Friday Mega Millions jackpot rewrites the record books as the largest lottery prize the world has ever seen
UPDATED 11:50 am: Jackpot revised to $500 million ($359.4 million cash)
By Todd Northrop
There will be a lot of daydreaming going on this week around America.
Dreaming about what it would be like to win a half-billion dollars.
That's because Tuesday's Mega Millions drawing did not produce a winner, sending the game into uncharted territory. The new jackpot for Friday, March 30, 2012 — $476 million $500 million — has officially broken the record for the largest lottery jackpot ever offered worldwide.
And if past ticket sales are any indication of what will happen this week, the jackpot may get bigger — much bigger — by the time the drawing kicks off.
Doubtless, there will be a rush of media pundits clamoring to cite the tiny chance each player has of winning. There will probably be a thousand different analogies designed to explain how small the chances are. Maybe someone will compare it to the odds of getting hit by lightning while at the same time being eaten by a shark.
But no matter how hard they try to convince people to resist the urge to play, the pundits are up against a simple fact: there is enough money at stake to make even the most pessimistic person fork over a buck or two at the lottery ticket counter this week.
To get an idea of how many tickets are being sold, the Mega Millions jackpot estimate was raised a staggering $137 million in just one drawing. It normally takes at least 9 consecutive drawings to raise the jackpot by that amount.
Likewise, the lump-sum cash option of Friday's jackpot is $341.4 million $359.4 million — an increase of $99.6 million from Tuesday. Unimaginable.
Lotteries are typically conservative when estimating jackpots, to ensure that the actual jackpot amount is not less than the estimate. Often the jackpot is much higher than the estimate by the time all ticket sales are accounted for.
In the case of a world-record lottery jackpot, it's anyone's guess how much higher it will go.
Friday's world-record Mega Millions jackpot is the result of an unprecedented 18 consecutive drawings without a top-prize winner. The jackpot started off as a $12 million grand prize on January 27th, and has continued to be drawn without a winner for two months.
Despite the lack of a jackpot winner, some people are pretty happy with the Tuesday drawing. Although nobody won the top prize Tuesday night, 47 lucky players matched the first 5 numbers for a $250,000 prize: 9 from California, 1 from Colorado, 2 from Illinois, 2 from Maryland, 2 from Michigan, 1 from Missouri, 1 from Montana, 2 from New Jersey, 11 from New York, 2 from North Carolina, 2 from Ohio, 2 from Pennsylvania, 1 from South Carolina, 2 from Texas, 1 from Vermont, 1 from Virginia, 3 from Washington, 1 from Washington, D.C., and 1 from West Virginia.
The 9 California winners will each be awarded prizes of $308,573, because California awards all prizes in a pari-mutuel formula, which calculates the prize amount based on the number of tickets sold and the number of winners in each prize category.
Lottery players seeking to check the winning numbers Friday night are urged to use USA Mega (www.usamega.com). State lottery Web sites are normally brought to a standstill during busy periods, while USA Mega normally remains responsive.
USA Mega also offers a feature to show what the after-tax winnings would be in each individual state. That information can be found on the Mega Millions Jackpot Analysis page.
Mega Millions drawing results will be posted Friday immediately after the 11:00 pm Eastern Time (8:00 pm Pacific Time) drawing at USA Mega. The number of winners and new jackpot will be announced after all participating Mega Millions states have reported their data, which normally occurs within a couple of hours after the drawing.
Players are advised not to wait until the last minute to buy their lottery tickets. Sales typically remain open until around 10:45 pm Eastern Time on Friday, although players should check with a lottery retailer in their state for the exact sales cutoff time.
The odds of winning the jackpot are approximately 1 in 176 million. The odds of winning any of the Mega Millions prizes are approximately 1 in 40.
Mega Millions features nine different prize levels, ranging from $2 all the way up to the jackpot. Players can win even if they just match one number — the Mega Ball number.
Mega Millions tickets can be purchased in 42 states, plus Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands. For a list of states offering the game, see Where To Play Mega Millions at USA Mega.
All Mega Millions states except California also offer the Megaplier option for an extra dollar per ticket purchased. The Megaplier multiplies any non-jackpot prizes won by 2, 3, or 4 times, depending on the Megaplier number drawn that evening.
Players who purchase the Megaplier and win second prize will automatically have their prize increased by 4x to $1 million.
Top 25 Lottery Jackpots
The initial estimate for Friday's Mega Millions jackpot is $110 million higher than the previous record jackpot. And it probably will be even more by the time the drawing occurs.
To see the record jackpot this Friday in relation to all the previous record-holders, check out the following list.
- Mega Millions: $500 million, Mar. 30, 2012 (preliminary estimate, not won yet)
- Mega Millions: $390 million, Mar. 6, 2007 - Georgia, New Jersey
- Mega Millions: $380 million, Jan. 4, 2011 - Idaho, Washington
- Powerball: $365 million, Feb. 18, 2006 - Nebraska
- The Big Game: $363 million, May 9, 2000 - Illinois, Michigan
- Powerball: $340 million, Oct. 19, 2005 - Oregon
- Powerball: $336.4 million, Feb. 11, 2012 - Rhode Island
- Mega Millions: $336 million, Aug. 28, 2009 - California, New York
- The Big Game: $331 million, Apr. 16, 2002 - Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey
- Mega Millions: $330 million, Aug. 31, 2007 - Maryland, New Jersey, Texas, Virginia
- Mega Millions: $319 million, Mar. 25, 2011 - New York
- Mega Millions: $315 million, Nov. 15, 2005 - California
- Powerball: $314.9 million, Dec. 26, 2002 - West Virgina
- Powerball: $314.3 million, Aug. 25, 2007 - Indiana
- Powerball: $295.7 million, Jul. 29, 1998 - Indiana
- Powerball: $295 million, Aug. 25, 2001 - Delaware, Kentucky, Minnesota, New Hampshire
- Mega Millions: $294 million, Jul. 2, 2004 - Massachusetts
- Powerball: $276.3 million, Mar. 15, 2008 - West Virgina
- Mega Millions: $275 million, Feb. 22, 2008 - Georgia
- Mega Millions: $270 million, Feb. 28, 2006 - Ohio
- Mega Millions: $266 million, May 4, 2010 - California
- Mega Millions: $265 million, Apr. 18, 2006 - Ohio
- Powerball: $261.6 million, Jun. 2, 2010 - Ohio
- Powerball: $261.3 million, Jul. 9, 2003 - Missouri, Pennsylvania
- Powerball: $259.9 million, Aug. 19, 2009 - South Carolina
- Powerball: $258.5 million, Apr. 21, 2010 - Missouri
- Mega Millions: $258 million, Sept. 16, 2005 - New Jersey
Top 20 cash value jackpots
It also goes without saying that Friday's Mega Millions jackpot also holds the record for the largest cash value ever. Friday's jackpot is worth over $100 million more in cash than the previous record-holder.
