i already have my tickets.

I played this morning ($4 worth). At the same store I bought $10 of gas at $3.429.

I remember when that jackpot was that high, I drove 2 hours up RT 23 to a Michigan truck stop/restaurant just north of the state line to buy tickets for myself and some former co-workers.  The place hired extra help that week just to sell lottery tickets.

There were two lines over 200 people long that ran though out the front part of the restaurant and into the parking lot and I had to wait about an hour to get my cards run.  The other line was a little faster but it was only selling QPs.  One of the news station from Columbus had a TV crew up there to cover the madness for an evening news story.

Now that's Ohio has joined MegaMillions and I can buy tickets at the local BP, Shell or SpeedWay, I have to remember to set aside 10 mins before the 10:45PM cut off to buy tickets.  Has $200M lose its appeal or is it just too easy to buy tickets for it to be exciting anymore?  Good luck lottery players.

RJOh

I bought two draws worth last week, figuring it would go atleast until Tuesday. Bought last week, just to cover myself. I usually like to see it hit around $20M Cash, but this time around, I would like to see it set a record. (What is the record?)

I feel lucky! Have tickets for me and Mom. $2 per ticket good for the next 4 draws.

There's a remote chance of winner on Tuesday, only remote because it's Tuesday. Friday will definately see a winner if it rolls on Tuesday. With California seeing their biggest jackpot right now, expect A LOT of tickets to be sold there.

Imagine this. There is someone out there who probably is broke or going through a rough time with money. Probably someone who has been poor there entire life. Then with just the purchase of a ticket they become richer then they ever dreamed of being and having everything they could imagine, private jets, million dollar mansions and vacation homes, exotic 100k trips a staff of servants, bentleys by the dozen, unlimited $ shopping trips to the finest stores in the world . cool cool cool. What I would do if I won!

BTW hi everyone, I'm new!

Hi iwonabigone.  Welcome to LP.  Here's hoping you get the opportunity to wallow in some bucks until you tire of it.

I was just looking over the annuities vs lump on the USA Mega site.  Although I think it's a bad thing for them to advertise the annuity as the jackpot amount, I think when things get to this level a person who believes he stands a middling chance of living another 20-30 years couldn't really go wrong by accepting that means of payment. 

Works out 5.5 M per year plus change after taxes, which ought to be enough income to cover the needs of your average frugal person.  The amount saved in taxes is something to consider, and probably most winners won't end up investing it all, so this way a young person would have a lot of years to make regrettable decisions, learn, and bounce back the next or next or next years.

It might even be worth something to not have to think about it anymore and submerge one's self in the nuts an bolts of all the financialism.  There ought to be better things in life for a lottery jackpot winner, thinks I, than worrying about money.

That thing's climbing fairly impressively.  Might turn out about a hundred players hit it on the same draw, which would cut my little logic-session off at  the knees.

Jack

I understand the annuity concept for the lotteries, but for the players it just doens't make sense.  It all had to do with the Time Value of money.  Money now is worth then more money in the future.  No matter how big the annuity payments are you should take the lump sum.

Brad