Why don't YOU stop YOUR SPAMMING??? I've seen at least three of your posts, identical, this AM. I think it is you who are trying to drive attention to the Site. Jerk!

I'm the winner. I'm just having a hard time finding my ticket. Would you take my word for it?

I bet the person has killed themselves because they lost or threw away the ticket on accident. What would you do if you lost out on 190million, and please don't just say you'd move on because we all know it would be a devastating loss.

When I hit the Lotto all you will know of me is my Attorney's name and the name of the trust fund that supports the trust fund of the Company that supports me.

Yeah! Reveal yourself and your life will become a miserable one!

No have a special drawing for the rest. You can support more then 23 grandkids on $190million.

As a matter of fact, I support the idea that every time a lottery reaches over 20 million there should be a split or secondary lottery not to exceed 10 million. So, in a 100 million lottery prize there could be 10 probable winners rather than just one stinking rich individual.

Your SS number is yours for life. Even if you change your name. Also, winning the jackpot IS all it's cracked up to be. Show me someone where it's not all it's cracked up to be and I'll show you someone who's entire family is already financially secure.

Many jackpot guys end up broke.

More than a few wind up broke or dead. coming into huge sums of money can be a curse. Look at the millionaire sports figures that wound up with nothing.

Many people can't handle receiving large amounts of money. they go on a spending spree like there's no tomorrow, or party most of it down the drain.

There are many who aren't wise enough to make smart financial choices with their winnings.

Maybe it's best for some of them to receive the annual payments over 25 years, instead of taking it all at once.

Me, I'd take the whole lump sum and move around, so the shady elements couldn't track me down.

Can an illegal win the lottery?

Any person(foreign born or American) can play/win the lottery in the US. Every winner will pay taxes on the winnings, no matter where they were born or reside. So if an "illegal" wins, they will be paying their fair share back to the US.

I've played the lottery in Costa Rica. They don't discriminate on who can or can't win. They also don't tax the winners on their winnings(not even foreigners).

Illegal alien a winner: Go see an immigration atty along with investment manager and tax accountant. With $$$ and no criminal record one should qualify for a Green Card. But be sure that your in-home relatives are legal because ICE can still grab them.

Exactly right. People have no clue as to all the beggars that come crawling out of the woodwork after they learn who won. It is no one's business.

Part of the agreement to collect the check the winners name has to be posted, the public has the rights to know who won..if they didn't post the name who knows if it really was awarded.

You create an LLC, Limited Liability Corporation, in another state. The LLC then claims the lottery winnings, through their attorney (that you hired) and you are never exposed as the lottery winner. And you are also just an employee of the LLC, so you technically just work for them, and have none of the money. If someone from your past tries to sue you b/c you won, you're dirt poor in the eyes of the court.

Then the shady crooked lawyer embezzles all the money and you truly are dirt poor.

I have also not been a total jerk to you for several years now. Please include me in the share of your winnings.

State lotteries have to reveal the identity of winners to ensure the integrity of the lottery. If people couldn't know who won, they couldn't be sure the game wasn't rigged.

It 's funny how the lottery appeals to elitism.

I don't know about Idaho, but in many states the business that sold the lottery ticket gets a commission. Selling a lottery ticket that big gets an extra big commission for a small business owner.

What happens to a MEGA Millions jackpot prize if it is not claimed?

If a jackpot prize is not claimed within the required time limit, each of the participating states in the MEGA Millions game will get back all the money they contributed to that jackpot. Each state in the game uses unclaimed prizes for different purposes. In California and New Jersey unclaimed MEGA Millions jackpot prize funds are distributed to education.

Education. Right.

It is used for scholarships in New Mexico as well.

I would also install a high-tech security system.

Ok I'll remind you for say 10% of the profit on your winning ticket. No, wait. 20%. Seems only fair.

That is very nice of you to make the assumption that everyone that lives in Post Falls are like that. It is actually the Spokane news crews.... like all media trying to hype it up...

Unless this particular lottery is run much more amateurishly than most, the lotter commission already knows which store sold it.

dave in Minnesota

You are 100% correct, however, as far as I know; the winning store doesn’t get their money until the winners do.

Good luck to you....if it is you..post here again so we can ask you for a few thousands...LOL

I did that a few times too..wait until the store is named,..then get all excited and wait more.

A guy last year about half a mile from me won $268 million in the Mega..but it was pool tickets, he split it with five co-workers.

Hey thanks. Of course I doubt it, but I am certainly hopeful, and obviously it has never hit this close to home before! We're just going to sit tight and see if someone else steps forward. This town is really struggling, and it would seem most of the people who would purchase a ticket here would have come forward by now, but there are some bright people who would recognize the benefits of waiting.

