Pfft. $10 grand? Compared to $640 million? That's chump change, son. You can't retire off that. Might as well tear it up, throw it away.
Looked it up. Depends on which is the fifth ball: [rquoter] 5 of 5 w/Mega Ball Jackpot 5 of 5 $250,000 4 of 5 w/Mega Ball $10,000 [/rquoter]
Kan., Ill., Md. tickets share lottery jackpot Lottery ticket-holders in Illinois, Kansas and Maryland each selected the winning numbers for the world record-breaking $640 million Mega Millions jackpot, lottery officials said early Saturday. Illinois' winning ticket was sold in the small town of Red Bud, near St. Louis, and the winner used a quick pick to select the numbers, Illinois Lottery spokesman Mike Lang said. The Maryland Lottery said it sold a winning ticket at a retail store in Baltimore County. A winning ticket also was purchased in northeast Kansas, according to the Kansas Lottery website. A spokeswoman didn't immediately return a message Saturday morning. Each winning ticket was expected to be worth more than $213 million before taxes, Lang said. The winning numbers in Friday night's drawing were 02-04-23-38-46, and the Mega Ball 23. Maryland Lottery spokeswoman Carole Everett said the last time a ticket from the state won a major national jackpot was in 2008, when a ticket sold for $24 million. "We're thrilled," she said. "We're due and excited." The estimated jackpot dwarfs the previous $390 million record, which was split in 2007 by two winners who bought tickets in Georgia and New Jersey. Americans spent nearly $1.5 billion for a chance to hit the jackpot, which amounts to a $462 million lump sum and around $347 million after federal tax withholding. With the jackpot odds at 1 in 176 million, it would cost $176 million to buy up every combination. Under that scenario, the strategy would win $171 million less if your state also withholds taxes. From coast to coast, people stood in line at retail stores Friday for one last chance at striking it rich. Maribeth Ptak, 31, of Milwaukee, said she only buys Mega Millions tickets when the jackpot is really big and she bought one Friday at a Milwaukee grocery store. She said she'd use the money to pay off bills, including school loans, and then she'd donate a good portion to charity. "I know the odds are really not in my favor, but why not," she said. Sawnya Castro, 31, of Dallas, bought $50 worth of tickets at a 7-Eleven. She figured she'd use the money to create a rescue society for Great Danes, fix up her grandmother's house, and perhaps even buy a bigger one for herself. "Not too big — I don't want that. Too much house to keep with," she said. Willie Richards, who works for the U.S. Marshals Service at a federal courthouse in Atlanta, figured if there ever was a time to confront astronomical odds, it was when $640 million was at stake. He bought five tickets. "When it gets as big as it is now, you'd be nuts not to play," he said. "You have to take a chance on Lady Luck." http://finance.yahoo.com/news/kan-ill-md-tickets-share-lottery-jackpot-120924228.html
Lol you are right!! Who wants my winning ticket. It's actually a bit depressing and discouraging cause I'll most likely never see 5 out of 6 again so I'll just quit and never play the lotto again. So close yet so far!
So unfortunately I got 4 + mega. California law is a bit different cause the prize money is based on how many others and how big the jackpot was so it's a bit more at 11557
Well I know California alone has cut more than a billion dollars for education in just the last year, so I doubt it'll change much. As a substitute teacher, I go into classes with 45 students per teacher, with not even enough desks for students, and they're continuing to fire teachers without replacing them. The lottery is just legalized gambling preying on the hopes of Americans.
Thanks and yea I'm happy and all but it's a weird feeling to know you were one number off from being super rich.
In Texas, lottery money just replaces what education funding comes from the general fund. The net gain for education funding is zero. It just means that less money comes out of the general fund.
Congrats Suns. More like: the lottery is just legalized Americans praying on the hopes of gambling. Heck, gambling beats traditional religions. Since when did tithing 10% of your income have a chance, however infinitesimal, of an actual payoff? Between the odds of 1/175 million and nil, I'll take the 1/175 million. Call me an optimist. Wasting a dollar every few week's is a fool's errand, sure, but it's not exactly hurting my 401(k). <iframe width="480" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/t54GKaFROeU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Buy the ticket, take the ride. You're going to lose either way.
I know I'm late but I get tired of people saying stuff like this. Chances are most people who didn't use the money they used on the lottery would waste it on something else which means your calculation on what they would have if they didn't play the lottery isn't true.
Why does there have to be just one (or a few) winning a large sum like $400~ mil? Why can't there be 400 winners winning a mil each? ;/
