Infamous lottery winner's house burns

Comment #62

PrisonerSix — Sat, 17 Dec 2016 00:57:03 GMT

This guy can't get a break. Much of what happened to him is his own fault, mainly having the attitude that he can do whatever he wants since he has all that money. The fire may not have been his fault that we know of, but not carrying insurance just isn't a smart thing to do.

Comment #61

Funtimz — Mon, 12 Dec 2016 10:49:34 GMT

He is his own self created bad luck...

Comment #60

Teddi — Fri, 09 Dec 2016 11:56:26 GMT

Those who don't care about expenses, are usually the ones who end up bankrupt

Living in a place where natural disasters are slim to none isn't a reason to skip insurance. I'm guessing your thinking is the reason I've seen so many uninsured homeowners in dire situations.

They, like you, think natural disasters but fail to take into account that a cookie-selling girl scout can trip on their front steps. Or that lightning can hit their home in a thunderstorm. Or that a sinkhole can app... [ More ]

Comment #59

Teddi — Fri, 09 Dec 2016 10:55:46 GMT

p.s. I worked at an insurance company for 2 years straight out of college. I've seen my share of Jack Whittakers who rationalize that insurance isn't necessary then would come the crocodile tears when they were robbed, or flooded, or had a fire. My favorite one was an uninsured driver who drove straight through the living room of an uninsured house.

When I left insurance, I went into healthcare. Saw my share of drug addicts while working in the ER. So when I tell you that I would never, will... [ More ]

Comment #58

Teddi — Fri, 09 Dec 2016 10:37:57 GMT

When I say no one hates Jack Whittaker, I mean, no sane, mature, rational, above-a-double-digit IQ individual who doesn't suffer from an emotional and/or mental impairment will hate a stranger because he won a lot of money. Didn't think I would have needed to add that disclaimer

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Jack is not Hurley from LOST. His lottery money wasn't cursed. A curse is misfortune you have no control over.

You can't give thousands of dollars per month in cash and a... [ More ]

Comment #57

brees2012 — Thu, 08 Dec 2016 19:35:52 GMT

In my own opinion ....Don't hate the man , actually don't know him .

Remember when he were on ALL national media stations talking about

his $$$$ ,etcccc . What he shouldn't done , forget the media , just kept it

quiet until he had all his financial decisions figured out . No rushing !!

Don't tell the world .

I can think of many winners who took their time and did the right thing with

their $$$$$$ , like one winner , started a business and know he has many

businesses througho... [ More ]

Comment #56

brees2012 — Thu, 08 Dec 2016 19:20:48 GMT

lol@you

Comment #55

brees2012 — Thu, 08 Dec 2016 19:18:11 GMT

Not sure about the man .

Comment #54

American Indian — Thu, 08 Dec 2016 12:11:52 GMT

THANK YOU! Very well said!

I say his Ex-wife, he was married too when he Won Is probably still very well off Financially, she wasn't Stupid like him!

If he had kept his head (the 1 on his shoulders) about himself, a lot of things could have been different for him. He could have had enough money to be self-Insured among many other things.

I find it funny that the end of last month someone had mentioned him on HERE and how nothing had been said about him in awhile, well now IT HAS!! Won... [ More ]

Comment #53

rundown99 — Wed, 07 Dec 2016 18:44:03 GMT

I understand what you are saying. Most people have character flaws that would only be magnified after they end up with such a large amount of money. But my point is that any lottery winner can avoid all this just by not holding a news conference, avoiding the press, and keeping quiet.

Comment #52

JoeBigLotto — Wed, 07 Dec 2016 17:28:16 GMT

You are absolutely right things would be different in a fantasy life. This is like telling trump to stop using Twitter or grabbing what ever he likes. This guy is the real thing he was more busy thinking of all those cute babes at the strip club so what is the point. Look at him. When he walks into any club he wants the DJ to announce BlackJack in the house say hoho

Comment #51

rundown99 — Wed, 07 Dec 2016 16:46:46 GMT

I am aware that West Virginia does not allow winners to remain anonymous. But imagine if Whittaker had simply avoided the news conference when he claimed the prize. Maybe his granddaughter would still be alive today. Maybe he would still have a great percentage of the prize money.

Comment #50

JoeBigLotto — Tue, 06 Dec 2016 17:31:13 GMT

I don't think so either with that so much darkness aura still around him , his county will vote for him to leave and move on bro like Brexit

Comment #49

cbr$ — Tue, 06 Dec 2016 17:21:02 GMT

Well it is a good thing that he has another building to move into. Maybe

after this lost. He will level the site where the old home burn down and

build a brand new home. Something to think about.

