Lottery results LIVE – 03/30/22 Powerball winning numbers drawn ahead of huge 04/01/22 Mega Millions jackpot

Reality after a lottery win, part three

While there are situations where winners didn’t spend their prize wisely, there are also those who took the time to carefully plan their financial future.

According to Lottery Critic, Marvin and Mae Acosta from California won a jackpot of $327.8million Powerball and spent six months planning their financial plans with financial advisors.

Reality after a lottery win, part two

Winning the lottery can be glamorous, but it is important to be careful of the people in your life when you win.

“I had one friend who told me this sob story about how behind she was on her local taxes and how they were going to take her house because she couldn’t pay,” shared one winner with Reader’s Digest.

“After she left, I got on my computer, looked up her tax records, and saw that she wasn’t behind. When I printed out that page and sent it to her, well, that was the end of our friendship.”

Reality after a lottery win

Reader’s Digest revealed that despite winning the lottery being life-changing and miraculous, about 70 percent of lottery winners either lose or spend all of their prize money in less than five years, regardless of the prize amount.

Many winners advise others to be careful about their money and spend accordingly.

Six Friday the 13th winners

“Six Mega Millions jackpots have been won on a Friday the 13th,” according to the Mega Millions website.

“Michigan has been especially lucky on that special day, with four winning jackpots (June 2008, May 2011, June 2014, and one shared with Rhode Island in October 2017).”

A Friday the 13th jackpot was also won in New York in March 2009 and in Ohio in November 2015.”

‘Gotta play every drawing’

A source told the Seattle Times that with a new drawing comes a responsibility to play every time.

“You can’t skip one drawing to save a few bucks and then have your numbers come up. You’d kill yourself; you’ve gotta play every drawing,” they said.

Man wins lottery twice in five months

A man who won the lotto twice in five months bought both scratch-off cards from the same shop.

James Courtemanche, 43, from Ontario, won over £110,000 in cash from two tickets bought the Minnow Lake Kwik Way in Sudbury, Canada.

He won $88,888 (£51,883) in 2021 and then won a second sum totaling $100,000 (£58,369) this year.

James said: “I couldn’t believe it happened again. I was so surprised – and then I remembered good things happen in threes, so I’m ready for my next one.”

Poorest households buy the most tickets

The Atlantic reported that the poorest third of households buy half of all lotto tickets, according to a 1980s Duke University study.

One reason this happens is because the lottery is advertised more in poorer communities.

Fortune cookie payout

In March 2005, over 110 second-prize winners were awarded a Powerball payout.

They split a jackpot worth $19.4million.

Known as the “fortune cookie payout,” 21 of the winners were given $500,000, and 89 each received $100,000.

What is ‘Just the Jackpot’?

Mega Millions offers the “Just the Jackpot” option in some states.

It allows players to get two chances at winning the jackpot for $3.

Players can see if the lottery in their jurisdiction offers the option by visiting their state’s lottery website.

Winning does not cure depression

A research study found that while winning a few million dollars does uplift moods, the happiness is generally short lived.

The researchers wrote:

“Eventually, the thrill of winning the lottery will itself wear off. If all things are judged by the extent to which they depart from a baseline of past experience, gradually even the most positive events will cease to have an impact as they themselves are absorbed into the new baseline against which further events are judged.”

Facebook post warning

Lottery officials warned that Facebook users reported posts in the past that indicated Powerball was giving away prize money on the social media platform.

“These notices are false and fraudulent. Lotteries do not contact prize winners through Facebook, unless you specifically entered an official lottery promotion or contest,” the lottery website says.

California winners cannot remain anonymous

Some states, like California, entirely forbid lottery winners to remain anonymous.

It is advised to read your state’s regulations regarding lottery winnings before playing for cash.

Can lottery winners remain anonymous?

There are various ways to remain anonymous to claim a lottery prize.

Buying a lottery ticket in a state that does not require winners to come forward is an effective way to conceal your identity.

Record prize

On March 30, 2012, Mega Millions made history with the world’s largest prize in any jackpot game to that date: $656 million.

The prize was split three ways by winning tickets in Illinois, Kansas and Maryland.

The record was eventually surpassed by a Powerball jackpot in January 2016.

Higher odds

You are more likely to experience any of these than you are to win the lottery:

• Getting struck by lightning: 1 in 1.1million
• Contracting Ebola in the US: 1 in 13.3million
• Becoming US President: 1 in 10million
• Dying from an asteroid striking the earth: 1 in 74.8million

Sign your winning lottery ticket

Anyone who signs a winning ticket and presents photo ID can claim their prize.

Signing your ticket will prevent anyone from falsely claiming your ticket as theirs.

What is the 10x multiplier?

The Powerball 10X multiplier comes into play when the advertised jackpot annuity is $150million or less.

The Power Play option, available for $1 per play, multiplies winnings by 10 times

Winners go bankrupt

An estimated 70 percent of lottery winners spend all of their winnings quickly.

They end up losing the rest of their money within seven years of winning the jackpot.

Mega Millions history of jackpots

Mega Millions has awarded 23 jackpots of more than $300million, according to the game website.

That includes the Mega Millions record of $1.537billion won in South Carolina on October 23, 2018.

Which state spends the most on lottery tickets?

New Yorkers buy the most lottery tickets out of any other state in the country.

New Yorkers alone spend more than $9billion a year on tickets.

Reporting lottery scams, continued

The Federal Trade Commission has more information on fake lottery and other scams at http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0086-international-lottery-scams.

To file a complaint or get free information call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357).

If you have been the victim of a scam, you should contact your local police or sheriff’s office, or your state police.

Reporting lottery scams

If you are told that you can “verify” the prize by calling a certain number, that number may be part of a lottery scam.

Instead of calling it, you should look up the name of the lottery or organization on your own to find out its real contact information.

If you think someone on the phone is trying to scam you, hang up immediately because if you engage them in conversation, your name and contact information could end up on a list that’s shared with other scammers.

Avoiding scams, part three

Finally, be wary that someone may be using the lottery’s name without permission or the lottery’s knowledge.

• Never give out personal information or send money unless you verify the company’s or solicitor’s legitimacy.
• If someone offers to wire “winnings” directly to your bank account, do not give them your bank account information.
• If you are told you can “verify” a prize by calling a certain number, that number may be part of the scam. Instead of calling, look up the name of the lottery or organization on your own to find out its real contact information.
• If you think someone on the phone is trying to scam you, hang up immediately. If you engage, your name and contact information could end up on a list shared with other scammers.

Avoiding scams, part two

The lottery went on to say if you have caller-ID, check the area code when someone calls to tell you you’ve won.

If the call is from a foreign country, that is a red flag, among others:

• Some con artists use technology to disguise their area code so even if it looks like they’re calling from your state, they could be anywhere.
• Be suspicious if an e-mail contains misspellings or poor grammar, or if the person on the phone uses poor English.
• If you are told that you need to keep your “win” confidential, be suspicious.
• No real lottery tells winners to put up their own money to collect a prize they already won. If you are asked to pay any kind of fee to collect your winnings, you haven’t won.

Tips to avoid being scammed

The lottery provides a series of pointers that aim to help players avoid getting scammed.

• If someone says you won a lottery that you have never played, be suspicious. You can’t win a legitimate lottery if you didn’t buy a ticket.
• If you are in a jurisdiction that is outside the market area of the lottery or game mentioned as the source of the “prize,” then it is a scam.
• Real lotteries do not hold “international” sweepstakes, contests or awards for people who live outside their market area. Mega Millions, for example, is played only in the United States.