First came the $2.25 million Lotto win on Valentine’s Day, which generated hope for family members doing it tough.

Then came the “nasty” fights over who had the right to the millions.

“You’d think a major lottery win would be a godsend, but it has just brought out the worst kind of greed,” said the man, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

“It’s gotten really, really nasty.”

Sold as an unregistered entry, the winning Lotto ticket was bought at Hunters Newsagency.

It followed another major win at the newsagency some weeks earlier.

The man, who claims to be a bystander in the family controversy, believed the winners should have shared the spoils of their victory with others, including the person who bought the ticket.

It raises curious ethical questions over whether money should be split after a lottery win.

However, according to Wagga barrister Matt Hogg, if a gift has been exchanged, the gifter has no legal claim to any potential cash windfall.

“If the Lotto ticket was purchased as a gift for another party … a transfer has been completed,” he said.

The man said the person who bought the ticket was the mother of one of the winners.

He said the winner offered to pay $17 for the ticket to “make them go away”.

“Maybe it’s a little old school but if you get someone a ticket, it should be halved with them,” the man said.

“You don’t expect them to give it all away, but knowing the good that could have been done with it, it would have been the right thing to do.”

Wagga Family Support gambling help counsellor Julie McDermott said often money can cause families to “lose sight” of the big picture.

“It can be sad because we can lose sight of what is really important to us,” she said.

“Sometimes money can make us a little blinded and, without ever meeting this family, I just think some of the daily stresses of life can cause us to lose sight of our family.”

The man who approached the Advertiser said he had seen first-hand the destruction caused by greed.

“These people would have never have done this before they won,” he said. “The damage has been done.”