From rags to riches to rags

Moose Jaw man who won $3M now 'flat broke'

Jason Warick

December 17, 2004

MOOSE JAW -- After winning $2.5 million in a Lotto 6-49 draw almost nine years ago, Jeff Clark enjoyed his new-found wealth, cruising the streets of Moose Jaw in his $105,000 black Dodge Viper sports car. But one car wasn't enough. The former mine worker soon bought two more Vipers -- one silver and one red. His fleet of luxury vehicles expanded to six, including a $90,000 Plymouth Prowler, a $70,000 Cadillac Eldorado and a $50,000 Buick Riviera. Today, his only transportation is a rickety mountain bike. Nine years of extravagance, fair-weather friends, a stock market crash, a paternity suit and a devastating gambling addiction have left the 38-year-old man nearly penniless. "Look at me -- I'm rolling my own cigarettes. I'm flat broke," Clark said in a recent interview. "I'm reeling. I constantly wonder 'How the hell did this happen to me?' " Clark might still be rich if he had simply learned to say "no" to impulse buying, to the lure of lottery kiosks and video lottery terminals, and to moochers expecting everything from free drinks to large loans. "I'm mad at a lot of people, mad at the government about those VLTs, but mostly mad at myself," he said. "There's no one to blame but myself." Lottery 'my way out' On a recent afternoon, Clark rode his bicycle to his mother's house. His mother, friendly and energetic, agreed to watch Clark's seven-year-old whippet-Labrador cross, Andy, for a few hours. In a local park, Clark talked about his changing fortunes. Born and raised in Moose Jaw, he took a job at the potash mine just outside of the city. He was single and had few responsibilities. He enjoyed playing softball with his buddies, going out for drinks and watching sports on television. He dreamed of getting rich playing professional baseball, but that faded. He put his hopes in the lottery. Clark spent almost all of his disposable income -- at least $40 a week -- on Lotto 6-49 tickets and Sports Select betting. "I lived and breathed the lottery. I made up my mind I was gonna win," he said. "Winning the lottery was my way out." Playing the same set of numbers for more than 10 years, he hit the jackpot in January 1996, winning $2.5 million. He quit his job at the mine. As a farewell to his co-workers, he carted several hot roasters of beef on-site and served it to each shift during their break. His mother and relatives got new vehicles and other large gifts. He gave his friends money. He says he bought the first Viper, "then I partied my face off" six nights a week for several months. Less than two years after that first win, Clark's 6-49 numbers unbelievably came up again. He won another $500,000. That second win convinced him his "system" worked. Clark started to lay down at least $2,200 per week on lottery tickets, and continued to bet big on Sports Select. He bought a 3,300-square-foot house in Moose Jaw's upscale Sunningdale neighborhood. By now, he had too many vehicles for his three-car garage, and also had three snowmobiles and a personal watercraft. He smiles as he recalls how difficult it was to park them all on the block. He spent New Year's Eve in 1999 with his girlfriend in Whistler, B.C. They ate in the best restaurants and stayed in an $800-a-night hotel. He took his friends to concerts, partied with the Toronto Maple Leafs after watching a game in Edmonton and bought round after round of drinks following softball games and other events. During the day, Clark would drive one of his cars around the countryside or play golf. He got bored with that and began to look for something to do while his friends were at work. He didn't want to travel to faraway countries as some lottery winners do. "I had no interest in going overseas. Anything you want to see -- it's on TV. I just wanted to gamble and ski and be with my buddies." He'd often drive to Casino Regina, dropping thousands at the roulette table. He started hanging out in local bars in the afternoons, only drinking at first. One day he put a few dollars into a video lottery terminal. "I used to make fun of people who played those things. I knew they were bad news." Clark was soon spending every day in the bars playing VLTs. After playing one machine for several days, he couldn't believe it hadn't paid the $1,000 jackpot. Clark eventually gave up on the machine, but not before feeding it $30,000 in less than a month. He figures his four-year addiction to VLTs cost him around $1 million. "They really dragged me down. If they did that to me, a millionaire, what are they doing to the average working stiff?" Then in 2001, the stock markets crashed. True to form, Clark had earlier instructed a broker to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars into the riskiest ventures possible. In addition to his $1,200 monthly brokerage fee, he lost most of this money. Clark's bankroll was dwindling fast. He also had high legal bills and costs from a paternity suit filed by a woman in Alberta who had his child several years earlier. His longtime girlfriend, who also has a child with Clark, left him, moved to Regina, and received the Plymouth Prowler as part of the settlement. He continued to play the lottery and wager on sports, but rarely left home. He was tired of everyone asking him for money, especially now that he was running low on cash. None of his friends urged him to stop gambling, afraid he'd get angry and cut them off. "Everyone was on eggshells around me." They argued among themselves about how much they got from him. That jealousy ruined many of those relationships. "You want to help people. You really want to help, but it's never enough." He began selling off his cars, often recouping only a fraction of the purchase price. He sold the house. Eventually he was down to his last vehicle -- a rusted 1980 van he had before winning big. For three months, he slept in the van with his three dogs. He still had one asset -- the Burger Flame restaurant he had purchased near downtown Moose Jaw. The business closed after Clark was unable to pay the bills. Clark slept for several months inside the boarded-up building with no power or heat, including some of the coldest days of winter. He eventually sold it but got nothing close to the purchase price. Four hours after he began recounting his wild journey, Clark suggests a drive-through restaurant a few blocks from downtown. It's his old Burger Flame, now under new ownership and nearly full on this weekday evening. He recommends the mushroom burger combo and eats the huge meal at his mother's house. As Clark catches a ride home -- bike in the trunk and dog in the back seat -- he explains how he's kicked his VLT habit but continues to pour all of his money into the lottery. He now lives in a 500-square-foot house in a lower-income area of the city and has had to give away his other two dogs. With just an eighth grade education, finding a job has proven difficult. He'll soon have to sell the last components of his $20,000 stereo. "It shook the whole block, but I still got enough to make 'er thunder." The lottery isn't as tough to win as everyone thinks -- if you have a system and persevere, he said. Clark is sure his numbers will come up again soon. "I'm going to win the lottery again. I'll spend whatever I can get on playing. I am relentless." Not all lottery winners are as careless with their money as Jeff Clark. An elderly Saskatchewan couple won $2.5 million the same year Clark did. The couple, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they still have most of their winnings, meet with their accountant twice a year. They bought houses for their four children and gave money to their seven grandchildren. Their church and various charities also got large donations. They went on a vacation to Hawaii. They built a 2,500-square-foot house on the family farm where they live. They still play the lottery, spending $10 a week. But they've never visited the nearby casino. "I don't believe in that stuff. You can spend a lot more in the casino," said the woman. Her husband's health has deteriorated, so they had an elevator installed in the house. They have enough left to live comfortably. She said winning the lottery has been positive. "We're still above ground -- we had a good experience," she joked. Ran with fact box "Lottery win a good experience for some"which has been appended to the story. © The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon) 2004