AITA for refusing to share my lottery winnings with my family, even though I used the family numbers?

I (22M) recently won a decent amount of money in the lottery. Not a massive jackpot, but enough to be life changing for me: pay off debts, buy a small apartment, and invest a bit.

Now for the context. In my family, there’s been an informal tradition for years. On my grandma birthday, someone usually plays lottery numbers based on important family dates (birthdays, anniversaries, etc). Sometimes we play together, sometimes everyone plays on their own. There has never been an explicit agreement that if someone wins, the money gets shared. It was always treated as a fun tradition.

This time, I played alone, with my own money, but I used those dates (to be specific, grandma’s birthday day, month and year, my dad’s birthday day, and the day and month i graduated). I won. When I told my family at first it was all celebration. Then the comments started:

“These are family numbers.”

“Without the tradition, you wouldn’t have won.”

“It would only be fair to share, even just a little.”

Some relatives are genuinely struggling financially (unemployment, debt), others aren’t. I told them I’m not going to split the prize because:

\- I paid for the ticket myself

\- There was never any agreement to share winnings

\- If I had lost (like I did many times before), no one would have reimbursed me

\- Money changes dynamics, and I don’t want to become the family ATM (not that i won enough to be called an ATM but you get it)

That said, I did offer to help in specific situations (like, helping with a small debt once or twice), but not to divide the prize. This was seen as arrogant and selfish. One aunt even said I “got rich off the family.”

Now part of my family isn’t speaking to me, and they’re treating me like I betrayed everyone. My parents are split: they say I’m technically right, but that sharing would avoid conflict.

AITA for not sharing the winnings, even though I used numbers tied to my family?

EDIT (why did i tell them in the first place?): I didn’t see winning as creating any obligation to split the money, so it honestly didn’t occur to me that telling them would be an issue. I told them out of transparency, not to tease or mislead anyone. At the time, I genuinely expected them to be happy that the tradition worked for once, not to see it as something I owed them. I would have told them regardless, even if the numbers had been completely random. Now, after this whole thing and reading some of the comments, I’m not so sure I would.

14 thoughts on “AITA for refusing to share my lottery winnings with my family, even though I used the family numbers?”
  1. NTA. Your family are entitled and money hungry. The dynamic has already changed. This is why I wouldn’t tell anyone if I won a lot of money.

    1. Yep I wouldn’t of let the vultures know.

      I won 100k at the casino a few years back people I hadn’t if spoke to you in years came out of the woodwork with their hands out.

  2. You were foolish to tell people you won.
    What you should have done is waited a few months and then said you used the numbers for that particular week, by picking random numbers. But hindsight is a great thing.

    The fact these people are not pleased for you and instead demanding a share, means not only are they greedy, but they are not putting you or your future first.

    NTA.

    We all walk our own path in life. There was nothing stopping them from doing the numbers.

  3. NTA but if you didn’t plan to share the wealth, why did you tell them? The cardinal rule is keep mum about it or massively downplay how much you won.

  4. Would not matter if you used their numbers or not. Your mistake was telling anyone. As soon as people find out, they will find a way to guilt trip you into sharing. YTA for telling folks about the lotto win.

  5. Btw, look up “Lottery winners killed for their winnings”. It’s always family or friends, who have done the murdering. Never let people know.

    * **Araham Shakespeare (2009):** Won a $30 million Florida lottery jackpot in 2006. He went missing in 2009, and his body was found in 2010 buried under a concrete slab in the backyard of an acquaintance, Dorice “Dee Dee” Moore, who was convicted of his murder.
    * **Jeffrey Dampier (2005):** Won a $20 million Illinois lottery in 1996. He was murdered in 2005 by his sister-in-law, Victoria Jackson, and her boyfriend, Nathaniel Jackson, in what was believed to be a plot to steal his winnings.
    * **Ibi Roncaioli (1991):** Won $5 million in a Canadian Lotto/649 drawing. She was poisoned with painkillers by her husband, Joseph Roncaioli, after she gave away $2 million of her winnings to a secret child.

    **Other Noted Cases**

    * **William “Bud” Post III:** Won $16.2 million in the Pennsylvania lottery in 1988. While he was not killed, his brother was arrested for trying to hire a hitman to kill him for the inheritance.

  6. Throw grandpa a killer birthday party next year and invite everyone. That’s a way to celebrate together and share the good fortune. But that’s all you should do. No “I’ll pay a bill” crap or you’ll be their atm for life

  7. NTA – if they played “the family numbers” they could have won too. Let the gold diggers be mad,if you’re lucky they may even block you

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *