A British woman said the dream of winning the lottery is not all it's cracked up to be, admitting she wanted to sue the company who runs the lotto.
Jane Park, 26, revealed what she described as a "twisted fairytale" of being blackmailed and threatened after winning more than NZ$1.9 million when she was 17 years old.
She earlier threatened to sue Camelot, the operator of the UK National Lottery, arguing the company needs to take action to implement rules and regulations similar to those seen with alcohol and smoking.
Park became a millionaire after she won a EuroMillions ticket back in 2013, making her one of the youngest winners to take out the lottery.
In the years since her win, Park said she has been bombarded with requests for money from strangers, threats of violence and marriage proposals on a weekly basis.
"It may be parents with terminally ill children or needing life-changing surgery. Uni students want me to pay for their education," she told The Sun.
"I also get a lot of marriage proposals, I'd say I get at least one a week. It's not from anyone interested in me, it's from people interested in the money."
Although lottery winners in the UK are allowed to remain anonymous, Park made the decision as a teenager to make her win public, appearing in a BBC documentary Teenage Millionaire.
Now, she said the public is being misled about the reality of winning so much money.
"It sounds silly but children dream of either being famous or winning the lottery, and if it wasn't so glamorised, maybe there would be more ambition rather than gambling," Park told The Sun.
"People always refer to the lottery as 'playing the lottery', but it’s not 'playing', it's just plain gambling."
A Camelot spokesperson told The Sun that Park received extensive ongoing support after her win and was put in touch with a person who won at the same age for guidance and reassurance.
Last year the Department of Media Culture changed the law and increased the minimum age from 16 to 18 years old.
How the rules compare to New Zealand
In New Zealand, there are no age restrictions for participating in lotteries like Lotto, Bulls Eye, Play 3 or Keno.
However, if you are under 18 years old and win a prize of more than $1000, a parent or guardian has to sign an Acknowledgement Form before the winnings can be claimed.
To buy scratch cards or a lottery that is frequently drawn, you must be over 18 due to the instant element of it.
Lottery advertisements are also common in New Zealand; however, the ads must not mislead Kiwis into thinking they have a higher chance of winning than what is factual.
