Would you keep working if you won the lottery? Probably

Millions of people dream of the day they win the lottery, and call their boss so say that they won't be in - ever again - for the rest of their lives.

However, in reality, a new study from WinkSlots.com has found that a lottery win doesn't usually mean people give up work forever: for three vital reasons.

See also: The weird and wonderful things lottery winners buy

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1. It's not enough
The average Brit would have to win at least £5.4 million before they felt they could afford to give up work, and even then they wouldn't be able to buy everything their heart desires, and live a life of luxury forever.

Unless you've won millions in a rollover week, if you want to splash the cash, then the chances are that you'll need to keep bringing some cash in.

2. It can change the work you do
In reality most of us don't dream of doing absolutely nothing all day: we just want to do something more interesting. More than a third of people would continue working if they won a very substantial amount of money, but 11% would do so in a different career (the most popular alternative option was digital media, followed by film, travel, music, sport and science). A quarter of people, meanwhile, would invest in a business, and run it for a living. The most popular business to go into is property ownership.

3. Even if you don't need the money, you need a purpose
There are plenty of winners who say at the time of their win that they'll never stop work - often because they are needed and valued by the people they work with and for - and don't want to give that up. In some cases they don't want to let people down, in others they have built up a business and they want to see it continue. Some people just value the social side of work too much to give it up.

Without work, winners can struggle to find a direction and a purpose in life. There are plenty of jackpot winners who gave up their job, and then returned out of boredom. Famously one McDonald's employee gave up work, got married, went on a few holidays, got bored, and went back to his old job. It's one of the reasons why even among those who never need to work again, one in six say they would go and work for a charity instead.

But what do you think? Would you keep working, or are you still dreaming of a big win that would let you spend the rest of your days shuttling between the five star hotel and the beach? Let us know in the comments.