I lived in a trailer park for many years. Yes, a few of my neighbors were missing teeth because they couldn't afford a dentist.

I think you might be relying too much on what you see in the paper. Obviously this winner had his ticket validated. I'm not 100% sire, but I doubt if losing it would matter at this point. If the lottery already scanned it and validated its authenticity, he's all set.

Congratulations to him!

According to the lottery association he had not yet had it validated. He had not even been to the lottery association at this point. He did have the winning numbers and I wish him and his wife all the luck, but they had a press conference before he even went to the lottery association, because they are not open on Saturday...this is how I know. I just thought he and his family should be a little more careful..is all. Again..no offense on the trailer park statement, first thing everyone asked when they found out the winner was from Georgia...that turned up to be true.

He no doubt has photo copies of the ticket, ticket signed and with it being pictured on tv, what better proof that he is the legitimate holder of the ticket? He was staying with relatives for now and since this is a rural area one can just about bet he's being safely guarded by family.

Also maybe it was humility, groundedness, belief, faith and trust not location that connected him with profound luck and winning success.

Yes you are right, it could have been all of those things. I do apologize if anyone was offended. It has been said..and I have apologized..but I won't keep doing to every response. Also in reading the news...he did not state he lived with anyone he said they have a mobile home..unless this was news I missed. Just thought it would be unsafe to wave the winning ticket in the street without being validated. Hopefully he did make copies. I don't live to far from the area and know that he probably has police protection..since the sheriff was also called to find out who was the winner.

No offense taken, Nirvona. I write a lot worse stuff! :-)    There are a lot of trashy, stupid people living in trailer parks. There are also a lot of trashy, stupid people living in mansions too. Just move to FL and I'll show you!

Yes, I agree completely that it's unsafe to be waving around the ticket, and I wouldn't do it, but they were probably in shock. But as I wrote and Konane stated, he probably had it signed and copied. Maybe I'm completely wrong, but can't you still get your ticket validated when the lottery is closed? I've never been lucky enough to find out, but I've gone on Sunday to claim a small prize. I once read a story on this board about a couple (think they were in CO) who saw on the 11:00 that the winner had until midnight to claim a big jackpot, they checked their ticket and then rushed down to the local market and had their ticket validated.

By the way, just teasing you about trailer parks. Never really bothered me. Just wish I never bought one. However, in many cases, that's sometimes the only way people on soc sec can retire comfortably. I've been looking for a home (not a trailer) and some mobile homes are listed for well over $100,000. The small park where I lived in NH had homes (this was in the 1980s) that sold for more than that. When I moved to FL I thought an ad I saw was for a house, so I drove to the gated community and the $150,000 home was a doublewide trailer. So, as I wrote, no offense taken, but it's a stereotype. With the average house price soaring over $200,000 ($400,000 in some areas and $1 million in parts of CA) and taxes & insurance premiums going off the charts, it's not just poor people who are moving into trailers any more.

Thanks so much for not taking offense. Yeah..I think you can have it validated at the store...but not at the lottery association, which in the news said they would not comment on the winner until he actually made it to the them. I have lived in trailer communities myself, being a Northerner it is a greatly stereo-typed that the winner would come from a trailer park. When the news came out..my family called me and said "I bet they live in a trailer park", I said ain't that a b! But either way JusXploring thanks for the laugh..cause I did not or do not want to offend anyone here...we are just trying to get rich...one penny at a time...lol.