$81,315,000 after 35% Federal Confiscatory Tax!

Woo Hoo ............... Green With Money On Saturday!

 and live from the peanut gallery theater

Keep on a rollin PB........KEEP ON A ROLLIN!!!   

Will someone from LP become the first $2 million winner this Saturday? Only if your willing to play $3/tic.

Still not sure about the $2 a play, but $200,000,000 seems like it might be worth it . . .

So many people forget or don't know bout that extra 10% owed (25% withheld +10% at end of year).  I knew of someone who won $300,000 on a scratch off, gave his kids part of it but forgot/didn't realize his city wanted their cut too....ouch!!!!

not on your life .......

Tickets are already too bleepin expensive

Once you win....and are walking out the lottery office with your warm and freshly printed check, to your awaiting limo and champagne........It'll be worth the extra $1.     

Here is Pennsylvania, there are no State or Local taxes on Lottery Winnings .......... just the Federal Confiscation

Just waiting for that wire transfer from Middletown Pennsylvania ................

Not everyone can afford to play the big lotteries........ or were meant to.   

Guess one thing you could do is take that extra 10% (beyond the mandatory 25% federal tax initially taken) put it in a CD for 6 months or a year (if time permits). At least you get some interest income before Uncle Sam takes his cut(again).....Check to the IRS to be mailed on April 15th of the following year, of course.

Well DP, I think I could live with 4% interest on 81 & change(3.2 million a year).....Actually I think I could give away 90% of the 81 million(leaving me with 8 million), spend a million on the house and toys etc etc and still live quite nicely on 4% interest off of the remaining 7 million.(roughly $280,000/yr  in interest income )....Okay, you talked me into it. I am going to buy a couple of tickets and win!   Wooo Hoooo 

Where are you getting 4% interest these days ?   

That would be chatting with a close friend and  former coworker now trustfund recipeint getting between 4-5 %  annually..I did see 8 out of 12  monthly checks he got this past year from the fund of 5 million.... have to ask the broker on that one

Let me see here...$2 in my pocket or potential $80,000,000 (I only deal in cash value figure not annuitized jackpot amount since hardly anyone takes that option)????  Hmmmm, $2 or $80 mil???? Wow that is a hard call for me to make.  Two bucks can't even buy a Happy Meal or even a gallon of gas!  But you could rent a Redbox movie, get a pck of Wrigleys chewing gum, a bottle of overpriced water, or one Chapstick.  $80 million can buy most anything you like.  $2 lasts not so long in most people's pockets/wallets/purses.  $80 million can go along way and could last the shrewd, ready to be a millionaire in mindset person a lifetime or even for several generations. Of course, the person comfortable scrapping by but just hoping to win a big jackpot could blow through that money in less than 5 years.  But it is the ride that counts and I don't think you will find many former broke lottery jackpot winners really, really sorry that they actually were lucky enough to win.  Money doesn't cause problems.  People's attitudes about it is what causes problems.  Just ask P BHO....he likes a lot of money, as long as it is coming from someone else's pockets!

I maintain a play in every drawing (thank you Illinois Lottery Subscription!!!) and I will go purchase some additional tickets because Illinois (at least as of last week) is running a special where if you purchase two plays on the same ticket, you get a free Little Lotto ticket (and that jackpot for today is $1,050,000...can you say WIN-WIN situation?!!!).  So just visualizing the numbers that will roll this weekend so I can go make my play of 1 own pick and 1 QP.

The trouble with your plan is:you have to WIN first.Most people will NEVER WIN!They'll just keep on shoveling out $2 to Powerball.Notice that I didn't say $3,because it appears that few are buying the powerplay option.They are finding it to be to expensive!

That is why I wouldn't give any amount of winnings away to family or charity until Uncle Obama is satisfied at tax time.  Oops, did I say Obama?! I meant Uncle Sam!  Sure would be a shame to think your immediate money problems are solved only to find you have big IRS problems the next year after having been a generous family and community person.  Bet those family/friends/charitable orgs won't even know you if you say you need a few thousand back to pay your tax bill.  Of course, it would be the foolish person to give it all away because Uncle Sam doesn't care if you did give it all away to charity...he still wants his cut from you and will take any money in your bank accounts or even your house to get it.  But I love the IRS...gag, gag, gag!

You need to PLAN TO WIN, if your mindset is that you'll never win, then more likely than not....you never will.

