Will lottery winner have more money than sense?

I’m a bit worried about the 18 year old who scooped £22 million on last week’s Euro draw.

Picture the scene. You’re sitting watching telly, clutching that small rectangle of paper tightly. The first number rolls out . . . and you have it. Then another . . . and another . . . You check them off one by one, eyes wide and heart rate rocketing.

Finally you realise you have them all you’ve done it! You’ve won the lottery jackpot!

Admit it, we’ve all had those fantasies where we imagine what we’d do if our numbers came up.

For a very tiny minority the dream of that big fat life-changing win becomes a reality and they can indulge themselves with the house, car and holiday they have always wanted.

We never hear about the winners who quietly pay off their mortgage, make a donation to charity and go about gradually upgrading their lifestyle.

They’re the ones who will live happily ever after, but it’s the “spend spend spend” brigade who make the headlines especially those who run though massive amounts of cash in a very short time and end up skint.

Most of them tend to be very young, and that’s why I am a bit worried about the 18 year old who scooped £22 million on last week’s euro draw.

He has very wisely decided to remain anonymous otherwise he’d have suddenly found himself hugely popular and unable to open his door because of the piles of begging letters and cries for help.

I am sure he’ll be tempted to splurge. There is a massive temptation to buy a huge mansion, top of the range sports car, designer gear and sparkly diamonds when you’ve been granted such a massive sum of money out of the blue and with no effort required.

It all seems impossibly fabulous, but lots of money can have a dark side.

Look at previous winners. There’s “lotto lout” Michael Carroll, who won £9.7 million in 2002 when he was 19 years old and is now broke and working in a biscuit factory in Elgin.

Then there was Callie Rogers, who was just 18 when she won almost £2 million pounds, but spent it all on buying stuff she didn’t need and having cosmetic surgery.

I reckon this £22m winner should actually go on a bit of a blow out with friends and family but limit himself to a relatively small sum that won’t make a dent in his fortune.

He could easily live off the interest more than comfortably and barely touch his winnings.

He needs to take a deep breath, and sit down with lottery financial experts who will help make sure the money is invested wisely and, if he is a decent enough young man, he’ll also make donations to charities and deserving cases.

When you’re in your teens it is easy to think that the money will last forever, but if you start living the really crazy high life, even £22 million will simply disappear like snow off a roof.

So even as this young winner celebrates, he has to do some serious thinking and listen to sound financial advice.

This is an incredible opportunity to be able to live his life free of money troubles, but also to give something back to the community.

Here’s hoping he’s as sensible as he is rich.