeks in “celebrity hell.”
A big lottery win can be overwhelming. Most winners are not used to handling millions of dollars, let alone the crush of publicity that comes with a Powerball jackpot. When a name leaks out, phones ring off the hook, email inboxes fill with messages from long-lost relatives or strangers, and everyone demands a piece of the winnings. However, the study demonstrates that this chaotic period eventually lifts, allowing winners to enjoy their financial freedom responsibly.
Debunking the Threat: Is the Lottery Curse Real for Everyone?
While the broader data proves that long-term stability is the norm, the rare exceptions serve as powerful cautionary tales for those asking is the lottery curse real.
Pedro Quezada: The Burden of Legal Battles
Pedro Quezada won a $338 million Powerball jackpot in 2013. An immigrant from the Dominican Republic who ran a bodega in New Jersey, his story initially seemed like the ultimate American dream. However, intense legal scrutiny followed. He faced public demands for back child support, a lawsuit from a former romantic partner, and a 2017 sexual assault charge that was later dropped after his lawyer argued the allegations were financially motivated. Quezada has since returned to the Dominican Republic to live privately.
Marie Holmes: Tabloid Headlines and Financial Drain
Marie Holmes was working five low-paying jobs and living in a mobile home when she won a $188 million jackpot in 2015. Within a year, she appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Network reality show Iyanla, Fix My Life to address how her wealth had created chaos. Holmes spent millions bailing out a fiancé on drug charges and funding various associates, making her story a perennial example for online roundups focusing on the fabled curse.
Inspiring Examples of Strategic Generosity
The vast majority of the tracked individuals proved that substantial wealth can be managed with grace, structure, and immense societal value.
-
Roy Cockrum ($260 Million, 2014): A former Episcopal monk and theater actor, Cockrum used roughly $60 million—half of his after-tax prize—to start a foundation dedicated to funding large-scale theater projects across the United States. To date, his foundation has awarded 56 grants totaling over $34 million, supporting multiple Tony Award-winning plays.
-
The Smith Family ($429 Million, 2016): The Smith Family Foundation has played a central leadership role in Trenton, New Jersey. Collectively, the family has given away more than $17 million to fund local youth centers, schools, human services organizations, and college-prep care packages for first-generation students.
-
John and Susan Brands ($96.5 Million, 2014): Despite facing scammers and a prolonged legal battle with a predatory designer, the Brands successfully protected their principal wealth through level-headed investing. They founded a foundation supporting local hospitals, food banks, and animal rescues, while Susan proudly admits she still uses coupons at the grocery store.
Ultimately, a decade of tracking proves that while sudden wealth introduces distinct vulnerabilities and structural pressures, the idea of an inevitable downward spiral is entirely false.
