How it startedThe Story Behind My Lottery Life
I first became fascinated by the National Lottery when it launched
in 1994, and it has remained a regular part of my life ever since.
I followed winners' stories, imagined the possibilities and, like
millions of other people, spent plenty of time wondering what I
would actually do if the numbers came up.
The more I looked, the more I noticed a gap. There was plenty of
information about draws, tickets and how to play, but considerably
less independent information about the other side of winning:
managing the money, changing your lifestyle, making big purchases
and understanding just how far a jackpot could go.
That is what led me to build My Lottery Life.
The lottery may start with a handful of numbers, but for me the
interesting part has always been everything that could happen
afterwards.
Why the site existsLooking Beyond the Jackpot
I originally thought of the site as a practical “dream machine”:
somewhere you could put some real numbers around all those
“what would I do if I won?” conversations.
That idea has grown considerably. My Lottery Life now covers
current jackpots, lottery results, historical data, statistics,
patterns and interactive tools, alongside the questions that often
become much more interesting once the jackpot itself gets large.
How long would the money actually last? What sort of house could
you comfortably afford? What would a completely different
lifestyle cost every year? How much difference would tax make in
another country? And what happens when a very large one-off sum
has to support somebody for the rest of their life?
Those are the sorts of questions I enjoy exploring. Wherever we
can, the aim is to use real figures, historical information and
useful calculations rather than simply talking about the fantasy
of winning.
As the site has developed, it has also become increasingly
data-led. We track major lotteries, build historical datasets,
create calculators and look for useful ways of presenting
information that can otherwise be difficult to understand at a
glance.
It is still perfectly fine to dream. My Lottery Life simply tries
to put a little more substance behind the dream.
A personal perspectiveBuilt by Someone Who Still Plays
I still play the lottery today and I am part of a local UK lottery
syndicate, so the anticipation of a big draw and the conversations
that go with it are very familiar to me.
Away from the lottery, I have also worked in and around London with
high-net-worth individuals. That gave me first-hand exposure to the
way significant wealth can be organised, managed and thought about
over the long term.
I have seen elements of family-office environments, long-term
financial planning and generational wealth. I am not a financial
adviser, but that experience has helped shape some of the questions
this site asks and the practical way I like to approach them.
My Lottery Life is therefore written from a fairly simple
perspective: enjoy the possibility of winning, but wherever
possible put real numbers and real-world thinking behind it.
LM
Lee Maggs
Founder, My Lottery Life · United Kingdom
