# You're too stupid to be a millionaire!! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 6, 2004, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995 "2004-01-06T13:42:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995/1 "2004-01-06T13:42:05Z")
Fox News just reported on an Ohio woman who bought a winning ticket for the MegaMillions lottery AND LOST IT!!! It was worth over $160 million. I don’t care who you are, that’s funny. ---
**Author:** ![One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/838e76/32.png) [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/One_And_Only_Wanderers)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995/2 "2004-01-06T13:47:45Z")
[Ananova article](http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_852722.html?menu=news.quirkies) Personally Id be pretty damn pissed. Ill be terribly impressed if someone finds it and actually hands it in. Would be interesting to see the size of the reward in such a cse 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Brutus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Brutus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brutus)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995/3 "2004-01-06T13:49:08Z")
She _claims_ that she bought the winning ticket. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995/4 "2004-01-06T13:50:08Z")
In all fairness, [she lost the ticket BEFORE it won.](http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/Midwest/01/05/megamillions.lostticket.ap/index.html) (If her story is true.) Still pretty dumb, though. ---
**Author:** ![One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/838e76/32.png) [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/One_And_Only_Wanderers)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995/5 "2004-01-06T13:54:20Z")
I don’t really see the dumbness here. She dropped her purse, that’s all. Unlucky as all hell, but not necessarily dumb ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995/6 "2004-01-06T13:56:27Z")
I was reading that whoever finds the ticket gets to keep it and cash it. Of course lawsuits would ensue but I digress. ---
**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995/7 "2004-01-06T14:05:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by One And Only Wanderers \* > \*\*I don’t really see the dumbness here. She dropped her purse, that’s all. Unlucky as all hell, but not necessarily dumb \*\* I can understand that, but if you’re buying the ticket you’re hoping to win, right? Then why carelessly put it in your purse in such a way it could fall out so easily? Keep it in a safer place. ---
**Author:** ![One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/838e76/32.png) [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/One_And_Only_Wanderers)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995/8 "2004-01-06T14:08:53Z")
I buy a lucky dip twice a week. Of course I _hope_ to win, but i don’t really _expect_ to. Consequently I don’t take special cared with my ticket. It just goes in a shirt pocket or in my card holder. I’ve been known to misplace them occasionally (As i get lucky dips id have no idea if id won). She’d put it in her purse, that would seem safe enough to me, as she didn’t expect to drop the purse. I stand by unlucky rather than dumb ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995/9 "2004-01-06T14:10:46Z")
I was wondering what happens to the money. I assume it stays in the coffers, in which case it’s quite a boon for whomever’s money it is. I’ll bet there’s also quite a bit of dumpster diving going on in that neighborhood… ---
**Author:** ![curly\_chick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ba0ec/32.png) [@curly\_chick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curly_chick)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995/10 "2004-01-06T14:12:34Z")
If lawsuits are going to ensue if someone finds it and claims the prize, what is to stop some chancer doing that at every draw? If present my legitimately bought winning ticket to claim my prize, some plank can come along and claim it is his and that he lost it? ---
**Author:** ![51\_cent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/a88e57/32.png) [@51\_cent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/51_cent)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995/11 "2004-01-06T14:13:22Z")
If that happened to me, I would find a gun, place it in my mouth and pull the trigger, because my grief would be too great for me to bear. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995/12 "2004-01-06T14:15:46Z")
I remember years ago seeing a piece on TV about a couple searching a garbage dump for their winning ticket they had thrown out in the trash? Did they ever find it? What about **Man trapped under mountain of books** on the linked page. It may help our book suicide Doper. ---
**Author:** ![Brutus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Brutus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brutus)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995/13 "2004-01-06T14:16:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by curly chick \* > \*\*If present my legitimately bought winning ticket to claim my prize, some plank can come along and claim it is his and that he lost it? \*\* No. The payoff goes to the ticket-bearer. Granted, I am sure some lawyer would have a go at it, but I hope that the rules are explicit enough to put a kibosh on lottery lawsuits. ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995/14 "2004-01-06T14:18:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by curly chick \* > \*\*If lawsuits are going to ensue if someone finds it and claims the prize, what is to stop some chancer doing that at every draw? > > If present my legitimately bought winning ticket to claim my prize, some plank can come along and claim it is his and that he lost it? \*\* I didn’t say it was a good idea, just that in our sue happy society it was simply a given in this situation. ---
**Author:** ![county](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce7236/32.png) [@county](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/county)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995/15 "2004-01-06T14:19:30Z")
I wouldn’t kill myself but some therapy might be in order. ---
**Author:** ![green\_bladder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/73ab20/32.png) [@green\_bladder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/green_bladder)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995/16 "2004-01-06T14:24:07Z")
Thought this was gonna be about Paris Hilton… ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995/17 "2004-01-06T14:45:29Z")
I say to hell with this cow. I hope someone else finds it and keeps every cent. Why the hell should anyone believe her anyway? It sounds like she’e just pulling a scam. If I found the ticket I’d make it a point to call her up and taunt her. Let her work for a living like everyone else. ---
**Author:** ![county](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce7236/32.png) [@county](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/county)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995/18 "2004-01-06T14:52:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Diogenes the Cynic \* > \*\*. > > If I found the ticket I’d make it a point to call her up and taunt her. > > \*\* You got 160 million dollars and you are going to call her up and taunt her, that’s a helluva priority IMO. ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995/19 "2004-01-06T14:53:36Z")
Call her from your solid gold helicopter, that’s what I’d do. ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995/20 "2004-01-06T15:08:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by green\_bladder \* > \*\*Thought this was gonna be about Paris Hilton… \*\* Me too. No really! If I _found_ the ticket in such a way that her story was _plausible or likely_, I’d return it and beg, beg, _beg_ for a reward of about $100,000. Seriously, 160 million is too much for me to wrap my brain around and I wouldn’t ever want to have to deal with it or the responsibility of it - but even $50,000 would clean up a lot of personal debts and give me a nice nest egg to ready for retirement. If I found it and it in circumstances that did not match her story or made her story highly _unlikely_, I’d cash it and donate it to charity to minimize the vileness of the entire situation. (Bad karma to keep that much found money.) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995.md?page=2)