# Winning a $25M lottery isn't always easy. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 16, 2003, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winning-a-25m-lottery-isnt-always-easy/175658 "2003-05-16T12:29:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2003, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winning-a-25m-lottery-isnt-always-easy/175658/1 "2003-05-16T12:29:56Z")
[http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk1NCZmZ2JlbDdmN3ZxZWVFRXl5NjM3OTQ2OSZ5cmlyeTdmNzE3Zjd2cWVlRUV5eTM=](http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk1NCZmZ2JlbDdmN3ZxZWVFRXl5NjM3OTQ2OSZ5cmlyeTdmNzE3Zjd2cWVlRUV5eTM=) So just who did win it? This happened in my little hometown of Englewood, New Jersey, and the winning ticket was sold in a convenience story about 1/2 mile from my house. People can get ridiculous when millions are involved. ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2003, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winning-a-25m-lottery-isnt-always-easy/175658/2 "2003-05-16T12:34:53Z")
Rule Number One when winning a shitload of money: shut the fuck up about it. ---
**Author:** ![SnoopyFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d07c76/32.png) [@SnoopyFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnoopyFan)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2003, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winning-a-25m-lottery-isnt-always-easy/175658/3 "2003-05-16T12:38:04Z")
From the article … “The Davises say life has been hell since the lottery drawing. When word spread that they had won the prize, they were besieged by robbery and kidnapping threats that forced them out of their home and into a hotel, they said.” How dumb do you gotta be to win the lottery and get in front of the TV cameras and go “WOOHOO! I won the lottery! My name is blah blah blah and I live in Yadayadaville! Now all you crazy people be sure to call me up at all hours of the night and harass me!” If I ever won the lottery and the rules provided for me to accept it anonymously, I would. If I HAD to release my name, the second I found out I won my daughter would be tucked away at the family farm which is in the middle of nowhere, and she wouldn’t be coming back until we had a chance to hire some security guards and change our phone number. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9dc877/32.png) [@Mr\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Jim)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2003, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winning-a-25m-lottery-isnt-always-easy/175658/4 "2003-05-16T12:39:27Z")
7 million in trust for the guys son?? Jebus, what a mess. ---
**Author:** ![Ashkicker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4bbf92/32.png) [@Ashkicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashkicker)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2003, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winning-a-25m-lottery-isnt-always-easy/175658/5 "2003-05-16T12:51:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Coldfire \* > \*\*Rule Number One when winning a shitload of money: shut the fuck up about it. \*\* Rule Number Two when winning a shitload of money: take the money and run like hell. ---
**Author:** ![SnoopyFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d07c76/32.png) [@SnoopyFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnoopyFan)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2003, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winning-a-25m-lottery-isnt-always-easy/175658/6 "2003-05-16T12:56:58Z")
Well said. Despite the fight over the money, I’m glad to see that working people won it. Several years ago my hometown had a Powerball winner. 33 million bucks to the town drunk! Yay! ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2003, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winning-a-25m-lottery-isnt-always-easy/175658/7 "2003-05-16T13:01:09Z")
Two clarifications: This is Englewood, New Jersey, where everybody knows everybody else’s business. You can’t do anything in this town without it getting in the street in about two minutes. Sometimes it’s a real pain in the ass, sometimes it saves lives. The “winning couple” was at a realtor next day, trying to move out of Bergen County. In other words, take the money and run before the case hit the courts. They didn’t make it. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2003, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winning-a-25m-lottery-isnt-always-easy/175658/8 "2003-05-16T13:32:24Z")
Bear in mindhat most state and provincial lotteries legally require that the names and hometowns, at a minimum, of the winners MUST be publicized, and must agree to have their pictures taken and such if the lottery corporation demands it. This keeps the game on the up-and-up; if you didn’t name the winners, they could rig the game to always run a number with no jackpot winner, keep the winnings, and then say every week “Well, someone won, but gosh darn it, they wanted to stay anonymous.” ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2003, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winning-a-25m-lottery-isnt-always-easy/175658/9 "2003-05-16T13:36:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SnoopyFan \* > \*\*Several years ago my hometown had a Powerball winner. 33 million bucks to the town drunk! Yay! \*\* [George Gobel voice]My father was the town drunk. And we lived in Chicago.[/George Gobel voice] ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2003, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winning-a-25m-lottery-isnt-always-easy/175658/10 "2003-05-16T13:45:32Z")
Did the Davis’s have the winning ticket? Then the cash belongs to them. I am assuming the hospital workers do NOT have the winning ticket, and most likely, no evidence of an agreement with anyone who actually held a winning ticket. therefore, they get bupkas. I need to see some documentation for their claim. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2003, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winning-a-25m-lottery-isnt-always-easy/175658/11 "2003-05-16T22:41:00Z")
I think in CA, you can choose to not have your name and likeness used for lottery publicity purposes. I’ll tell you one thing- they would never be able to use my name or my face. If we won, we would schedule a quiet meeting with our broker, our trust attorney, and a good lawyer and figure all the details out in advance. Then we would call a family meeting to let everyone know what was going to happen. Last;y, we would claim the prize and never tell a soul. Nice, easy, and no death threats, long-lost relatives or shady scams. ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2003, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winning-a-25m-lottery-isnt-always-easy/175658/12 "2003-05-16T23:59:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by EJsGirl \* > \*\*Then we would call a family meeting to let everyone know what was going to happen. Last;y, we would claim the prize and never tell a soul. > > \*\* See, I wouldn’t even tell my family. I probably wouldn’t even tell my husband if I could get away with it, heh heh. I’d buy a sweet, impractical car and hightail it to Vegas. ---
**Author:** ![Stuffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@Stuffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stuffy)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2003, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winning-a-25m-lottery-isnt-always-easy/175658/13 "2003-05-17T00:27:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by voguevixen \* > \*\*See, I wouldn’t even tell my family. I probably wouldn’t even tell my husband if I could get away with it, heh heh. I’d buy a sweet, impractical car and hightail it to Vegas. \*\* You might want to rethink [that](http://www.canoe.com/CNEWSHeyMartha0002/10_one.html) :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Fugazi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f08c70/32.png) [@Fugazi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fugazi)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2003, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winning-a-25m-lottery-isnt-always-easy/175658/14 "2003-05-17T00:43:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Stuffy \* > \*\*You might want to rethink [that](http://www.canoe.com/CNEWSHeyMartha0002/10_one.html) :smack: \*\* It’s not often you get to see an example of instant karma. Talk about screwed up one side and down the other.