# Question about State Lotteries?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-state-lotteries/307917>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 12, 2005, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-state-lotteries/307917 "2005-06-12T01:55:58Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![NadaHappyCamper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/278dde/32.png) [@NadaHappyCamper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NadaHappyCamper)\
**Post date:** [June 12, 2005, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-state-lotteries/307917/1 "2005-06-12T01:55:58Z")

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Should a player strike good fortune and win some LARGE state lottery for, say, 5 or 7 million dollars, and opts for the yearly payouts, then passes away, who gets the remaining payouts, or do the remaining dollars revert back to the state? :smack:

Conform or die

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**Author:** ![tofergregg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@tofergregg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tofergregg)\
**Post date:** [June 12, 2005, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-state-lotteries/307917/2 "2005-06-12T03:50:12Z")

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The money generally becomes part of the estate of the deceased, gets passed on to the heirs in the will, and incurs estate taxes as necessary.

-Tofer

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**Author:** ![robotic\_panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed8c4c/32.png) [@robotic\_panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robotic_panda)\
**Post date:** [June 12, 2005, 9:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-state-lotteries/307917/3 "2005-06-12T09:36:00Z")

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Not to mention, after such a big win, most people will have a new will made pretty quick which stipulates exactly where and to whom the money will go.