I don't mind the "shoveling" of $2-3, because I have my eye on the prize. If you ask any major lotto winner if they regretted spending the sometimes thousands to achieve their win........ I think it would be a very short list.

Like anything in life that is very desirable, you cannot just go through the physical motions. You need to have passion, determination and Believe in your goals. Call it good karma, funneling positive energy, or just a shout out to the universal cosmos that your time has come and attract your dreams to you like a powerful magnet.   

The greater the risk....the greater the reward. Life is short, don't settle for mediocre results. GO FOR IT!!!   

Bull s&^t!

The lottery doesn't know if you "believe" or not.The only thing the lottery cares about is if you will pay the money to buy a ticket or not.Karma? Bull s%$^!

That is why my dear friend..... you will NEVER win. It is sad that you have such a limited appreciation for forces and powers, that simply because you cannot see them, you believe they do not exist. That is your loss.

Best of luck to you anyhow. We are all entitled to our opinions and beliefs, I respect yours........ but will never even consider your negative and inflammatory position.   

Hate these big jackpots. More money and another trip to the lotto booth.

The ONLY thing that will help you win is LUCK,pure and simple,LUCK.Doubling the price of a ticket is only lucky for the lottery,no one else.You can keep on believing in karma and I'll bet that you don't win,either.If you do,it will be because of LUCK and not karma or any other force or power!

LUCK IS KARMA. Get it now?

I PLAN TO WIN everytime I buy a ticket or I WOULD NOT buy the ticket!

My mindset has NOTHING to do with whether or not I win.

Get it now?

You do not PLAN to win the Powerball, as you already stated you thought it was to pricey. Therefore you cannot plan to win something you WILL NOT PLAY. Of course any other game you plan to win.....go for it!!! Now you get it???     

Welcome 2D >>>>>>>>>>>>>>LP>>>>>>>>>>>>>>RS>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

All U need now is $2.00 and DREAM$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Lot's of LUCK @ D lotto booth>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>$$$$$$$$

In the words of Aerosmith psykomo....DREAM ON!!!

I DO PLAN to WIN the Powerball.I only play when its over 100 million dollars.I can't afford to throw $2 at it twice a week when its a smaller jackpot.It has to do with simple economics.$2 is two freaking much to pay twice a week.If they would have made the odds twice as good I wouldn't mind paying $2 for a ticket,but they didn't.GET IT NOW?

Predictions: The New Powerball Jackpot will reach $300 Million!

$200 Million........Gotta believe in winning and karma, even if its a little bit. I don't know about any of the folks on LP, but I play because I think positively about winning, see the articles,enjoy the stories, have friends or know someone who has won or maybe won some nice $$ myself from time to time....Besides I believe its called and refered to as "the power of positive thinking"..... but I could be wrong , just like some ticket I will purchase in the future wont have any of the right numbers....Then again, I think it just might !!!   
      Someone's gotta win...Why not me or one of us from LP...Stay Thirsty..OOPS.. Stay Positive My Friends

Very motivational! 

Yes Cletu$2, I get why you don't play at lower prize levels. My point is that playing at any prize level or lottery involves the same process. Whether you win "only" $20 million or $200,000.000 million you need to go out on a limb, risk, play a hunch, go for your dreams regardless of perceived barriers.

There is no 'right' way of achieving your goals. Everyone has a different perception of what is realizing their dreams. But do not penalize someone because they are willing to spend an additional $1 to do so. There are far to many disappointed lottery players that have been frustrated over meager winnings even after playing for decades; but thousands more who have fantastic success stories.

Obviously for you, $2 twice a week is not worthy of your risk level. For the millions of others who decide to go for it, there will be many more millionaires being made starting this Saturday.

Yup, this sums it up right here. Check out that guy from Cali. who visited his family in New York, Long Island, and played $26 on quick picks for the Mega Milllions. Just his luck, he won that great Jackpot of $208 million. Talk about spending money. 

Link to story: https://www.lotterypost.com/news/241227 

Hey New York,

Everyone heard about this guy!

Good Karma, willing to risk $26!!! Got his dreams and prayers answered!!!   YEEEEEEHAAAAAAAAAA !!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

I think the powerball is being greedy now they said their would be more winners since the tickets are now $2 but when the jackpot is high their should be alot of winners.