Here's the top 20 cash values of all time.
- Mega Millions: $359.4 million cash, Mar. 30, 2012 ($500 million annuity) - preliminary estimate, not won yet
- Mega Millions: $240 million cash, Jan. 4, 2011 ($380 million annuity) - Idaho, Washington
- Mega Millions: $233.1 million cash, Mar. 6, 2007 ($390 million annuity) - Georgia, New Jersey
- Mega Millions: $214 million cash, Aug. 28, 2009 ($336 million annuity) - California, New York
- Powerball: $210 million cash, Feb. 11, 2012 ($336.4 million annuity) - Rhode Island
- Mega Millions: $202.9 million cash, Mar. 25, 2011 ($319 million annuity) - New York
- Mega Millions: $194.4. million cash, Aug. 31, 2007 ($330 million annuity) - Maryland, New Jersey, Texas, Virginia
- Mega Millions: $185 million cash, Nov. 15, 2005 ($315 million annuity) - California
- The Big Game: $180 million cash, May 9, 2000 ($363 million annuity) - Illinois, Michigan
- Powerball: $177.3 million cash, Feb. 18, 2006 ($365 million annuity) - Nebraska
- Mega Millions: $168 million cash, July 2, 2004 ($294 million annuity) - Massachusetts
- Mega Millions: $167.7 million cash, Feb. 22, 2008 ($275 million annuity) - Georgia
- Powerball: $166 million cash, Aug. 25, 2001 ($295 million annuity) - Delaware, Kentucky, Minnesota, New Hampshire
- Mega Millions: $165.2 million cash, May 4, 2010 ($266 million annuity) - California
- Powerball: $164.4 million cash, won Oct. 19, 2005 ($340 million annuity) - Oregon
- Mega Millions: $164 million cash, Feb. 28, 2006 ($270 million annuity) - Ohio
- Powerball: $161.5 million cash, July 29, 1998 ($295.7 million annuity) - Indiana
- Mega Millions: $156.1 million cash, Sept. 16, 2005 ($258 million annuity) - New Jersey
- Mega Millions: $153.3 million cash, Dec. 27, 2011 ($208 million annuity) - New York
- Powerball: $151.7 million cash, Nov. 2, 2011 ($254.2 million annuity) - Connecticut
The typical advice would be, "Don't buy too many lottery tickets," but this author has a feeling that sentiment will fall on deaf ears this time.
I called it!!! Oh my god. Take that Powerball! MegaMillions for the win!!
Powerball is out of the spot light for awhile. Let's go MM!
wow this is unreal
in other news, ever state lottery CEO, will be having a party of smiles, their profits are going up this month :D
also i bet floridia lottery staff are kicking them self's for not joining MM when they had the chance,
man, the media will be all over this ,and if only 1 ticket wins,and they go public, god help their soul
man it just feels so unreal.
Ummm, Todd??
March 30th is a FRIDAY, not Tuesday... LOL :)
EDIT - Fixed! Thanks Todd!!
Todd---totally understandable in the excitement---but in your story you have Tuesday March 30, 2012. Obviously it's Friday. Just a heads-up.
This is incredible.
OMG......This is my year and I have this one. $476mil plus wow!...I am speechless.
Gotta go to sleep, tomorrow will have to stand in a long line. Good luck everybody!
The story is corrected for one Tuesday/Friday mix-up.
Hey, I got the story out at 1:12 am Eastern Time, before even the AP reported it. Maybe forgive a tiny error like Tuesday instead of Friday?
No worries. We just wanted you to know.
ROLL BABY ROLL....im gonna be forking some serious cash out now...and i dont care what anyone says....time to get it
Forgiven. This is just exciting as anything! I had a dream I had to wait in line for an hour to get a MM ticket last night maybe I will actually have too now. :p
All that $$ and i only got 7$ of it. LOL Cheap @$#%^&%$. I think thats all i'll spend fri.
Over at the Powerball HQ they must be hating the crap out of the MegaMillions right now. So far their plans must not be going well for the last few months. This week is going to suck for them really bad.
Lotto Insanity....LINSANITYYYYY is upon us once again....of a different variety
No worries!! thanks for getting us info so fast!!
Are you the leader of this site Todd?
Yes, Todd Vader is our fearless leader.
Roll MM Roll! Woot!
The story has been updated with the number and location of second-prize winners -- 47!
I try to be, although that doesn't stop people from putting me in my place.
Hi Todd!!!
So 47 people almost had a heart attack tonight!! lol
That megaball is a sneaky one ain't it? You have to get that ball !!