Comment #48

hearsetrax — Tue, 06 Dec 2016 17:05:41 GMT

Comment #47

JoeBigLotto — Tue, 06 Dec 2016 17:02:34 GMT

No way . He gave $10million to each of his local church the least they can do is give him Jesus white robe with holy water and a powerful prayer may the power of God repent you lol

Comment #46

helpmewin — Tue, 06 Dec 2016 15:59:04 GMT

Maybe you can send him some New clothes he might need them since his just got burn up in the Fire.

Comment #45

JoeBigLotto — Tue, 06 Dec 2016 12:10:46 GMT

He can't get away. He has a very dark shadow that follows him around like in the movie death becomes her. You can't out run your dark shadow but you can first acknowledge them and reduce its power by changing your dark clothing to white. The power of darkness is working against you Jack listen to me am here to help you run like free willy movie

Comment #44

Drenick1 — Mon, 05 Dec 2016 23:19:40 GMT

Seems like this guy can't get away from tragedies. Glad to hear his wife and dog got out but sorry to hear about his cat. In terms of not having insurance the blame lies solely with him.

Comment #43

mikeintexas — Mon, 05 Dec 2016 16:24:07 GMT

Only black people can make black look good.

You're kidding, right? If not, I would beg to differ...and again.

Comment #42

noise-gate — Mon, 05 Dec 2016 15:28:56 GMT

He was doomed before winning? What are you, a soothsayer?

All l got to say is You know Jack.

Comment #41

JoeBigLotto — Mon, 05 Dec 2016 14:41:45 GMT

Like I said before he was doomed before winning the lottery like Hillary Clinton losing to trump because at the last moment I decided not to do voodoo for trump and also finding a live Goat in America to kill for trump voodoo was hard to find so trump ended up winning. Now back to Jack Whitaker like I said b4 his first name is Jack but I won't be saying a lot about that at this moment he lost his cat. But his last name is Whitaker meaning Winner Takes All . Am not surprise he ended this way but... [ More ]

Comment #40

HaveABall — Mon, 05 Dec 2016 04:38:31 GMT

I wonder, what is the net worth of Jack Whittaker? and/or his ex wife

Comment #39

Volvo36 — Sun, 04 Dec 2016 01:43:56 GMT

I feel so sorry for this man and his wife. They've had a lot of tragedies.

Comment #38

Toronto — Sun, 04 Dec 2016 01:23:32 GMT

Sorry, but nearly all of the issues that he's faced are largely due to his own doing. Carrying $550k in a suit case and getting robbed, having $200k in his car and getting robbed. DUI in 2005. Enabling his granddaughter and her friends' drug addictions. Checks bouncing for his gambling debts.

All these, some of you claim he's had bad luck. At some point, people need to take responsibility for their decisions.

Comment #37

noise-gate — Sun, 04 Dec 2016 00:40:30 GMT

I feel bad for the cat that didn't make it. .. Really

Comment #36

Unluckyone — Sun, 04 Dec 2016 00:08:40 GMT

Some people just enjoy working. Look at al the old timers in our government that are in their 80's and still working. This guy was a millionaire and had a construction business before he even won his $315 million jackpot ( I think he netted about $110 million after taxes). Insuring a home especially in the middle of nowhere can't be that expensive so I have no idea why he skimped out on that, he was probably looking at $1,500 a year max to insure that house.

I bet most millionaires who own fu... [ More ]

Comment #35

mikeintexas — Sat, 03 Dec 2016 22:42:49 GMT

Well, he's probably a better fisherman than you, so he's got THAT goin' for him.

Comment #34

LottoAce — Sat, 03 Dec 2016 21:37:02 GMT

if you remember he had a construction buisiness.

it wasn't doing that well, and he was going to have to

lay his workers off. he said when he won, he was going

to hire them back

I figure he lost some of his winnings investing in a failing buisiness.

bankers stole some of his money...

he left like 400,000 in an unlocked truck, that got stolen..

forgot what else..

now this fire.

this guy is a walking bad luck magnet.

Comment #33

LottoAce — Sat, 03 Dec 2016 21:31:57 GMT

seems like this guy finds the worst situations to wind up in.

maybe everything will work out for him. maybe...just maybe

he can disapear and live his life in peace and quiet.

