Winner: Billie Bob Harrell, Jr.
Prize amount: $31 million
The Curse: Billie Bob Harrell, Jr. was extremely religious, so when he hit the jackpot in Texas in 1997, he naturally began giving to family, friends, and congregants at his church. But only twenty months after he raked in his winnings, he locked himself in his bedroom, and shot himself in the chest. He had admitted to his financial advisor that winning the lottery “was the worst thing that ever happened” to him. [Houston Press]
