Nationwide, Mega Millions players stormed lottery retailers to purchase tickets for what shaped to be the second largest drawing ever held by the popular game. With the prize crossing the $600 million limit, there were some who secretly hoped that the previous record would be shattered. A few years ago, the same lottery awarded the biggest jackpot ever, a massive $656 that was equally split among three lucky ticket holders.

Given the fact that previous estimations were outstripped by actual ticket sales, it is not far-fetched for the jackpot to climb to new highs. In the end, the first prize came 8 million short of tying the record, but on the bright side, just two players got to split the $648 million. Lottery officials reveal the fact that one of the lottery winners bought the ticket in San Jose California, but as the lucky player is expected to step forward and claim his prize, there are no details available about him or her.

On the other hand, the winner of the other half stepped forward and her identity was already revealed. Ira Curry from Georgia is a 56 years old woman who will receive an amount of $120 million after all state and federal taxes have been paid. The lucky lady who describes herself as a conservative lottery player, doesn’t invest a lot of money on lottery tickets and always handpicks her numbers. Find out more about her story here: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/12/18/us/mega-millions/

There is nothing wrong in choosing to manually add lottery numbers on the slip, it’s just that the vast majority of lottery players these days resort to the quick pick system. They fancy the convenience it brings and the fact that the time saved is significant on the long run, although they have exactly the same chances to win as those who use numbers that have a personal significance or use complex lottery systems. As for the lucky lady from Georgia, she was on the verge of missing out on the opportunity as she postponed the ticket purchase for late Friday afternoon.

The decision to visit a local lottery retail and purchase the tickets with just a couple of hours left before the drawing room to be the most inspired choice she ever made. With so much money on her hands, she has plenty of time to think what to purchase and whom to help. It is only fair to assume that her family will receive all the support it needs, especially her daughter, who was the one to learn about the good fortune, in the first place.

Online lotto players know that when winter celebrations approach, the number of ticket buyers increases sharply and as a result the prizes are boosted as well. New York lottery confirms the rule and although just a week has passed, December is already a remarkable month for those trying to become millionaires. A couple of lottery players have already seen their dream come true, and at the top of the list stands Dr. Stobel who won a staggering amount of $6.2 million playing the NY lotto.

The lucky Dr. is a regular lottery player but apparently he is also fully aware of the numerous scam artists that try to make a living by deceiving honest players. That’s why neither he nor his wife chose to believe that they actually won the jackpot when a New York lottery official called him to break the big news. Instead, they chose to hang up the phone and let the machine take their messages, so it is only fair to say that they were on the verge of losing a huge amount.

While scam artists are very active during lottery peak activity, those who have a lottery subscription need to be particularly careful. The reason is that the system makes it easy for lottery officials to find out when one of their customers wins a lot of money and given the fact that they have all the information they need at their fingertips, they can get in touch with the winner. As a result, what looks too good to be true actually is and players should ask for additional information instead of dismissing the news as scam.

In this particular case, the story has a happy ending because Dr. Stobel eventually got in touch with the lottery representatives and cashed in his prize. He doesn’t have to worry about what to do with the money, because he chose to donate it all to his wife, but it is only fair to say that these winter holidays are going to be special. Elsewhere, lottery players won seven digit amount as well and even though they are yet to surpass the $6.2 million threshold, they have plenty of reasons to be happy with their success.

Seven players won $1 million which translates into $660,000 after taxation, including Hilton and Alicia Cancel from Floral Park Village, Andrew Roland and Robert Blume. While the New York lottery holds the headlines for jackpots on the eastern coast, nationwide the Mega Millions and Powerball remain the most lucrative lottery games.

When lottery players purchase tickets, they hope to win the jackpot but deep inside they know that they would gladly settle for the second-tier prize. In most cases, such a win would translate into tens of thousands of dollars being won, which is more than a consolation prize for those who failed to match all the winning numbers. The idea of winning the main prize is uplifting, but the prospect of winning the same lottery jackpot twice is simply mind blowing.

A Barrytown resident proved that it is possible to win the Michigan lottery two times in a row and he won a combined $2.3 million. The lucky man goes by the name of Joseph Palmarchuk and in the first half of 2012, he scooped a jackpot worth $1 million. This event made him richer and boosted his confidence, but the lottery winner had no intention to stop playing and he doubled his efforts.

Lady luck smiled benevolently upon him a couple of days ago when he won another $1.35 million in the same lottery. He was pleasantly surprised to find out the next day that he matched all the winning numbers and his newfound wealth will be placed safely into a bank account. Joseph has no reason to splash out at 66-year-old and with plenty of money left from his previous jackpot win, he intends to ensure a better future for his children and close relatives.