Only spent $4 Now, it's at almost a half a BILLION dollars (whats 24 million between friends).....watch the conspiracy theories fly on this one.....Onward and upward we go......Good luck to us all for Friday.... ....Let the posting of dreams,desires,planned charitable acts,needs,request,wants and greed begin
Tell me about it. I went to check my numbers on the Mega Millions site and saw that no one won and the amount it was at.... All I could say was "Holy shiate!" about a dozen times before I logged into here. This will be over that $500 million mark by the time friday rolls around. Furious ticket sales will push it above that amount, I just know it.
Todd is the owner of Lottery Post and USA Mega. He's the "Todd Northrop" of the "By Todd Northrop" in the news stories.
by friday night it will increase to 500 million..big deal
At half a billion dollars I wonder how many people would fly to America or drive over the border for a chance to play? I imagine for this kind of money there will be more than a few.
how much $ are u gonna throw toward this for friday???
Yes, I see. He's a great writer and he writes a great news story fast!!
this is now bigger than the spanish lotto? i think its called el gordo?
20 QP with megapliers and one 'lucky numbers' with megaplier...so, 42 bucks.
LOL...not bad....but i think im all in...someone will hit friday i know it....so im gonna throw $200 at this shiz...see what happens
This is just sick
Go for it! You'll help get that final drawing higher by Friday night...for the rest of us!
Tell me about it!! Especially if that one winner is from a state like mine where you can't claim it
anonymously!!! Yikes!! Good luck to them!!
Oh, my God on Monday I told my stepdad it would never reach that amount! The PB is dead at the moment. I'm going to buy more tickets than I usually buy! People are going to go crazy! I swear when I win this I'm going drop pounds I don't need to drop! That's how much dancing I'm going to do!
Powerball is not dead, it's just in a coma this week lol
No ones really paying attention to it, think I'll get a ticket tomorrow, never played PowerBall before.
When PowerBall gets to $100million everyone will suddenly remember the game.
I thought it was Darth Todd??
"She is a member of the rebel alliance and a traitor! Take her away! -- Darth Vader
If I hold the ticket I'm planning on splitting it through a trust with a few family members, so I guess maybe that could count as "multiple" winners.
Whoever wins though I hope they're smart about claiming it and don't get in over their heads like some past big winners.
I'd say at this point Todd should be focus of a major network news story about this site and MM fever in general. He'd be the perfect interview. Unless he doesn't want his picture shown all over the world...just a like a $476 million lotto winner shouldn't want that...
Neither game will ever be dead, but people are focus on MM because it has a MEGA jackpot at the moment and you can't blame them.
this would be the best time to win the PB jackpot.
how big will it get if no one wins next draw, 750mil maybe?
Agreed. And it's been producing winners of late...$70, $60 mil winners. Serious, life-changing money. It's just not at the hysterical MM level.
Good luck keeping this site up and running from now until Sat. morning, Todd. Your traffic is going to be off the charts looney-tunes.
Funny, last night I had a dream and the dream told me that there would be no winner tonight. Strange...
Move over Warren!
OH my gawd!
Tax calculator sez $204,749,056.75 cash after taxes!
That would make me the most popular person on the block.
Mitt Romney says net worth is about $200 million :-)
the night before the last drawing I could not sleep hardly any. now I may not be able to sleep for days with this amount of money in the jackpot. not to sound selfish but I have a funny feeling I will be the next jackpot winner for mega millions. mega millions has always been my favorite game in fact i have to been called Mr.mega millions.
on a different note mega millions is doing what powerball I hope to accomplish with a price increase I wonder how do they feel now. also it feels good to be a part of something from the start, and not just jump on the bandwagon when the frenzy takes place. I love reading the media and different news outlets on the mega millions when the jackpot get this high.
Around 220 million in California.
That's crazy money.
You and literally millions of others feel the same way including me! That's why we play, we all think we're
next and for someone or someones it really is going to be their turn, so it's not so selfish lot's of people have
that "funny feeling" they are going to win.
Even if I don't win, this has been so much fun dreaming and anticipating, seeing if it is going to roll over or not.
So let me ask... are y'all imagining winning as the sole winner? It'd be crazy if like 5+ people were to win it, I know that's how I'd like to win it, with other people to take some focus as well.
LOL!! I guess I am, cause I'm not thinking about other peoples tickets, just mine!
yes it does feel good to dream... and even better knowing that dreams do come true... also this is really a fun game as you said. I am a truck driver and just getting lost in my mind as I think about these jackpot in about winning as I am alone in my truck is so much fun. it really does keep me happy day today
the majority of the time I imagine myself as the sole winner but with this amount of money it doesn't matter... I don't mind sharing with strangers I'm not greedy
Holy <snip>! Yes, snipped but you know what that word is.
Didn't expect that to roll at all given things were already getting crazy, now they're going to get super crazy. I can't believe it wasn't hit.
Oh and LOL Powerball! The people in charge of that game must be bashing their heads against a wall by now... Hopefully it'll knock some sense back into them, probably not.
If PB doesn't get close within a year to a record I'm going to bet we'lll see yet another change to that game.
There is always a chance that it will not be won on Friday due to repeat combinations (birthdays and even QP overlaps)..I doubt it but Just saying.
Friday is Payday.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Don't count the chickens before they hatch.
If you work for a living, why do you kill yourself working?
The Best things in Life are FREE!
You're asking where a road goes when nobody has ever been down that road. The best anyone can do is make an educated guess. I'll guess that it will be at least 500 by Friday, and possibly a lot more. A roll has to push it to 650+, and 750 doesn't seem outlandish.
Ok ..I'm going to bet we go to 37 pages before they rase the jackpot with this thread...best of luck to everyone on l.p..
The drawing a week ago was very instructive. 68 2nd place winners and it still rolled. This drawing should have seen sales of about 170 million tickets, with 70% of combinations covered. Even if twice as many tickets are sold there should be somewhere around 10% of combinations unplayed.
i think they will actually sell less tickets for the next drawing, because so many people went "all-in" for tonights drawing that i just dont see that many people willing or able to spend equally as much for fridays drawing.