Amber123. I was a final checker.

thank you for your service.

Comment #32

LiveInGreenBay — Sat, 03 Dec 2016 21:07:46 GMT

He won 300 million 14 years ago and has to go to work now

Comment #31

dr65 — Sat, 03 Dec 2016 19:55:40 GMT

Here too sully. Well, at least some brain child can't plant the seed he did it for the insurance money.

Comment #30

dr65 — Sat, 03 Dec 2016 19:54:15 GMT

I'll agree he handled it very badly.

You can't say no one hates him. There will always be people who hate just because someone else got what they don't

have or think a particular person doesn't deserve what they have.

It's easy to say he should have this and he should have that...all those things aside, which by the way some of the

people who can't stand someone has something are the first to say what they should have done with it..but anyway,

he's out a house, too many family me... [ More ]

Comment #29

sully16 — Sat, 03 Dec 2016 19:18:35 GMT

I thought she was referring to Harry Potter, Dumbledore's Phoenix saves Harry while he is fighting the Serpent and help to rescue him from the Chamber of Secrets. Jenny Weasley lived, yay!

Sorry this guy's house burned down hate to see that happen and glad no one was hurt.

RIP Cat.

Comment #28

MaximumMillions — Sat, 03 Dec 2016 18:25:27 GMT

Good to see that everyone made it out alive. (Except for that poor cat

Comment #27

Perfecttiming2 — Sat, 03 Dec 2016 18:02:21 GMT

Hi Bleudog101!

Yep, he still works....he was already a millionaire when he won several years ago.

In spite of his ups and downs in life, I do want the best for this man, and his family.

Comment #26

Teddi — Sat, 03 Dec 2016 06:50:56 GMT

He did win again. After making the rounds on every single network, bemoaning how cursed the lottery is and how he wished he'd torn up the ticket or never played, he was still playing and won an additional $10,000.

So must not have thought all his bad luck was really that bad after all. Or he's just a lying hypocrite.

Nobody hates Jack or that he won. They hate his deliberate stupidity. They hate that an intelligent person can make so so so many stupid decisions and they hate that he blames... [ More ]

Comment #25

KY Floyd — Sat, 03 Dec 2016 06:32:51 GMT

The house that burned is in Virginia, not WV. He can afford to have several houses, but I've got no idea whether he's still has one in WV or if he has any in other places.

Hard to tell from the picture, but it looks like a relatively modest house. Certainly not anywhere near as big and expensive as some of the things some people here say they'd buy. Figuring that he's already got the liability protection squared away he may well have figured that the risk didn't really require him to have a h... [ More ]

Comment #24

mypiemaster — Sat, 03 Dec 2016 05:45:40 GMT

I'm sure it rises all the time in his mind but in reality it's only just a limp biscuit.

Comment #23

mypiemaster — Sat, 03 Dec 2016 05:35:30 GMT

Arson or potential suicide attempt? . Who knows ...

Comment #22

lejardin — Sat, 03 Dec 2016 04:25:55 GMT

OMG Mike you are toooo funny. LOL....

Comment #21

HaveABall — Sat, 03 Dec 2016 03:52:24 GMT

I'm sorry for the Whittaker's losses!

When did Jack undertake this second marriage

Comment #20

amber123 — Sat, 03 Dec 2016 03:13:15 GMT

Strange you write Phoenix rising out of the ashes Dr65. When I was in the Navy in the early 80's, specifically in this story, about 1983, my Navy squadron's logo kind of looked like a bird, that's the picture you see on the tail, and the first car I ever bought was in Key west Florida, where I was stationed. It just happened to be a 1977 Pontiac Phoenix.

We were called the Firebirds. I was a hydraulic mechanic on the A-3, also called the Whale , cause it seated like 12 people and bigger than... [ More ]

Comment #19

amber123 — Sat, 03 Dec 2016 02:51:00 GMT

He was already a millionaire before he won the 300 million, so he didn't care about expenses. I'm pretty sure over 80% of the time, insurance is never used with homes, unless you live in areas that are known for natural disasters.

Comment #18

amber123 — Sat, 03 Dec 2016 02:46:38 GMT

Wow, was it really 14 years ago? lol

Dang, time goes by fast

Comment #17

TheGameGrl — Sat, 03 Dec 2016 02:07:35 GMT

truly sorry to read of this recent incident. This gent has endured such family loss. That this latest fire. Makes me understand the human heart. He deserves compassion not ill will. Lose a grand child ..no money can heal that.