I don't understand why they went up on the tickets if they are only giving the jackpot to 1 person or letting winners win in only certain states like, CALIFORNIA & NEW YORK.

Hey winwi5,

The state-wide lottery does not choose winners, wheter you live in NY or Cali; you win based on the matching drawn winning numbers on your ticket. Also, they don't give just one person the jackpot. For example, if you and me won the big Jackpot of $200 million, we'll have to share that equally. 

The poweball isn't being greddy either.

Jackpot is very seldom won by more that one ticket holder. Here's a list of the winners respective states that have sold the jackpot ticket:
2011 ------- MD, PA, CT, GA, MD, MN, GA, MA, NY, IN, IN, FL, NY
2010 ------- NY, IL shared with KY, AZ, MI, FL, GA, WV, LA, FL, MT shared with OH, MO, NJ, NC, AK
2009 ------- KY, OK, KS, WI, FL, SC, CT, NC, SD, DC, DE shared with PA, IN

 Of the past winners only 3 of 42 were from NY, Powerball isn't played in CA.....FL has had 4

This game is rigged. I chose the white  ball 8 and red ball 35  for 5 tickets for a 10 dollars , and I couldn't get nothing more. My total prize was 20 dollars

8 (quick pick) (quick Pick) (quick pick) (quick pick)  35

8                                                                            35

8                                                                            35

8                                                                            35

8                                                                            35

Even when you are certain those numbes are coming and you choose them, they manage to rigge it. I chose white ball 8  because it haven't come in like 5 months and I chose the red ball 35 because the last time it came was in 2010.

They choose the location of the winner.

They rigged and ch0ose their winner.

The game isn't rigged.The odds are astronomical against winning,though.

I bought 2 Quick Picks today for the $81,000,000 + after taxes .......

It is easy and fun to play .............

Let's go Green with money ............... 

Daddy needs a new pair of Porsches ............... 

Carl8080 if the game is rigged, then who is it rigged for ? Eventually there is a winner and I haven't heard of the same winner twice on the Powerball Jackpot or from the same family. I swear I have the right numbers for this weekends drawing so it can't be rigged.   

The game is not rigged. The scrutiny of a multi-billion dollar lottery system has many checks and balances from all fifty states and federal oversight.

The formula for the quick picks is obviously a kept secret.  There is no rhyme or reason for how certain #'s come up. That is because they are randomly drawn. Because you were not happy with the results, don't blame it on the system.

As an example, I have tracked pick "3" numbers in my state that have not been drawn in 2+ years. They were obviously due to come up and I played them for several months....to no avail????     

OH BROTHER!

Be happy you won $20.

Excellent CDanaT!, You did your homework!!!  Let me be the first to nominate and congratulate you to the official LP reporting network for factual information.   

Todd....... please take notice......... and promote this outstanding member.    Immediately!!!

Thank you sir.......its a New England thing, since I originally am from 1 state to the right of ya !

Meaning Maine? Bring me down some lobster some time.....I'll repay you with some good old fashioned NH Moose stories! And some "Live Free or Die"

desserts. YUM...... YUM...... YUM.   

I got my ticket today and I would like to win on saturday but I think it is going to roll for a couple of more times and we will see a $300 million pot.  I would like it to either get close to the record or pass it on this run.  But if it does not maybe next run then.  Good luck to all who play!-weshar75

Agreed, I would like to see a $300+ million pot, that will bring out all the millionaire wannabee's, and get this pot rollin' to record levels. If your gonna win.........might as well be a billionaire.  Why be a poverty stricken millionaire?   

well heres to hoping I buy the winner tonight

but then I'd be happy if it was one of us here @ the LP .....

Hope your the big whale hearsetrax! I'd be willing to settle for 2nd prize of $2 million with my power play. 

Did the jackpot raise faster since they went to two dollars a ticket or am I imagining it that way?

 couldn't tell ya .....

heres to a big winner b4 much longer

I'll take this jackpot! It's about time someone from washington to hit the powerball jackpot

TK, I hear ya on accepting the 200 mil. Nice way to start the new year,,,,,,,but I am leaning towards someone from FL winning. 

My Prediction:I will win when the jackpot approaches / exceeds 300 million dollars!

Sorry, but obviously FL has had its due.

Clearly, and I think we can all agree on this, it is time for a Texas win. 

And I'm willing to do it for ya! 

