There are always the naysayers, the people who won’t buy a lottery ticket because it’s a bad “investment” of a dollar, or because gambling’s evil. But even they might find themselves fantasizing about winning Friday’s night’s Mega Millions jackpot.
At $540 million and climbing as of Thursday, it’s the biggest prize ever in North America.
Even after taxes, that’s more than enough -- $389 million lump sum at last count -- to finance the material dreams of several lifetimes. It’s prompting regular players to buy more tickets than normal, and causing avowed non-players to take a shot.
At the current rate, Mega Millions sales in Georgia since Tuesday are on pace to reach $20 million by the drawing on Friday.
At J-V’s Corner in Griffin, sales have doubled this week and are on track to be the best ever, a manager said, adding he is seeing new players and that people are buying far more tickets than usual.
Wise hands preach one thing to the winner: caution. Other lottery winners have legendarily gone from luckiest person in the world to down-on-their luck loser.
“People look at you differently and treat you differently,” observed Michael Willis, whose Michigan-based law firm has counseled lottery winners. There are, he noted, “a lot of bad people out there.”
Many lottery winners think the best way to avoid the sharks is to remain anonymous, not even claiming in person their winnings. Staying incognito might not be doable, however. Some states including Georgia require the winner’s identity to be part of public record, along with the amount of the prize and city of residence.
But not talking loosely about hitting the jackpot might offer a little cover.
Beyond the identity issue, winners face another question: What to do with all that money.
Before anything else, experts say, they should make sure they sign the winning ticket, copy it, and store it in a secure place -- a safe deposit box if possible. Then, the winner should take enough time to establish a financial plan. Winners have up to 180 days after the date of the drawing to claim their prize.
Winnings in hand, what’s best depends on the needs and desires of the client, Willis said. Asset protection and tax liability are major concerns that need to be addressed.
Winners should spend only moderately at first and not make significant lifestyle changes immediately, experts say. One way to lessen the impact of winning so much money: spread the jackpot payout over 26 years rather than taking it all at once.
There doesn’t seem to be any way to lessen interest in the drawing itself, however, especially as the jackpot increases. And with more people jumping into the lottery pool by the hour, the jackpot will only grow.
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