Mega Millions = $370 million

[moks78]

You won't win if you don't play it. You got till Tuesday to do it.

If you're "extremely lucky"...1 dollar is good enough just like a previous Super Lotto winner who bought a single quick pick ticket.

 

[Safeway]

Which is better -- Lump Sum or Annual payment? I could definitely invest the lump sum wisely ...

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: Safeway
Which is better -- Lump Sum or Annual payment? I could definitely invest the lump sum wisely ...

Lump sum + invest. For a smaller jackpot the annuity could potentially be better, because with the lump sum you're always going to be in the highest tax bracket while with the annuity you could be in a lower bracket for the 20+ years. With a jackpot this big, both options are going to put you in the highest tax bracket.

 

[Corporate Thug]

for the second time in my entire life, I purchases lotto tickets.

 

[her209]

Originally posted by: KarmaPolice
I don't get why people start buying tickets when the amount gets to some insane number.

Risk versus reward

 

[DrPizza]

Originally posted by: KarmaPolice
I don't get why people start buying tickets when the amount gets to some insane number. If you want buy lottery tickets you should buy them at any point. When its down to 50million how is "well its just not enough for me to take the chance" make any sense. 4million would change your life just as much as 300million would. Doesn't make any sense to me.

Ive bought tickets but ive never gotten any money on any of the ones i've picked. How many of you pick the numbers and how many of you do it at random from the machine. It would be intersting to see the % of people who pick and win and the% of people who do random, and then the % of people who win at random.

Allow me to explain. Suppose the lotto payout was 3 dollars. Would you waste a dollar then? Also, 2 million (after taxes on your 4 million) wouldn't change my life nearly as much as 300 million. To understand the difference, compare the annuities that are paid out, vs the lump sum payment. The 2 million jackpot is the equivalent of getting 100k per year. That may be life changing for some, but not that huge of a change for many people. 300 million, on the other hand, is 7.5 million per year after taxes. THAT would definitely change most people's lives.

Originally posted by: d3n
I think the advantage is with people who let the machine pick the numbers.

Actually, the odds of 1,2,3,4,5,6 coming up are EXACTLY the same as any other six digit combination. Anyone who says "yeah, but picking 1,2,3,4,5,6 is really stupid" yet still plays lotto is, in fact, according to their own definition, stupid.

 

[Siddhartha]

Originally posted by: KLin
http://www.megamillions.com/

:shocked: I guess I'll take a chance and waste 5 bucks .

New York state

$8.8 million for 26 years

or

$136.6 million cash payment

The lottery is a form of gambling not a tax on the stupid.

 

[cubby1223]

Funny. A week ago I was watching a show documenting the winners of the mega million powerball lotteries. Winning that much money ruins a lot of people's lives.

 

[Svnla]

Originally posted by: her209

Originally posted by: Svnla

Originally posted by: K1052

Originally posted by: Mallow
Someone's gonna win and have their life ruined! Ever hear of the lottery curse?

It isn't so much a curse as it is a test of character and sense that a lot of people happen to fail.

There is no such curse. If you win that much money and then broke less than 10 years, then you are a fool and don't deserve to live.

<<---- will buy a nice house, nice vehicle <all pay in cash> then put the rest in saving/investment and live in interest income and travel first class around the world if he wins

^^^ Rightttt...

The moment you win, relatives are going to be asking for handouts. Charities will be asking you for handouts. Criminals will be looking ways to extort money out of you. People will try to sue you for every penny. The way you look at and judge people around will change.

Ever hear of lawyer? If I win, I will NEVER EVER show my face/name but a lawyer or lawyers/financial advisers will represent an entity/trust that will handle all the money.

No name/annymously FTW. Maybe it is just me. I rather keep my mouth shut and enjoy the money or brag about it and be like that old fart idiot <from W. Virginia IIRC that won over 300 mil yet he said he was broke.

 

[latino666]

I should tell my mother to buy some tickets. Stupid WY has no lottery

 

[latino666]

Originally posted by: Svnla

Originally posted by: her209
^^^ Rightttt...

The moment you win, relatives are going to be asking for handouts. Charities will be asking you for handouts. Criminals will be looking ways to extort money out of you. People will try to sue you for every penny. The way you look at and judge people around will change.

Ever hear of lawyer? If I win, I will NEVER EVER show my face/name but a lawyer or lawyers/financial advisers will represent an entity/trust that will handle all the money.

No name/annymously FTW. Maybe it is just me. I rather keep my mouth shut and enjoy the money or brag about it and be like that old fart idiot <from W. Virginia IIRC that won over 300 mil yet he said he was broke.

I would do that as well. If the word got out that I was the big winner I already have a list of people that I would help. Other family members or friends would get the cold shoulder.

 

[fustercluck]

Can I play/Win anything if I'm in Arizona?

 

[JEDI]

Originally posted by: Siddhartha

Originally posted by: KLin
http://www.megamillions.com/

:shocked: I guess I'll take a chance and waste 5 bucks .

New York state

$8.8 million for 26 years

or

$136.6 million cash payment

The lottery is a form of gambling not a tax on the stupid.

Wha? $340M jackpot should be ~$170M in cash.

direct link to 136.6M?

 

[Rickten]

http://money.cnn.com/2007/02/20/magazin...dex.htm?postversion=2007022807?cnn=yes

 

[DaShen]

Originally posted by: latino666
I would do that as well. If the word got out that I was the big winner I already have a list of people that I would help. Other family members or friends would get the cold shoulder.

Basically the same here. But, a lot of it would go to charity, or helping develop the neighborhood.

I would probably just live the same way I had lived before except that close people in my life wouldn't have to worry about security anymore.

**EDIT**
By that I mean, I would give them money in a trust which would give out money in short regular amounts. That way they can't waste the money away quickly, and they can figure out what they want to do with the rest of their lives without worrying about the money aspect.

 

[blustori]

I think I'm going to try my C program to generate random numbers and buy 5 dollars worth of tickets.

 

[Sinsear]

In it to win it. Pooled up with a few people from work.

 

[KLin]

Up to $355 million!! :shocked:

 

[Reckoner]

I have my ticket

 

[herkulease]

its now up to 370 million.

 

[uhohs]

i just turned down my work pool. hope they don't win. :Q

 

[amish]

ok. ohio, michigan, and illinois do mega millions but indiana doesn't. anybody want to buy a ticket for me?

 

[thraashman]

Ok, I think there needs to be a rule too. As of the time I post this There are 158,125 users registered here. So, any ATOT member who wins has to agree to starting an ATOT poll and donate $1 per registered user to whatever charity ATOT decides on. If there's such a thing as karma, I think I just guaranteed my winning! Now to go buy my tickets.

 

[djheater]

Originally posted by: Sinsear
In it to win it. Pooled up with a few people from work.

Me too.

I'll meet you here tomorrow so we can talk about how the people who won didn't deserve it.

 

[KLin]

Originally posted by: djheater

Originally posted by: Sinsear
In it to win it. Pooled up with a few people from work.

Me too.

I'll meet you here tomorrow so we can talk about how the people who won didn't deserve it.

There's always the chance that we won't find out who actually won for a while.