I play the lottery regularly. A very lame minimal strategy.
I find that I wish to win only a moderate amount. Enough to ensure my retirement. Which is a small amount. With enough left over to give major treats to friends and relatives, which ultimately might ensure their reasonable retirements.
When the prize gets huge, I start to feel I will be burdened to carefully allocate the excess to the best charities and other things. It could really have more far reaching consequence.
At a Billion. That can have real consequence. I have some solid ideas. But they stop far short of a Billion. At that point I need lawyers to set up funds for certain organizations. Look into all sorts of background stuff.
Quit my present job and start that one.
But in a slightly nicer house. Somewhere else.
July 29 drawing:
13-36-45-57-67
Mega Ball: 14
Megaplier: 2
Out of the five tickets we bought, we matched one number. Did I win anything?
Thank You!
Out of five, I matched two on one pick (13, 67) and another (57) an a second. Here’s hoping it rolls over so we can do it again on Tuesday for even more eye popping cash.
Waiting for the results, we found out that a young house guest had thought all that through! She lives in a No Anonymity state, but her parents don’t, so she’d go back home (and hire a lawyer… she found one that specializes in keeping lottery winners safe and unknown).
Once again, I have a $2 winner. Makes me think it’s perhaps a waste of time and money to buy lottery tickets…
Early reports are that one winning ticket was sold in Illinois. Let’s see if any of our Illinois Dopers are conspicuous by their absence in the coming days.
Was there only one big winner?
Looks like it …
$2 apparently !
Damnit! They picked the wrong numbers again.
It would seem only one ticket won the big prize. I think that is great.
Des Plaines is nearby, but rest assured everyone I did not win. 
Yep. I was slightly excited when I heard it was bought in Illinois and in the Chicago area; I was in Des Plaines yesterday, but that’s not where I bought my ticket from. My best line only had two matches.
Wow, Des Plaines! I think I was also in Des Plaines yesterday, if not, really close on I90 near the airport. There’s a non-zero chance I know the winner.
Better luck next time, all.
One winning ticket. Chicago area. Not me.
Well, at least I won $12.00.
“…and shortly afterward it was learned that a certain Mr. Zotti had just bought a chunk of WBEZ-Tribune Media…”