# Mega Millions Madness **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 5, 2023, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mega-millions-madness/988090 "2023-08-05T05:06:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2023, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mega-millions-madness/988090/41 "2023-08-07T13:03:00Z")
I’d be giving the bulk of it away. Maybe start by giving $1M each to a thousand different people/charities? My fantasy bogs down after that into the making of the list. It’s a moot point anyway as I don’t play. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2023, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mega-millions-madness/988090/42 "2023-08-07T13:51:01Z")
That was one of my favorite lottery commercials. Just a wholesome-looking middle-aged woman: > Well, if I won, I’d share it all. > > First, I’d share some of it with a car dealer, then a realtor, then I’d share a lot of it with a travel agent… ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2023, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mega-millions-madness/988090/43 "2023-08-07T14:01:53Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > I’d be giving the bulk of it away. Maybe start by giving $1M each to a thousand different people/charities? My fantasy bogs down after that into the making of the list. It’s a moot point anyway as I don’t play. That’s pretty much what [MacKenzie Scott](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacKenzie_Scott) (ex-wife of Jeff Bezos) has been doing with her many billions. She’s given it away to hundreds of organizations. I read someplace that the donations can come as a surprise to these groups. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2023, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mega-millions-madness/988090/44 "2023-08-09T08:14:46Z")
Well, which of you Florida Dopers won? When can we expect the buyout? ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2023, 9:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mega-millions-madness/988090/45 "2023-08-09T09:04:14Z")
I am in Florida, and I did buy 4 tickets. But, I didn’t check the numbers yet. If you don’t hear from me for a while, you’ll know why. I’ll post something from my new yacht. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2023, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mega-millions-madness/988090/46 "2023-08-09T11:45:56Z")
I’m in South Florida! And I’m going to pretend I didn’t see that it was sold in North Florida, so I can keep dreaming about for a bit longer. (I’m also not going to look at the part with a ticket from Hollywood worth $2m, since that’s not where I bought my ticket.) ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2023, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mega-millions-madness/988090/47 "2023-08-09T11:58:00Z")
I bought my tickets in New York, so alas I did not win. I am willing to accept pennies on the dollar if another Doper won and is looking to share. ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2023, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mega-millions-madness/988090/48 "2023-08-09T13:28:41Z")
Well, the winning ticket was bought in North Florida. I bought my tickets in North Florida. The winning ticket was bought at Publix. I bought my tickets at Publix. The winning ticket was bought in Neptune Beach. I bought my tickets _less_ than 10 miles away. No yacht. I think it was rigged. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2023, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mega-millions-madness/988090/49 "2023-08-09T13:33:58Z")
I’m in North Florida! A big Publix fan! But I never bought a ticket. And I don’t know anyone in Neptune Beach. 😭 ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2023, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mega-millions-madness/988090/50 "2023-08-09T13:36:40Z")
I dated a couple ladies in Neptune Beach. It may be time for me to rekindle a relationship. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2023, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mega-millions-madness/988090/51 "2023-08-09T13:44:47Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > So right now I believe that it would be a good strategy to buy all the possible combinations. It would not be. It’s [been tried](https://www.nytimes.com/1992/02/25/us/group-invests-5-million-to-hedge-bets-in-lottery.html) (on a smaller scale) and [analyzed](https://www.businessinsider.com/mega-millions-lottery-buying-every-ticket-math-2018-10) before, and because of the increasing likelihood of a split, it would not be a great move, financially speaking. That, and the logistics of purchasing 300+ million tickets is prohibitive - you’d need a small army of people to pull off buying all those tickets (and you only have 3-4 days to manage the coordination) and those people would expect to be paid for their time. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2023, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mega-millions-madness/988090/52 "2023-08-09T13:55:42Z")
> [@Tibby](#): > > I think it was rigged. I’ve been buying tickets for years and never won. It’s obviously rigged. ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2023, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mega-millions-madness/988090/53 "2023-08-09T14:02:10Z")
Either that or God is just busting my chops (having the winning ticket drawn so close to home), simply because I don’t believe in him. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2023, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mega-millions-madness/988090/54 "2023-08-10T14:10:22Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > I’d be giving the bulk of it away. Maybe start by giving $1M each to a thousand different people/charities? My fantasy bogs down after that into the making of the list. It’s a moot point anyway as I don’t play. The winner takes home somewhere in the neighborhood of 40% of the advertised annuity value between cash payout discount & withheld taxes. With a $1.58Bil annuity amount that’s around $600mil, which means you already have $400 mil if you’re going to give away a thousand millions. Please consider a generous donation to the SHBF from your existing wealth. Spiderman’s Hookers & Blow Fund ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2023, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mega-millions-madness/988090/55 "2023-08-10T14:15:18Z")
Crap! Please allow me to offer you some lovely pocket lint. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2023, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mega-millions-madness/988090/56 "2023-08-10T14:22:47Z")
wrapped in $100 bills? ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2023, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mega-millions-madness/988090/57 "2023-08-10T14:29:48Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > Please consider a generous donation to the SHBF from your existing wealth. I will, but I insist on sampling and testing the wares of any business before I invest. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2023, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mega-millions-madness/988090/58 "2023-08-10T15:47:16Z")
It’s a charity not a business, if it were a business looking for investors, I’d dress more like [this](https://www.google.com/search?q=pimp+attire&tbm=isch&source=lnms) ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2023, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mega-millions-madness/988090/59 "2023-08-10T15:49:04Z")
That looks like a photo shoot of my current wardrobe. ---
**Author:** ![Hermione1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/d07c76/32.png) [@Hermione1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermione1)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2023, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mega-millions-madness/988090/60 "2023-08-10T16:44:49Z")
You know, it’s funny. Around the time last year everyone was going on about the Powerball, I had this dream that I’d won two different lotteries that left me with two million. But the funny thing is, in the dream, I didn’t think, “Wow, I can afford mansions and yachts and jewelry!” Instead, I thought, “I’ll have an extra for my yearly income due to the interest, I can afford a full-time caregiver for my mother and take more of the burden off my sister and brother-in-law, I can invest in clean energy and also buy an EV outright like I’ve always wanted to…” and then I woke up. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mega-millions-madness/988090.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mega-millions-madness/988090.md?page=4)