One of the UK's biggest-ever lottery winners managed to spend $50 million of his winnings by splurging a massive $131,000 a week.
Many of us play the lottery with the hopes of getting that life-changing win that means we never have to work again and can instead spend our days on endless holidays or just buying mansions and fast cars.
While most people will never get to feel the euphoria of realizing that your numbers have come in, Colin Weir was one of the lucky few to win a truly staggering amount.
Weir, from Largs in North Ayrshire, Scotland, scooped an enormous £161 million ($200 million) Euromillions jackpot in 2011 - and managed to spend a quarter of the monumental fortune before his death in 2019.
At the time it was the second-biggest-ever jackpot awarded from the EuroMillions, and Weir soon set about spending in serious style.
While $200 million is more than most people could spend in a lifetime, Weir managed to blow through a quarter of the massive sum in just eight years.
Weir had worked as a cameraman for the Scottish broadcaster STV before his win, while his wife Christine - who he later divorced in 2018 - was a psychiatric nurse.
Tragically, Weir died in 2019 from sepsis and "acute kidney injury", with his remaining wealth being passed down to his two children.
After his death, Weir's spending came to light and it was revealed he'd blown through £100,000 ($130,000) a week to get through a quarter of his winnings in just eight years.
Documents revealed what Weir had spent his money on, including luxury property, expensive cars, and investments into a soccer club, as well as establishing a charitable trust.
The Weir Charitable Trust unfortunately was the victim of a scam in 2015, when emails were sent claiming to be from them offering cash, and Scottish police warned people to be wary of suspicious emails. The couple had reportedly been targeted by scammers multiple times since going public with their lottery win in 2011.
Some of the huge win had also been donated to the Scottish National Party's independence campaign, and Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon even paid tribute to Weir after his death, saying it left her "incredibly sad".
She added at the time: "Colin’s determination and generosity in the cause of Scottish independence cannot be overstated and was hugely appreciated.
"The SNP and the independence movement has lost a true friend today and we will miss him dearly."
As well as political donations, Weir also made investments into sports, including buying a 55 percent share of Partick Thistle Football Club shortly before his death, intending to return ownership of the club to the local community.
He'd also bought three thoroughbred race horses, including geldings Knighted and Felony, and an Irish mare named If You Say Run, per the Independent.
In one of his most expensive impulse buys, Weir had also spent £3.5 million ($4.3 million) on a property named Frognal House, with he and his wife reportedly having bought it with all its fixtures and fittings after just a 10-minute viewing, before spending thousands on renovating it over the years.
Weir's wife got Frognal House when the couple divorced in 2018, when he bought a £1.1 million ($1.4 million) seafront home known as The Mansions, where he lived until his death.
Like most lottery winners, Weir also had a penchant for luxury cars, owning a small fleet that reportedly included a vintage Bentley Arnage, a Jaguar F-Pace SUV, and multiple Mercedes cars.
When he died, Weir also owned jewelry, artwork, and furniture valued at around £212,000 ($262,000), as well as savings and investment bonds.