You are assuming that gamblers are rational creatures. They are not. Their reasoning will tell them to try and recoup their past losses in the next round. It is that line of reasoning that has made the gambling industry recession proof.
Does anyone know the last time someone won the powerball AND the mega millions in the same week? Is that even possible?
lmao are u freaking kidding me man???? i gamble quite a bit..and from past experience every time ive lost my A$$ the golden rule is to try and chase your losses....badddddd idea....however i have to strongly disagree with this statement u posted...ur talking about a world record...A WORLD RECORD....now ur gonna tell me people in this country are gonna ignore $476 million...im sure u will even buy a ticket....i spent $10 on this last drawing and won $5 back...all qp's....and all my numbers were dancing around the winning numbers...mind you i went to a gas station to buy them in Liberal, KS for the first time....if you never heard of it look it up...and won on both qp's....thats a SIGN right there...so now....since this rolled im going back to to that same gas station...im throwing $200 toward this thing...i may not win anything...but im surely not ignoring this whatsoever....im getting my face on tv
I'm sure there are a lot of people who spent enough that they'll cut back on this one, but for every one of them there's somebody else who will spend a lot more on this one. I'm figuring there's perhaps a 1 in 10 chance it will roll again, and most likely we won't see another jackpot like this for many years. Based on that I'll throw a few bucks more at this one than I normally do, and I'm guessing a lot of others will do the same. I think it will bump up to 500, which will requires sales to increase about 50% from the last drawing.
This is an awesome Jackpot. I live in Germany and I will try my luck with thelotter via Internet.
The Cash prize is still very high, but I think it's not the highest cash prize ever in the world.
Last year we had 185 Mio. Euros in "Euromillions", which is about 247 Mio. USD, cash and tax free.
Welcome to Lottery Post nitro!
Yes indeed this is an awsome Jackpot, never been is high before, how exciting right?
You heard about this jackpot from Germany? Good luck to you!!
Are you talking about one person? If so, that has never happened and if it did that person would be the luckiest SOB on earth!
WOWWWWW ZOMG........(Ahem) *Regains composure* Hi fellow Lottery Post comrades, Its collagelad again, the 21 year old, new to the lottery, college student who enjoys giving my point of view as a new lottery player. Ive been playing the lottery in my state,Louisiana (which to my knowledge hasnt produced any major jackpot winners) for about 4-5 months, beginning with the 241 million recent powerball jackpot. I had bought my first lotter ticket for that draw, (well, first few lottery tickes) with a 2 dollar pay back. I was thrilled. Well over my 4-5 month span of playing the lotery ive hitced over a rounded 100$ (college budget) with a (i kid you not) 7 dollar payback...............I will litteraly have a movie filmed about me one day titled "Unluckiest Average Guy Who Just Falls Short" but thats another story. As i said, 7 dollar payback is discouraging, so discouriging i lost the "Lottery Dream" and stopped playin for about a month. But, the itch started again. About 3 weeks ago i got the urge to play the lotto, so i played my measly 5$ towards QPs of the MM jackpot for 171 million, i just had a "hunch" i would win.....6 "Hunches" later ive yet to win a single dollar, but with the JackPot rolling over to such a massive fortune such as 476 million, i refuse to not participate, im going all out, my whole weekly lottery budget in on one draw, all 10 bucks (remember, broke college student). I'd to overjoyed with a match 5 or 4 prize....Heck, even a simple match the Megaball or Powerball for a dollar payout would be nice, but with my luck, ill check lottery post saturday morning to see the Russian guy who posted before me win the lottery on an internet lottery ticket (just my luck) *fingers crossed, over and out LP*
Excuse mistake from before.....the fellow from "Germany" will be the besige of my fate.......*shaking fist at him*
No, sorry for not being more clear, I just meant if anyone has won a powerball jackpot and someone else won the mega millions jackpot in the same week. Just trying to see if it's even worth it to buy both this week. I'm sure someone will win the mega, so I want to buy a powerball too, unless there's no chance both could be won in the same week.
Good Luck to everyone. I'm 'all in' with my 2 MM tickets for Friday's drawing. - oh and yes I am still playing PB (all in with 1 ticket)
Your chances arent depleted at all. The same chance of winning the powerball will be the same chance u'll have next week, and the week after, and the week after, and the week after.....get the point. No matter if MM is won or not, it doesnt effect your chances with PowerBall....so play on comrade...play both, i am...
scarchelli,
Powerball and Mega Millions are frequently won in the same week. Just not by the same person.
And as someone already mentioned, for anonymity purposes, it would be a good time to win Powerball. That is, if you can get by on a measly $20 million (after taxes).
It sure is going to be difficult to keep this Mega Millions win a secret. But I'll do my best!
Never in my lifetime , have , I ever seen this amount of money , it's surreal . I woke up extra early
just to see the amount or how many people had won .
Each week , I buy Mega and Powerball twice a week Tueday and Wednedsday , Friday and
Saturday.
I am 100% ready to win the Mega , I been playing these lotteries since they started yearss ago.
I have my list written down , I know exactly what needs done . I have plenty of family ,
friends , and organizations to help .
I'm commenting to what you said ....."I'm getting my face on tv " . With this amount of money
everyone who plays lottery will want to see who won this amount of money .
Thanks for the replies. I'll be playing both!
Good thing I get paid on Friday, so I can spend a little more here.
When I went to two stores to buy tickets yesterday, there were no lines. I'll be surprised if it's not the complete opposite on Friday.
My guess is that there wil be 3 or more winners Friday...
With this amount $238,700.000 .......I can help everyone
on my list and other's blessed .
Wow. This is absolutely amazing! I knew it would top $400 million but I never imagined it would reach $476 million! This is unreal. I think I'm going above my normal $3 and spend $30 for this one.
Good luck!
A couple people went to bed early last night in the $363 milllion thread, just wait to they
wake up and see the jackpot is $476 million!!