Comment #16

music* — Sat, 03 Dec 2016 00:20:27 GMT

I heard that he kept loads of cash in his vehicle because he was a high roller, a whale who loved to gamble. He needed the cash to bet in these types of games.

Insurance is one way to cover the risk of loss, destruction, or injury.

Tennessee has suffered greatly with their fire.

Comment #15

dr65 — Sat, 03 Dec 2016 00:07:28 GMT

I guess when the guy loses everything he ever got since winning, that's when people will think he finally got what

he deserves and then go back to their own sorry, miserable lives and finally leave him alone. Personally, I hope he

wins again. Not so he can make the same mistakes but just so the people that hate people like this so much have

something to keep them going.

Comment #14

mikeintexas — Fri, 02 Dec 2016 22:51:20 GMT

Y'know, I really don't remember anything about that other than he took several thousand bucks in a briefcase to a strip club. I tend to skip over the bad luck lottery stories and instead enjoy reading the ones about the people who did something good with the money, be it to better their own lives or those of others or simply just enjoyed their new wealth.

I've only been to a strip club a few times, a couple of times for buddy's bachelor parties, but the last time I went to a strip club was... [ More ]

Comment #13

Groppo — Fri, 02 Dec 2016 22:26:16 GMT

.

I'm truly sorry about that too.

Comment #12

noise-gate — Fri, 02 Dec 2016 21:36:52 GMT

That was funny mike- but l * think him frequenting those joints are behind him. Did he not give one of those places a bad reputation when he accused its customers or the joint of stealing over K100 from him, only for his briefcase to be found by cops behind a dumpster where he probably stashed it while taking a leak

Comment #11

Artist77 — Fri, 02 Dec 2016 20:00:09 GMT

RIP kitty cat.

Comment #10

hearsetrax — Fri, 02 Dec 2016 19:41:00 GMT

he may have wizened up since he first got lucky and initial tragedies marred his then lifestyle

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but I somehow doubt it

Comment #9

mikeintexas — Fri, 02 Dec 2016 19:19:28 GMT

I hope his Phoenix will rise.

It probably does when he goes to strip clubs.

Comment #8

noise-gate — Fri, 02 Dec 2016 19:12:22 GMT

By the looks of things, everything is on fire. Some jackpot winners dissappear never to be heard of again.Jack is not one of them. I hope his Phoenix will rise.

Comment #7

helpmewin — Fri, 02 Dec 2016 19:06:02 GMT

Mr Mrs Whittaker I'm Sorry to hear about your Cat.

Comment #6

luckyshoes — Fri, 02 Dec 2016 19:03:16 GMT

So his house is paid for...good. But no home insurance?...that's just plain.......stupid.

Comment #5

Bleudog101 — Fri, 02 Dec 2016 18:26:12 GMT

Going to work??? Isn't he as old as dirt now? Perhaps he kept his business going all these years.

Comment #4

hearsetrax — Fri, 02 Dec 2016 18:19:02 GMT

Comment #3

Skibunnylk — Fri, 02 Dec 2016 18:17:14 GMT

No home insurance? This guy is dumber than what people even give him credit for. He can't blame it on having no funds since his home was paid in full which btw is the only legal way he can opt out of getting insurance. Most ordinary folks who take out a mortgage are obligated to have home insurance to satisfy the lenders requirements.

Comment #2

Kingofearth — Fri, 02 Dec 2016 17:34:06 GMT

He's still in West Virginia? I went looking for updates on him a few weeks ago and a site said he's living quietly in LA Cal.

Anyway, the unluckest lucky man gets another round of unluckiness. He really should think about moving somewhere else, might help him get some of his luck back.

Comment #1

Toronto — Fri, 02 Dec 2016 17:18:19 GMT

Not having insurance and just moving into another house would be nice

Infamous lottery winner's house burns

Lottery Post — Fri, 02 Dec 2016 17:10:46 GMT

Jack's back with more heartbreak

Firefighters from all over Bland County converged on Deer Run Estates in Rocky Gap, West Virginia, on Friday morning to battle a blaze at lottery winner Jack Whittaker's house.

Whittaker said he was on his way to Ghent, West Virginia, to work when his wife, who was inside the brick structure, called him about the fire.

Fire crews got the call at 6:59 a.m. and the house was already engulfed in flames when they arrived.

Whittaker's wife smelled smoke an... [ More ]