A LOTTERY winner who claimed a $315million prize wishes he had torn it up instead after being plagued by a bad luck streak.

Andrew ‘Jack’ Whittaker Jr won the jackpot on Christmas in 2002 and had his 15 minutes of fame, but that quickly wore of and went south.

Andrew ‘Jack’ Whittaker Jr won the jackpot on Christmas in 2002 and had his 15 minutes of fame, but that quickly wore of and went southCredit: AP:Associated Press

The businessman and his family flew in a private jet to appear on morning talk shows to discuss his win and the $113.4million lump sum payout he receivedCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Whittaker became an overnight celebrity when he claimed what was then the largest US lottery jackpot won with a single ticket.

The businessman and his family flew in a private jet to appear on morning talk shows to discuss his win and the $113.4million lump sum payout he received.

But shortly after, things took a sour turn.

Whittaker began to struggle with drinking and gambling and he and his wife split up.

He was charged twice with driving while under the influence and sued multiple times, once by three female casino employees who accused him of assault.

“I’m only going to be remembered as the lunatic who won the lottery,” Whittaker said.

“I’m not proud of that. I wanted to be remembered as someone who helped a lot of people.”

There were also several tragic deaths in his family.

A friend of his drug-addicted granddaughter was found dead at his home in 2004.

Three months later, his 17-year-old granddaughter also died.

Whittaker’s daughter, Ginger Whittaker Bragg, then died in 2009 at age 42 after a years-long cancer battle.

“I wish I’d torn that ticket up,” Whittaker said at the time of his daughter’s death.

In 2016, Whittaker lost a home in Virginia to a fire.

He also became the victim of multiple burglaries.

Thieves stole a total of $100,000 from him in multiple incidents, Fox News Digital reported.

Whittaker was reportedly broke in his last years of life.

He died in 2020 at age 72.