Hitting a jackpot while you’re still a teen can be very tricky, and Callie Rogers found herself breaking under pressure. Britain’s youngest lotto millionaire collected £1.870.000 when she was only 16, but it’s been over a decade since then and most of her fortune is nowhere to be found.
Back in 2003, when Rogers became an instant millionaire, the minimum age for the playing Lotto in the UK was 16. The minimum legal age for gambling in this country typically starts at 18, but National Lottery is an exception. There have been rumours about the age limit increasing amid concerns about the effects on vulnerable consumers, but nothing has been done so far. Rogers believes this rule should be changed, because she was too young to cope with the responsibility of becoming a millionaire as a teen.
„At 16 you’re just a child, then suddenly overnight you’ve got to become an adult. You don’t have any understanding of money and the concept of what it brings. At the time, you just want everybody to like you. The money did bring problems with my family, and friends as well. It just became too much to cope with,“ admitted Rogers.
The young millionaire spent £180.000 on a new home, but that’s reasonable in comparison to her other expenses. It was reported she shelled out over £1.000.000 on clothes, gifts, drugs and plastic surgery. Rogers is 31 now and she’s a single mom of three. Her kids have everything they need, but she regrets not saving her lottery money so she could give them more – especially to her son Blake, who has cerebral palsy.
“A lot of the time, I don’t care about money. I was never one for designer clothes or flash cars. But it’s my one big regret that the money isn’t here for Blake. He loves sensory stimulation. If I had that money, I’d give him the biggest sensory room you could buy,” said Rogers.
