powerball - TravelPUNK Backpacker College Student Budget Travel Message Boards!

**Elizabeth** · 02-18-2006, 09:29 AM

$365 mil jackpot - has anyone bought tickets for this?

**blinkchick2134** · 02-18-2006, 12:38 PM

Nah, waste of money....no one in my state ever wins

**bluepea** · 02-18-2006, 12:50 PM

Probably because of their negative attitudes.

xanthuos · 02-18-2006, 01:00 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by jamiepeaski@Feb 18 2006, 04:50 PM
Probably because of their negative attitudes.

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MegaMillions is also up to nearly $200 million, Jamie...So I might play a ticket or two on that.

**blinkchick2134** · 02-18-2006, 05:20 PM

I don't like gambling. I'd rather put my money in a savings account and earn interest...slow but it's guaranteed. Good luck to all the Tpunks playing though!

**urOZm8** · 02-18-2006, 06:34 PM

$365 mil? That's insane. What would someone do with so much money? Does the tax man take a lot of it?

We had a $20 mil jackpot last night and that is like a big one here, and I'm talking AUD!

ev

**The Monsignor** · 02-21-2006, 09:24 AM

Yeah, I tend to avoid gambling... In Vegas I have my best luck at the change machine...

... it's all downhill from there!

**omisan** · 02-21-2006, 09:49 AM

Ah, the ol' idiot tax... admittedly, I do buy a Lotto ticket every once in a while for giggles, just because it's fun to sit around the fire w/ some friends and talk about what you'd do with millions of dollars. I think I'd spend it all on plastic surgery and little dogs and become the next Paris Hilton.

xanthuos · 02-21-2006, 09:51 AM

Well, I bought a ticket for the MegaMillions drawing tonight. $170 million.
I don't play lotto all that often...usually only for the biggest jackpots. After all, you've got the same chance of your numbers being it when the jackpot is $2 million as when it's $200 million...so I figure I can give up that dollar or two to play for the chance at such a large jackpot

The person who won the Powerball jackpot still hasn't come forward yet. $365 million. The things I could do with that!

**omisan** · 02-21-2006, 10:13 AM

Quote:

The person who won the Powerball jackpot still hasn't come forward yet. $365 million

I've noticed that happens sometimes with the really huge prizes. I think the winners don't want to go public while everyone's attention is still on the huge jackpot.. But you'd think when the news comes out a month or two later, that people are still going to key in on the lucky bastard and start begging.

Part of my hypothetical Lotto-winning plan is to disconnect all my phone lines, change my email addresses, etc., so the mooches don't come out. I feel I'm a pretty charitable person and will give away whatever fortunes to whomever I want and care about, not to any old organization who calls and asks for help. On the other hand, I'm not gonna be ghetto-fabulous and buy all my friends Escalades, either. (Sorry, TPunks!)

With that kind of money (approx $90 mil after lump sum payment and taxes) you could do the world a lot more good by setting up a long-term foundation and meting out money/resources over the years then by just giving it away to Charity A and Charity B... Of course, I'd have to pay off my debts, travel the world, and buy a house or two first

**SuDz** · 02-21-2006, 02:08 PM

I would live well but still sort of normal with it. Granted I would find a nice place to buy and buy my house that I have now outright. Maybe rent it out or something to keep it around in the future. But for the most part I would find a nice house on the beach in the million to two million dollar range. Then buy myself a nice 40 footer sailboat for another million or so and sail off. Where? Everywhere. Anywhere I could get it.

I figure after touring for a while I could always come back home everynow and then to dry out by my beach and then take off again.

Yeah, thats the lifde for me.

SuDZ

xanthuos · 02-21-2006, 04:37 PM

Don't worry, a 40-footer is actually less than a million :D

There's a lot that I would do if I win...and I have no problem telling anyone "no" if they ask me for money.

**SuDz** · 02-22-2006, 07:29 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by xanthuos@Feb 21 2006, 07:37 PM
Don't worry, a 40-footer is actually less than a million :D

There's a lot that I would do if I win...and I have no problem telling anyone "no" if they ask me for money.

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Depends on the boat and model. Some of them that are fully decked out especially with top electronics can be pretty close to that market. Generally though you don't see it until the 45 to 50 foot mark but I have seen plenty. I could easily get to that point if I wanted to ditch the single hull route and go for a Cat, but whats the fun in that? hehe.

SuDZ

**bluepea** · 02-22-2006, 10:57 AM

I buy lottery tickets maybe once a month. I never usually think to do so. I figure if I win, cool, if I don't I'm only out a $1.

I'd buy about 10 (moderate sized) houses around the world so I could go off any time I wanted. I'd also buy a big ol' yacht - but not too excessive. I love water activities. I'd also get all of my redneck gear - his and hers four wheelers and snowmobiles. Then, I'd bum around Central/South America and Africa volunteering and helping to bring in good water systems and medical care.

**micdans** · 02-22-2006, 04:53 PM

Theres actually a mathamatical equation proving when it is worth your money to buy a powerball ticket. It takes into account the odds of getting the full jackpot and what the total jackpot is at.
I think it's something like 130 million. I hit 3 numbers and the powerball once this past summer, it has odds like 1:12,000 or so. Good times.

**Sijuki** · 02-23-2006, 05:13 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by urOZm8@Feb 18 2006, 10:34 PM
$365 mil?* That's insane.* What would someone do with so much money?* Does the tax man take a lot of it?

We had a $20 mil jackpot last night and that is like a big one here, and I'm talking AUD!

ev

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The way it works here you get two choices when you win. You can either take payments divided up over 25 years or take a lump sum. Most people go for the lump sum anymore. If you get the lump sum you get about half of what the jackpot is. So in this case $183 million. Then from that the Tax man takes his share. I believe it caps at roughly 38% under the new tax laws. Although I always figure 40% after other misc. fees and such, so you would end up with $109 million dollars in your pocket.

The funny thing is the people that complain about that you only end up with $109 million in the end. Seriously, its $109 million that you just got for $1. What is there to complain about?

I would finally go backpacking.

and buy an island, and invite the T-punks.