US Man Sues Girlfriend Who Couldn't Resist Bragging About $1.8 Trillion Lottery Win

Won the US Mega Millions Lottery Last January
Harassed by Neighbors After Winning News Spread

An American man who won a lottery worth approximately 1.75 trillion won sued his ex-girlfriend for revealing the winning news to her family. The two had agreed not to disclose the win until their daughter turned 18, but the ex-girlfriend did not keep this promise.

According to USA Today on the 19th (local time), a man identified as A, residing in Maine, USA, recently filed a lawsuit claiming damages for mental distress and harassment after his ex-girlfriend Sarah Smith breached a nondisclosure agreement (NDA) by informing her family about the lottery win.

A man in the United States who won a lottery worth 1.75 trillion won sued his ex-girlfriend for revealing the winning news to his family.
[Photo by Reuters·Yonhap News]

Mr. A won the US Mega Millions lottery in January and received about $1.35 billion (approximately 1.75 trillion won). He collected the winnings anonymously through a trust fund and agreed not to disclose the win until their daughter, born to Sarah, turned 18.

This agreement was intended to prevent threats against Mr. A and his daughter if the win became public. In exchange for keeping the secret, Mr. A planned to continue providing financial support to his daughter.

However, Sarah informed Mr. A’s father and stepmother about the win via phone. The news quickly spread, and Mr. A’s sister also learned about the lottery win through rumors.

Enduring distress from those around him, Mr. A stated, "The defendant’s breach of contract caused irreparable damage," and filed a lawsuit demanding Sarah pay $100,000 (about 130 million won) for each violation.

Supreme Court: Distribution and Sale of Overseas Lotteries Domestically Is Illegal

According to the Lottery Commission on the 20th, the Supreme Court ruled on the 26th of last month that distributing and selling overseas lottery tickets domestically is illegal.
[Photo by AP·Yonhap News]

Some lotteries sold in the United States have jackpots reaching tens of billions to trillions of won, attracting considerable interest from domestic consumers. However, purchasing overseas lotteries improperly in Korea can lead to penalties, so caution is necessary.

The Ministry of Economy and Finance’s Lottery Commission recently cited a Supreme Court ruling, stating that distributing and selling overseas lotteries domestically is illegal. Both sellers and buyers can be punished.

According to the Lottery Commission on the 20th, the Supreme Court ruled on the 26th of last month that distributing and selling overseas lotteries within Korea is illegal.

In recent years, proxy purchases of US lotteries via websites, mobile apps, and unmanned terminals (kiosks) have emerged domestically, but there were no clear guidelines or laws under Korean law. However, Article 248 of the Criminal Act specifies that anyone who issues, mediates, or acquires lottery tickets not authorized by law is subject to imprisonment or fines.

The Supreme Court imposed a fine of 5 million won for mediating or inducing the purchase of overseas lotteries domestically, as it violates laws restricting the excessive proliferation of gambling lotteries. The proxy purchase companies appealed, but the Supreme Court upheld the lower court’s ruling in April last year.

It was confirmed that not only overseas lottery sales through kiosks, which began following an investigation request by the Gambling Industry Integrated Supervision Commission in January 2021, but also online sales via websites and mobile apps are illegal.

Following this Supreme Court ruling, the Gambling Industry Integrated Supervision Commission under the Prime Minister and the Lottery Commission plan to strengthen online and offline monitoring activities of overseas lottery distribution and sales companies to prevent further harm to the public. They will also actively promote awareness campaigns to inform citizens about the illegality of overseas lottery sales and purchases.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.