I'm sorry, but I don't really understand the logic behind waiting to hear more details, just look at your ticket. It sounds like your caught up in some weird mental-drama. Besides, they haven't announced the store in almost a week, so you may want to just look instead of screwing with all of your family members emotions. Just a thought.

The family is just fine...lots of fun and laughter today, so at this point there are no emotional scars from not checking a lottery ticket.

Hey, leave the lady alone. Let her have her fun...
By the way if you do win can I "borrow*" 80grand? Thats less then 1% of your winnings, and I did protect you just now.

*By borrow I mean give to me. Thats for legal purposes.

You are wrong. Very wrong. First off, the winner will be taxed the exact same amount whether they take the lump sum or spread it out over 26 years.

Secondly, to presume it is greed that would drive someone to take a lump sum payment is wrong also. The lump sum payment is BY FAR, the financially sound choice to make. If you think making $7.5 million a year is good, look at it like this:

If you take the lump sum payment, $81 million according to the article, and invest it immediately, at a minimum, you will earn 5% a year (Government T-bills, guaranteed rate) which will be $4.05 million dollars a year FOR LIFE.

If you hire a smart financial planner, he will diversify the portfolio, buying stocks, bonds, mutual funds, real estate, etc etc. He can keep the money in safe sectors, not prone to volatility. By diversifying, you minimize risk of loss, and if one sector tanks, others that you own may profit. A good year with that account may bring in a 10-12% return on investment (ROI) which means you are PROFITING $8.1 million-$10 million dollars a year.

But let's say you are really conservative, and even though your investments are making $8 million a year, you want to keep some of your gain, so you budget yourself to only $4 million a year allowance, and re-invest the rest of the earnings. And you decide to do this over the same length as what the lottery pay-out would have been: 26 years. At 10% ROI, using COMPOUND interest, after 26 years, you would have $944,507,683. THAT IS ALMOST A BILLION DOLLARS. If you don't believe me, do the math yourself, but make sure you are using compound interest.

So you can get paid a paltry allowance of $4 million a year, while becoming a billionaire, or take your advice, and get paid $7.5 million a year for 26 years (and you'll be taxed too, at 40% which will leave you at $4 million an year after taxes) after which you won't have any other money coming in.

Please please please always take the lump sum payment.

I agree with you, from the standpoint from which you're speaking taking the lump sum is far wiser. But that's not how it happens. Most people who suddenly come into that kind of money are broke within 3-5 years. Is it because they don't follow the steps you outlined? Probably. But the fact remains that they are broke within 3-5 years.

I think making 7.5 million a year is good, yes. Maybe I won't be looking at a billion 20 years from now, but you can't convince me that I can't do the same thing with my 'paltry' 4 million a year that you suggest doing with 81 million and still in the long run not be broke. I would rather have 4 million a year for 26 years and maybe learn to handle it wisely for the long run than to have my shot at 81 million and be broke in 5 years.

I think anyone considering buying a ticket for a gigantic payout like this ought to try to talk to someone BEFORE they win about how to handle sudden wealth because the statistics beat the crap out of your math; most sudden millionaires are broke in a few years. Most people who play the lottery are people who don't have a lot of financial wealth to begin with (I'm guessing about that) so they are easy prey for a state-sanctioned get-rich-quick scheme that nets those states millions in revenue.

So in theory you're absolutely correct, and if most people PRACTICED that, they'd be more than set for life; but from a practical perspective, most people simply don't to that and they're broke in 5 years instead of in 26 years. Which is better from that perspective?

As for me, I think I would take the money in "payout" over the 26 years. I think I would just sleep better knowing I have the money coming in for the duration of 26 years....and not being worried about my lump sum being lost after a few years due to economics and shady lawyers/advisors....or due to my own stupidity. I would talk to lawyers and others and set up a trust fund or two.

Also, I would do the "vanishing act" if I won. My kids and parents would know where I was at. That would be enough contact for me. Everyone else would know me as just some new guy in the area. No frills housing, no frills big money cars.

I can make do very well now on my retirement so I think I can do well also with 3 to 4 million per year through the lottery annuity. I don't need to be a multi-millionare (or billionare) to sleep good at night or to otherwise be happy.

Yeah, that lawyer and accountant will most likely split with the last check once they've spent through all your money and leave you broke. One of the first billionaires in this country once said,

"Never pay someone to do something you don't have a clue how to do yourself."

That's paraphrased slightly, but you get the drift.