Well pard-ner, I would have been fine with winning ticket having been sold in Houston, TX for the past Wednesday drawing since I had a dog in that fight, but now that dog won't hunt. Powerball, Powerball! I want to win the bigger and better Powerball!  I hold all six winning numbers on the same line in Illinois.  I will be like Brad Duke and have money receipt plans in place prior to heading to Springfield to claim the prize in March or April (gotta keep the paparazzi guessing).  I would grant media conference there just because it is so rare for IL to boast a jackpot winner.  I am ready to receive my winnings!  Thank you POWERBALL!

Well  Mr. GTR, I will have to kindly disagree on the TX win aspect.....see you folks over there have had 6 winners in the megamillions over the last 8 years and we don't have a chance to play that one...so the way I sees it....we gotta catch up in total wins, then you fellas(and gals) can have your turn.   You know...kind of that paying you fair share resdistribution of wealth, hope n change thang   

CDanaT,

   A fan of Tigger too, I see.

   Pardon us Texans, while we might have gotten a leg up in Mega Millions, a few years back. We haven't even gotten a whiff of the Powerball since its inception into the State.

    I, like many Texans ar e very much hoping for a win this weekend. No, I am not biased in favor of my state.

   Alas, I wish us all, best luck imaginable. Oh, if should any LP member win. Invest on wigs, a prosthetic nose and big glasses. While you might want to send your lawyer tthere, you might go for the ride. Let your lawyer do the talking and intriduce you by a pseudonym to the public. A name no one knows you by but, was ALMOST named by your happy parents! LOL, I know, far fetched but collect wisely and with minimal information to be hounded about for your "trouble'..............

No, it hasn't increased any more rapidly rollover by rollover. I trend this component consistently.

Don't forget the gift tax Tigger. For any gift amount over $13,000.00 per person per year you will be charged additional Federal Taxes.

For example, if you gave $10 Million each to 5 relatives, you will get charged an extra 35% (5 x 3.5 Million = 17.5 Million) by the Federal Government come tax season. Take this out of your $81 Million or so that you have left after the IRS has claimed their additional 10% from your $93.8 Million CVO.

So $81 Million after Uncle Sam's share - $50 Million Gifts - $17.5 Million Tax on Gifts = Leaves you with around $13.5 Million.

$13.5 Million is still a very comfortable amount to live on, but this brings up a couple of very good "What ifs?"

What if your brother squanders his $10 Million in a couple of years on heavily gambling and drinking?

What if your sister's ex finds out about her share and sucessfully sues her for a huge chunk?

This could put both you and the other 4 relatives in a very difficult financial position by having to bail one of them out of a nasty hole. 

The only way I know of to prevent Uncle Sam from double dipping with Gift Tax on your jackpot is to claim and share the prize as a group, but I am pretty sure that you have to be able to prove that the winning ticket had multiple owners WHEN it was purchased. I think that this might also depend on individual State laws though. A signed, stamped and notarized document listing the members of your group with their personal signatures would work well for this purpose and keeps you well within the law.

Good luck to all the LP folks playing the big one! 
-Kumo

P.S. - I've thought about what I would do with a sudden windfall like Saturday's Powerball, sharing my thoughts on the awesome dream. 

1.) Don't tell anyone, except for my Wife. However, we would keep our kids oblivious.

2.) Get together a professional financial and legal team, that specializes in dealing with very large amounts of money.

3.) Claim the winnings by a Trust and invest the vast majority of money across several diverse portfolios.

4.) Take a week long $5,000.00 vacation somewhere nice within the country to relax and "get it out of my system."

5.) Avoid making any major purchases and maintain my old middle class lifestyle for the next year.

6.) Start up a low cost home business, to be used as a cover story when people begin to notice my family's increasing wealth.

7.) After Tax season, then I'd start gifting relatives and anonymously to some trustworthy charities from the capital gains from my portfolios. The rest would go towards living expenses with the majority being reinvested back into Stocks and Bonds to stay ahead of inflation.

8.) After a minimum of one year has passed, look into buying some land, a new home, or a new family car. Factor in upkeep costs, taxes and insurance. Keep it within what we can afford and still stay ahead of inflation, while maintaining my annual gifts to relatives and charities.

9.) If I have to quit my job, donate some of my time to doing volunteer work to keep busy and happy.