WOW!!!!! this is CRAZY!!!!!!
Great, another 30 pages of "When I win Friday" posts on the way. So for all of those who claimed that they were going to win last night you actually meant "Friday" right? I would not mind winning the $12 million jackpot after the record breaking one, then I would be completely invisible. I hope I just win one of them.
I AM IN SHOCK!!!
You are doing an AWESOME job Todd!!! Thanks for what you do!
So I wonder how annoyed some people will be if the winning ticket ends up being a $1 one. I usually do $1 but bumped it up to $3 this draw and may go to $5 for the upcoming one.
LOL Nikkicute I was one of them, I stayed up till 11:30 CT WAY pass my bed time, DH was like go to bed I was like I want to see if it's going to roll he was laughing at me
This is going to be pure craziness.
It's gonna get ugly up in here.
I would encourage people in my state of
South Carolina to get your pick 3 early
today because I remember when they had a huge
powerball jackpot a few years back the system crashed and
was down for part of the day. They have since redone the
system but it has yet to be under the kind of stress it will
be under today.Best of luck to all of you on the big one.
Too bad half a billion is actually only about $375 million or less after taxes. Funny how we say "only" for that amount. The roll is not that big of a deal, it is all marketing. I would have never spent all of the original $365 million let alone another $100 million or more on top of it. So I really don't see what the excitement is about, just a lot more money to worry about. to me it is only exciting because it has never been this high before. But I would I have been ecstatic from $12 million on, even less. Also would be getting A LOT less attention. With this amount people are going to know you can spare A LOT as opposed to smaller jackpots, and are more discrete than record breaking ones.
Unreal.. 1/2 A BILLION SMACKERS! Someone is gonna win this one. I thought for sure someone would of won last night. The numbers looked like a run of the mill set. Nothing really odd about them unlike the last drawing. But I'm not complaining, LET IT ROLL ! Good luck to all but especially me .
Imagine matching all 5 numbers and missing the MB by one. Would you be really happy or really pissed? That would be a tough one. Sure the prize is still good but not as life-changing.
Just finished reading all the threads from 11:00PM last evening on to page 7. (pheww! ) Went to early.
Holy Cow!!! This is just delightfully INSANE! To some of you guy's that dropped $1000 on last nights drawing, did you get any good hits?
How much are you in for this Friday? I'm definitely pushing forward. I will keep it at $20, same as last night. 10 self picks, 10 QP's.
I predict this will be adjusted upwards at least TWICE by this Friday evening. Probably to around $550-600 Million!!! ($390-425 Million cash)
$5 bucks 3 quick pick, two my own picks, same as last night which got me only one
number (#51) better luck next time!
Just a dress rehersal for Friday, thats all Nikki. I had two numbers (9, 44).
Good luck!!!
Woo Hoo!
Ok this is crazy!!! $476M!!!
Wishes are dancing around in my head and my dreams last night as I slept!
New Home: $1Million (NJ real estate is expensive).
New Car: Cadillac CTS.
Share: $ undecided.
Vacations: Hawaii, Disney World, Paris, Dominican Republic, etc.
Golf: Please!!
Tennis: For sure!
Charity: No doubt!
Women: I'm Tiger Woods right?
Interest paycheck: $1.5M/yr, and let the rest grow.
<snip>! Let's Go!
$500,000,000.00
$600,000,000.00
yikes that is alot of money... what would you do with so much that you wouldnt do with say... the 50M from powerball tonight?
after 50M... all my family would be set for life... then its 'where to give it' -- i dont want to take away anyone's desire/ability to work... just want to give everyone the opportunity for a PHd
I am going to play even less this time, $2.
I have yet to hear of someone winning the jackpot by playing more than $20 and most seem to be off of some easy pick so that will be it for me. I am surprised that some lottery pool has not won it yet to be honest.
I am so mad right now. Mad because the Florida Lottery did not join Mega Millions, mad because Powerball increased the price to $2 with a jackpot that can't seem to get above $70 million and mad because I have to drive to Georgia before Friday's drawing. But all my feels will change when I become the winner of the largest jackpot ever. Wishing everyone a $250,000 win LOL. Time for Powerball to return to A Dollar and A Dream!
Holy Crap. Thought I was still asleep when i saw that number.
Hello truewinner76!
This is awsome man~!
By the the way......has anyone seen country music video "TOES"? By Zach Brown Band I believe? You have to see it! It's about this guy walking in to the corner store, and buys a $1 scratch ticket, he scratches it then the fun begins!!
Talking about dreamn' BIG!
Good Luck truewinner76, and everyone here at LP!
LOTTERY POST HAS THE HEADLINE ON DRUDGE!!!!!
http://www.drudgereport.com
There so are many charitable causes I would like to help out. Then there is my absolute dream jet, the Gulf Stream V, which can accommodate
up to twenty passengers. That would set me back at least $40 million. That would still leave me a few hundred million, but I wouldn't be complaining!
The most precious thing the lottery gets you is TIME! Time to do, go, plan anything, or anywhere you want.
Oh I can fill that in for you!
Share: $ nikkicute
see? how easy was that? lol
$1.
CONGRATULATIONS!
You're not real news, unless you've made the Drudge Report!
If you are going up I-75 to Georgia to get you tickets, I suspect you better go today because those convienace stores on the Lake Park exits are going to be a mad house. I suspect by Friday all their lotto machines will have melted down. Wouldn't doubt it will be this way all the up to Valdosta, and even Adel.
Illinois Lottery...I want to WIN this jackpot Friday to help plug your budget deficit. And Papa O, let me win so it can help you knock a little chink out of your deficit spending. Now give me my $238 million after tax winnings!
