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Money: Lottery millionaires choosing experiences over material items

National Lottery millionaires are shunning material items to share their money and spend on experiences instead – but Range Rovers and hot tubs remain favourite splurges for winners.

Racehorses, designer sunglasses, conservatories, koi carp and ride-on mowers have fallen off the shopping lists of winners in favour of camper vans, woodland or forest space, a bar or games room, coffee machines and university fees, according to Camelot’s National Lottery Millionaire Report.

More than half of the biggest winners (53%) are spending their windfall on experiences, more than the 39% who spent on possessions, while 8% had done both.

Some 21% took a helicopter ride, 20% visited Disney World and 19% swam with dolphins.

Other experiences ticked off millionaire bucket lists include seeing the Northern Lights, going on safari, visiting the Grand Canyon, whale watching and taking a trip to Lapland.

However Camelot said three items remained ever popular with winners – Range Rovers, jewellery and hot tubs.

Other treats bought by winners included a garden footballpitch,apuband pet lambs.

The survey revealed that almost half of winners (47%) found that giving gifts to friends, family and charity had given them the most happiness from their win.

Almost all – 98% – made some form of gift to family, while winners had given away an average of 19% of their winnings.

Some 57% of winners had made their child or children a millionaire and 36% believed they would make their grandchildren

“First question is how they can look after their dearest”

millionaires in the future, C a m e l o t ’ s f i n d i n g s suggested.

Andy Carter, senior winners’ adviser at the National Lottery, said: “After the shock and excitement, nearly all winners’ first question is how they can look after their nearest and dearest.

“In many cases this seems to bring the winners even greater joy than thinking about how they can treat themselves.”

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