Lottery Post member asks "Mr. Lotto"

Posted: 4/26/2008 3:30:37 AM

Hat-tip to "Mr. Lotto", Steve Allensworth

Mr. Lotto answers your questions
Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008

What is the mysterious 21st ball in the Quick Draw game, asks BTW. "I am a member of Lottery Post, the lottery Web site. We are having a discussion regarding what the 21st ball in the Quick Draw game is all about.

"I have gone to the official New York Lottery Web site but I can't find any explanation for the 21st ball other than it is shown in the results as a green ball.

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"Do you have any idea what this is about? I figured if anybody knows the answer to that question, Mr. Lotto would know."

The green 21st ball is the prize multiplier number for the Quick Draw game's $1 Bonus feature. By paying an extra dollar for each ticket any prizes won — including the $100,000 jackpot — will be multiplied by the number (1 to 10) on the green ball.

Here's another question. Silvio John Vatovec of Sayville, L.I., lives in a nursing home, but he's trying to find a way to leave.

"In your column you said if you get state aid and win the lottery, the state confiscates half of your winnings.

"When a person is in a nursing home, the home takes all your Social Security and pension each month and completely confiscates all your savings: 401(k), property and any other assets.

"Then they put you on Medicaid [state aid] and Medicare [federal aid]. Most people in that situation play the lottery in hopes of winning enough to get out of the nursing home and be free once again, myself being one of them.

"I have a yearly subscription to Mega Millions Lottery. How much will both [the state and federal government] take, if I win the big prize?"

The state will hit you for up to half what you win on any prize more than $600. So you should probably play games that either pay less than $600 or pay many millions.

That way, if you win nobody will know, or in the case of a Mega jackpot like the $60million for yesterday's drawing, you won't care about taxes.

I love the idea, and in your case winning really would be life-changing.

Source: Mr. Lotto answers your questions

DC81

Michigan
United States
Member #55299
August 31, 2007
474 Posts
Offline

Posted: April 26, 2008, 10:23 am - IP Logged

Yay free publicity! Hurray!

They might not care about taxes on winning 60 million, but I certainly would still not matter how big of a win it is.

With odds like 1 in 175,711,536 how can I lose?!

You can't predict random.

ThatScaryChick

Idaho
United States
Member #56982
November 21, 2007
1380 Posts
Offline

Posted: April 26, 2008, 11:12 am - IP Logged

Cool! A shout-out to LP. LOL

thatscarychick.com

MeFirstYouLast

United States
Member #59651
March 8, 2008
174 Posts
Offline

Posted: April 26, 2008, 12:29 pm - IP Logged

Here's another question. Silvio John Vatovec of Sayville, L.I., lives in a nursing home, but he's trying to find a way to leave.

"In your column you said if you get state aid and win the lottery, the state confiscates half of your winnings.

"When a person is in a nursing home, the home takes all your Social Security and pension each month and completely confiscates all your savings: 401(k), property and any other assets.

"I have a yearly subscription to Mega Millions Lottery. How much will both [the state and federal government] take, if I win the big prize?"

The state will hit you for up to half what you win on any prize more than $600. So you should probably play games that either pay less than $600 or pay many millions.

That way, if you win nobody will know, or in the case of a Mega jackpot like the $60million for yesterday's drawing, you won't care about taxes.

I would hope, that if I hit the big one, and was too old to move around, I would give the ticket to one of the kids and have them place me in a private home, of send me to a luxury condo in Hawaii!. Once you are too old to move around, and are near death, you should pass a winning ticket onto one of your kids or grand kids. You'll only have a short time to enjoy it before death taxes kick in and the tax man will get what could have been a family enjoyment. Of course I have a family who enjoys each other. Then again, there is always the disfunctional family that loves to hate each other. When my ex-wifes father was about to die, the kids put post-em notes on the furniture they wanted, so the other one couldn't get it. Love is fleeting !

ConstantlyB