WOW! This is awesome.....Anyone that has an idea of staying anon. after a jackpot should forget it for this monster. Sorry but the media is going to be after you like white on rice. Also this makes me think about the way Powerball has been always messing with the game trying to improve it while megamillions leaves the game alone and players get good results....Kind of like gov't (the more they interfere the worse things get!) LOL. I have to go stand in line now for some LUCKY tickets!!!!!! If I win it's going to be one heck of a weekend.
THE LOTTERY 50/50 RULE= PLAYING THE LOTTERY IS A WIN/LOSE SITUATION NO MATTER HOW MANY TICKETS WE BUY.
BUYING 1 LOTTERY TICKET GIVES YOU A 50/50 CHANCE OF WINNING A LOTTERY JACKPOT.
THE SHOTGUN PLAYING METHOD TO WINNING A LOTTERY JACKPOT.
HITTING THE TARGET.
when a shotgun is fired all those pellets that are crammed into the cartridge spread out so it's easier to hit the target.
Yes you can increase your chances of winning by buying more tickets, but every single ticket will go against the Odds of 1 in 175,711,536.
"Thrifty is right, each individual ticket (one line of numbers) is up against the very same odds, 175,000,000 to one."
"There is one, and only one set of sinning numbers drawn - not one set of winning numbers drawn for each line played."
THE THREE PLAYING METHODS WITH A LOTTERY STOP LOSS LIMIT.
1) PLAYING MORE OFTEN FOR LESS LINES.
2) PLAYING LESS OFTEN FOR MORE LINES.
3) PLAYING LESS OFTEN FOR LESS LINES.
A LOTTERY STOP LOSS LIMIT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO BE A SUCCESSFUL LOTTERY PLAYER OVER THE LONG RUN.
"A LOTTERY STOP LOSS LIMIT IS VERY IMPORTANT and I urge anyone that plays to have a stop loss limit to protect their large sum of ready gambling money. You should have a stop loss limit to avoid losing too much money on a bad day. While setting up a loss limit is a great idea in theory, there are plenty of gamblers who won't have the will power to stick with these limits. These are the same people who will never make any money or come close to breaking even in gambling. It's definitely hard to stick with loss limits because there is so much temptation to keep gambling no matter which way Lady Luck is sending the money. The better you are at sticking with your loss limits over the long run, the more successful and happy you will be at the end of game play."
PLAYING THE LOTTERY MORE OFTEN FOR MORE LINES= SPENDING MORE MONEY= GAMBLING ADDICTION.
GOOD LUCK EVERYBODY.
Don't know if I could stay anon, but I will certainly give it my best effort. It is a certainty that I will go straight to the airport and hope a plane to some place out of the country and just out of the way in general.
I am predicting that this thread will exceed 1000 posts!
You the MAN Todd!!!!!! WTG!!!!!!!
l will better that rad, and say more like 1250 posts! I just added one more. The race is on.
I hear ya Peter......How would you be addressed in the media ???, More attention than I care to be a part of..Definitely would have to move into new rental place before I collect. Get a new cell number.I think I may rent a motorhome ahead of time to drive up and collect the big ticket on a Friday. Be on the road for a few weeks or a month
I think I will buy a ticket, but without the megaplier...I don't want that kind of heat I live in wisconsin.
...and unfortunately
Any winner of this thing would do best to claim it quietly.
...or if not possible, do it with dignity like Mrs. White did and then... "Get the hell out of Dodge!"
$221.9M in my own state after taxes, I have a hard time wrapping my head around such an amount. A responsible winner would never have to worry about paying the bills again, thats for certain!
Huh? What kind of heat? You lost me here fellow Wisconsinite! lol
Hey CD, I see congrat's are in order for scoring 3+0 in last nites Maddogs Mega Millions challenge! Way to go buddy!
And whats this? No more Grinnin, Winnin and Sinnin? Like your new signature.
I take it you Wisconsinites like your COLD weather!
Thanks Mac.............Played all those number, came in on 3 diff tickets..lol.....Hope Friday has a better result(like all 6 on one of my tickets) ....Traded the sig in for a new one
A wire transfer of at least $255,750,000 if there is a single winner in Pennsylvania! And no State or Local Taxes!
If you pay the full 35% Federal Tax, you would pay $119,350,000! If you don't think that is enough Federal Tax, then you are either childish or a Socialist ..........
1 Ticket, 1 Person ..............
I want to go "Green" $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Mmm, I decidedly want to win it as the sole winner.
But will be happy to win with others also, as long as it's not split between 200 other people!
That would be Sweet!!!!!!!!!
WTG Chief Bottle Washer!
LP is not only fun ........... but famous!
All i can say is WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That is an astronomical amount of money, got my $1 QP seems kinda small for such a large jackpot but can't spend more than what i have! Might go threw the couch cushions and look for change
You have to claim in person, I believe you might have to call in ahead too. The press will be waiting!
I will be addressed as that crazy eccentric who won half a billion! LOL Don't worry I will be wearing a LP t-shirt a big sombrero flip flops shorts and a bathrobe and sipping a Margarita...People will remember the outfit and the crazy guy but not the face. HAHAHA Or I might hire a hollywood special effects person to make me a realistic rubber mask(like in Mission Impossible) when I'm done I take it off and I'm gone into the crowd just another person.
I sure do. You just can't claim anonymously here.
Good advice Kumo, but when it comes to the buying of luxury cars department, this doe's not apply to dpoly!
That sucks pick. Down here in Texas it has become more common place for our lottery winners to claim by Trust, especially after that one gentleman from the Houston area got harrassed relentlessly by charities and other folks after his win. Sadly he could not deal with the pressure from that and other problems and ended up commiting suicide some years back.
With this much money at stake it would be nice IF several people split the jackpot. I doubt any of them would mind.
I have to read through the site again, I thought you had to call ahead if you planned on cashing in your check
that same day. In Wisconsin you don't have to have a press conference if you don't want to.