Nice list Kumo, but I wouldn't even tell my wife I had won.  I wouldn't want to put her in the position of telling her family 'NO' when they ask her for some dough. All she would need to know is that my business is doing well, and as long as I provide for her needs, pay the bills and taxes, all is fine.  Additionally, I would employ her in one of my businesses so she can earn her own.  Fortunately, I already have a legitimate business endeavor that I could truthfully point to for my recent prosperity, so no need to wait a year before enjoying the winnings God bestowed upon me (hey if 'he' can do it, so can I!)!

I would keep working another service commitment for another year before 'retiring' from that endeavor, but I would only keep up the hectic pace of my current involvement for the current calendar year...2013 would truly be the year of transition for me in moving to a warmer climate and fully focusing on business and travel interests. 

Wow I can already see a bright future ahead of me...thanks to Powerball and cousin Mega Millions! What a great family to be a part of!

I dont know if we are going to see record jackpots or not, the old powerball had greater odds of winning then mega, yet mega has the highest jackpot between the two. I could be wrong but I thought I read somewhere Powerball used to cap the jackpot increases once it got to a record amount. Do they still do this?

Kumo....nice list
  I hear ya about the giving $13K, but as a couple you and your spouse can give  $26k to 1 person without any taxes (gift or income) according to the IRS website.....Also give ANY 5 relatives 10 million isn't in the cards. I am more like giving them 3.5 million a piece and I pay the gift tax...either way its 35%..gotta remember about that lifetime gift of $5 Million the IRS stipulates about.......Now, as far as any relative squandering away their share..oh well, their personal drama is a sole ownership scenario..I donated,they are responsible, I am not China and they are pretending to be the USA by asking for more .. Financially Responsible & Drama-Free zone is my official mailing address     I will pass on any businesses because of civil liability...Dont want any headaches...Probably start a non profit to assist persons with medical bills...Probably have 3 different residences in 3 diff states to split time in....Thanks for stopping by, Drive safely, have a nice day 

Not sure, I think it was the Mega that two different people won, a couple from Ephrata and and a young woman from Idaho split the lottery.  I agree it is time Washington won again.  Dont believe Powerball has ever been won in Washington State but I could be wrong!

Well, the jackpot is at $200 million on the 12th draw.  That took 13 draws in October 2011 - when interest rates were higher (meaning higher annuity jackpots).  And the new game was in place for only five draws in this run.

The old cap limited jackpot growth over a "record jackpot" to jumps of only $25 million.  That limitation is gone for the new game.

Any word on sales since the change, Chuck?

How about the Powerplay option?

Thanks.

A very valid point OldSchool. But here lies my dilema, when I married my Wife, I took a vow to be honest with her. Keeping any knowledge of a win beyond a few days set aside to calm down, seems like it would be going against that commitment.

Perhaps a way to remedy telling my Wife and not having the secret spread, would be in writing up a mutually binding oath to secrecy. It would be signed and dated by both of us, even before divulging the information.

She's got a very good head on her shoulders and I can count on her to be my voice of reason if something is really bothering me. Much like myself, she is not interested in a life of extravagance, but more interested in preservation of our current lifestyle.

Seems like an oath to secrecy worked well for an ancestor of mine, to this day and to my knowledge people have still not found any of his fabled gold mines. The information on their locations died with him and his son, hopefully it stays that way.

However there are certain important exceptions to revealing information to family. If my job requires me not to divulge times, details and paticipants for a sensitive or secret operation. To protect my extended professional family, all my Wife needs to know is that I am bringing home a salary twice a month. I've been in that position in the past. During on of my tours, a shopkeeper that I bought food and drink items from daily, asked  a question about a field excercise my unit was participating in, being a good soldier I kept my mouth shut. 

Are you kin to the Lost Dutchman, Kumo?

June 1, 2011 Jackpot took the same number of draws we see now for the $201m mark. There is admittedly some slight variability, but this is NO RECORD.

April 6, 2011 is yet another EXAMPLE of the same number of draws that took the Jackpot over the 200m mark. In fact in this case, it rolled over to 221m

MY ERROR on both examples. Actually it went over the 200m mark at the 11th draw!!!

Hehe, you too Tigger and good luck to you on Saturday. :)


Heya RD, not the Dutchman, but I am direct kin to "The Mormon Pathfinder". Legend has it that the Ute's know where the mines are but thankfully they are not talking.