I have only played "Jackpot" games since Pennsylvania started the Super 7 in 1986 ............. biggest win has been $100 ........... it is still fun to play ..............
This is better than the Spanish El Gordo ............. we can have 1 Ticket with 1 Person win this kind of money!
I am currently revising the escape plan ............ I need the money and you must let them give your name and town here in Pennsylvania ........... the press conference is not mandatory ............
All property will be put into a Revocable Living Trust ASAP after I claim the prize. Lots of places to "hide" ..............
FUN in the SUN
and a big thank you to our fearless and famous leader:
Todd Vader!
Somehow I don't think thats going to be a problem for him, he'd be able to out run them in his new wheels.
hehe, I think we would all have a good chuckle seeing a picture DP's latest ride if he wins.
better yet if the picture shows long lost relatives and reporters in pursuit, lol!
Thats really bad. I suppose the winners have waived all liabilities from the lottery upon collecting. Claiming by trust, maybe I will go all in on this one.
With a record jackpot this high, many people will find a way no matter how irrational their thought process may be. I just hope they take care of their children before allocating a large amount towards an improbable dream.
So true!
top speed: 202 MPH
Kumo and mcginni56: I can out run them in this one ................
....... and how did you know that I have some estranged in-laws that have not spoken to us in several years ............ this is them pounding salt after I win
Laughs are good for the soul ....................
Will yinz (Picksburghese for "you") be friend or fiend, if I should win by myself ( with close supervision from the CEO)
What is the best route to collect , the money , I guess that's why we've tax lawyers , Financial
Advisors and CPA. Something to think about .
Tax free lottery winnings would be embraced here We just have one little problem preventing that...Uncle Sam
The two words "GAMBLERS" and "RATIONAL" isn't that like an oxymoron???
Rent a limo for the trip to the Lottery Headquarters in your State!
ROTFLMAOOL!
and sipping Korbel moderately, I might add ............
Definitely would not be a bad idea to look into it.
Found an old article from Feb. 2000 in our own lottoreport run by Mrs. Nettles.
Mr. Harrell was a former Pentecostal preacher and Home Depot stocker. Killed himself with a shotgun blast to the chest in his Kingwood' TX home in May 1999.
Looking at his story and the story of Jack Whittaker would definitely be sobering to any jackpot winner(s) on Friday.
The line where I purchased my tickets were about 6-7 deep. A few of them bought over $100 worth so it was a minor wait.
I am sure there will be some office pools that will have over a thousand tickets...just wouldn't want to wait in line behind them.
Glad I purchased advanced draws
Nice JP lots of fun to dream about. I was just thinking about this if you had won the top prize the last 2 draws (250K) how much would you toss back trying again? I would probably toss around $500 a week until the jackpot was hit.
I dont think it will get past this week though because all the people who normally dont play will be dropping 2-5 plays on QP's and every possible combo should be covered not to mention some syndicates will probably be covering huge amounts of the numbers as well.
Another question if someone from out of the country wins how do they figure the taxes? Is it from the state they bought it from?
I was one of them. Found out when I was checking my email this morning and saw the USAMEGA jackpot alert in my inbox. Talk about an eye opener!
As long as the officials at the Lottery Office , meet you in person , check ticket other personal what
information they need ( driver license , SS , etc ) why the heck do we need the media .
That should apply to ALL states in USA .
Winner will be all excited , thrilled , happy , etcccc , I know I would and I'm 100%
ready to win .
It is all in your approach to life ........... the only extravagant thing that I have ever done is to help my children through 7 years of college (so far)...........
I only spend a modest amount on PB and MM ............ no other gambling.
Putting your assets into a Revocable Living Trust and having homes in multiple States will maintain a modicum of privacy. My main residence would be in a gated community that has multiple private clubs.
It is possible to stay out of the media .............. the biggest winners in Pennsylvania have lived in obscurity for the most part ............
dpoly I believe that you could out run anything or anyone, EXCEPT for this quickly accelerating MM jackpot!
Good points DP. See I was right, I nailed it nearly just spot on that you'd be just fine with a win.
Still hard to believe something that bad happened to a Pentecostal. In all of my travels, I can never say that I met one that wasn't positive and full of love for life.
Thats ok DP..........you can find a faster toy next year
It is hard to phantom that the previous largest cash jackpot was $240 million ($380 mil annuity) and this current one will most likely have a cash option exceeding $400 million!
LOL!!!
dpoly - can you tell us where that "lakeside dream" is located? I zoomed in the picture. That's beautiful.
Just dreaming myself too.
A fist full of dollars, some quick-picks and a dream...
...I'll share
Its getting there Jill.....its at 341.4 million now
Andrew Jackson “Jack” Whittaker, Jr. was a lunkhead before he won the big jackpot ............
You would never catch me carrying around $500,000 in cash!
I would carry $255,000,000 in the form of my ticket to Middletown, PA .............
Sometimes I carry $40 in my pocket, that is about it ................
That guy was GORMLESS...........I used to carry $40, now carry $80 ($78 for fuel and 2 for lottery)
Very true.
I was referring to Mr. Harrell from Harris County, TX who instead was a deeply religious and average blue collar guy. No connection to anyone at LP.
Willing to bet that the current administration as well as the OWS demonstrators wouldn't be content unless the winner was taxed at 99% Their logic is that you should be just fine with 2.5 million.
Well written article as always Todd
I especially liked the part about getting hit by lightning while being eat by a shark at the same time
That will be a Classic right there
Good advice! but unfortunately the temptation may be too hard for most. It wouldn't surprise me to hear about the winner showing up the following Monday to claim their prize...with entourage in tow.
I'd like to hear the results from the peeps that spent 500/1000 on this. Curious what the return rate was and if they'll do it again. It could roll again. Next nums could be 1 2 3 4 5--6.
One definition of insanity is that you keep trying the same thing expecting different results ..........
FDR tried the 90% tax rate as well as confiscating reserve capital ("hoarded cash") in 1937 and we were rewarded with a depression within a depression! (please, if anyone doesn't believe me, disprove this on your own)!
The estimated $85,250,000 25% witholding is plenty for the Crooks in the Federal Government as far as I am concerned. I will mitigate the remaining 10% tax obligation!
If I lived in New Joisey and paid the 10.8 state income tax on top of the feds cut, you could subtract another $36.83 million.......ouch....
Very sad! Saw a show on TLC where a big jackpot winner was continually being harassed with notes all over his truck and endless amounts of mail then there's Brad Duke who had people camping out on his front yard
To keep your sanity at least relocate to an ultra private neighborhood (we have a few here in the Orlando area) where you can blend in with your neighbors.
Do we really have to bring politics into this? No point in starting an argument.
Not many people hang out with me now ................ so, I will show up by myself ............ my wife will be at work, so as to remain as quiet as possible until the posh "hiding place" is secure!
I live in southern Indiana and I've never seen a line of ppl getting lottery tickets.. but.. i cant imagine what this jackpot is gonna do!!!
Well once they have your name and city of residence...all they do is hit the good ole "Zabasearch" and watch the critters come out of the woods with cameras. Writers will do driving & background searches...its going to be a pain for awhile.....Will already be moved when I go claim/mail will be on hold for 30 days....
Ur exactly right sirbrad... i had meant to say Friday!! sorry for the typo ;-) and i as well would gladly accept any of the jackpots... its just fun to get in on the hype!!!
dpoly- what about the Veyron? If you were the sole winner, I doubt you would flinch at the $2 million+ price tag or the fact that tires and wheel which have to be replaced as a set run about 60k.
I'm sure you will have lots of people to hang out with if you win.
Don't forget the mystic that said this would roll until Good Friday. Let's see if that person was right. Don't remember which thread it was posted on.
Didn't know you could buy tickets for mega millions on non draw days.... Where's the face palm smiley!?
Sorry, I am not trying to argue. I merely presented some facts as I have researched the subject of tax history. It is my private view that history shows us that revenues would rise with a reduction in personal and corporate taxes. If we has the lowest taxes on the planet, companies would move here.
I just feel that if I win, I would be paying plenty in Federal Taxes. Thank you very much and best wishes to you on Friday! (of course, the most bestest wishes to me)
Woo Hoo, today is my SSDI payday ...............
really? wow...lol
Unfortunately I didn't but I am flying up to Maryland tomorrow so I'll save myself the road trip this time around.
But with all of the tax loop holes, compaines actually pay little to very little each year in taxes. Look at GM for example. They actually got money back from the goverment. The reason compaines are going overseas had nothing to do with taxes. It's the fact they can pay someone 3.00 an hour and force them to work 16 hours shifts in counties like China or Indiana.
He asked for it, just trying to help.
lol thanks.
With their budget, I'm sure the state of Wisconsin will accept your $$$ any day of the week.
Hey Todd, I was wondering how many tickets you are going to buy for yourself?
We may see the cash option hit 400 million
Good question, haven't figured that out yet. But it will definitely be more than one.
Amen!
Our lotto web site says 500mill. Is this correct.
You and your attorney could easily get an advance prior to having him/her collect on your behalf. That way all your relocating expenses would be covered while the different LLC's and trust are formed.
Who gives the advance?
If I won this I would want THE TOPPEST of the TOP tax attorney in the US who knows every inch of the tax code and how to find all the loopholes who could give me EVERY LEGAL option available. Same for the Trust attorney.
I want the Loophole Artist. Someone like Jonathan Blattmachr
Then I would consult with Number 2 on the list to see if they agreed so make sure I don't run afoul of the tax code.
Might even have to consult with three people.
Holy crap! They just raised it!
Was just thinking the same.. that'd b too unreal.. there's no way!!!... it'd hit like 2 billion by then!!!
Lol!
Here's some irony for you (and I'm not sure if it's regular irony or the Alanis Morissette kind):
The $12 million you mentioned is, of course, the Mega Millions minimum jackpot. If there is a sole winner on Friday and they choose the annuity, they'll clear at least $12 million a year after taxes. Wild!
True Jill, my thing would be keeping the people away completely. Here in FL, you have to change your address on Lic and Reg within 10 days of moving. I would keep the current address to keep the "unwanted inquirers" at bay, but want to move into a friends/distant relatives rental property. Like you said until the LLCs and trusts are formed...buy then, have another place in mind to be bought/rented by the trusts or LLC...
WOW! Mega Millions is now 10 times larger than Power Ball....Somebodys gonna be rich! May the lottery GODS allow it to be me!
now its at $500 Million/ $359.4 cash !!!!!!!!!!...whewwwwwwwwww
I was about to say "no, New York Lottery's site is still in 'high jackpot mode'" (because it still was as of about a half hour ago), but now I see they're back to normal and the main Mega site says $500 million as well.
Here I was wondering if it would top $500 million by Friday, and it only took about 12 hours!
Lol!The media is characterizing me as a mystic now?
Yeah, I am the guy with 6 psychics on retainer!
Just as promised back in June of '05 with the matrix change, jackpots could reach a half billion dollars. It has finally happened with a dollar per ticket strategy.
I'm wondering if PB it rethinking had it stuck with its dollar per ticket strategy, it would have eventually happened for it too.
Pretty much any bank would be happy to give you a short term loan as long as you confirm with lottery officials
while in the presence of your attorney AND having a confidentiality agreement in place. If they balk at this, I would suggest the winner go to a small locally owned bank and speak with one of the officers. The likelyhood of them gaining you as a customer should be enough to grant you a sizeable line of credit.
Thanks Cutie! I was wondering who I'd share it with and how much. :)
Bahahaha.. i live in Indiana... i don't know anybody who will work for $3/hr.. nor did i know China or Indiana were counties ;-) lol