The Michigan lottery winner has children and grandchildren that could use that money and he plans on spending a large chunk of his profits to look after his family. With winter coming in a matter of weeks, he plans on buying a condominium in a warmer state, but he intends to return home once the cold weather is gone. One thing that the lottery winner will also do is travel, although it is yet uncertain whether the retiree will go beyond borders or travel mostly nationwide.

The good news is that he has total freedom in making this choice as money is no longer of the essence and as a retiree, he has plenty of time on his hands. When asked whether he plans on purchasing lottery tickets in the foreseeable future, Joseph told the reporters that his passion for the game is very much alive. In fact, he is so optimistic as to claim that he expects to win another prize in a not so distant future, although he has little hopes of scooping another jackpot.

An interesting combination between a traditional deceit and a somewhat innovative lottery scam is the US Green Card Lottery Scam. The combination of terms itself should raise the alarm flags, because it makes no sense whatsoever for the United States authorities to run such a venture. While it is perfectly true that some people get to win the green cards, the waiting list is huge and it is impossible to be nominated for a green card unless you sign up.

This doesn’t stop cyber criminals from testing the waters and what they do is to send an avalanche of e-mails to random recipients, hoping that some of them would be fooled. There are several ways in which they run this operation, but recently they chose to imply that they work together with the US Embassy in London. Recipients are instructed to send a small amount to London via Western Union, telling them that this sum is necessary for paperwork.

It goes without saying that those who have frequently applied for the US green cards are thrilled at the prospect of finally getting one and are more likely to respond. On the other hand, they should be more aware of the fact that the Diversity Visa (DV) Program is absolutely free and we shouldn’t be expected to pay a dime. In fact, the authorities are constantly reminding people that those who were lucky enough to be selected for a green card won’t be charged, so they shouldn’t trust those requesting money in any form. Check out http://jobsearch.about.com/od/work-united-states/a/visa-scams.htm for the heads-up.

For the scam artists, this particular deceit is the Holy Grail because it provides them with an excellent reason to ask for personal information. People who aspire to become green card recipients expect to be asked private questions and don’t find it excessive to be requested to give some personal data. This is exactly what the scammers are counting on, because the more they know about a person, the easier it is to pressure them into sending money.

Sometimes they don’t go straight to the final step and instead of requesting money to be sent to a specified account, they try to collect as much information as possible. The trick of involving the US Embassy in London is relatively new, but there are similar ways that the bad guys routinely use. As long as they can convince people to send money out of country via Western Union or other services that don’t perform comprehensive identity checks, they are unlikely to be caught.

The US Green card lottery scam is just one of the many attempts that cyber criminals resort to on a daily basis, but it is one worth paying attention to. There is no point in taking a leap of faith over the Internet because those things that sound too good to be true usually are and the consequences of being naïve can be devastating. Stay on the safe side and never disclose personal information to people who promise amazing benefits, being that money or once-in-a-lifetime opportunities.

One of the main reasons for why people prefer lottery to similar games based on luck is that the cost of playing is significantly lower. Add to this the fact that anyone has the same chance of winning regardless of experience and you realize why these games are so popular among people of all backgrounds. On the other hand, the idea of paying twice as much for the same lottery ticket is never appealing and Camelot should’ve thought about that before announcing that the price of UK National Lottery tickets went up.

To be more precise, before this price bump, a ticket used to cost £1 and now people would have to pay twice as much for the same chance of winning. This is not the first time that the operators of a major lottery decide to charge more money for tickets, with Powerball being an excellent example. Almost 2 years ago, the ones behind this popular American lottery decided that it would be perfectly fair to increase the price from $1-$2. The players were initially upset but after a while they grew to accept the fact that in exchange of paying more money, they were competing for increasingly higher jackpots.

It is no coincidence that over the course of 2013 several records were broken and the number of bin lottery winners has increased dramatically. While this example could serve as an argument in favor of Camelot’s decision, there is no guarantee that the British audience will react in the same manner. For the time being, the numerous surveys conducted by third-party organizations suggest that players are deeply upset with the measure and some even plan on boycotting the lottery.

When it comes to forecast, there is no consensus about what will happen next but there are plenty who think that this could be the straw that broke the camel’s back for lottery players. One thing that could happen is for players to shift from the UK National Lottery to the Health Lottery who announced that it has no intention of increasing prices. Add to this the fact that the aforementioned lottery is frequently emphasizing the fact that they donate a bigger percentage of their revenue to good causes and you’ve got some rock-solid reasons for why players might trade one lottery for the other.

There are two reasons for why the EuroMillions is so popular among European players, with the leading one being the sheer amount of the jackpot. Outside the United States, this is the most generous lottery making millionaires every week with the top prizes counting in the tens and even hundreds of millions of dollars. This is not an amount to be trifled with and even if it wasn’t for other advantages, people would still purchase tickets for this lottery.

The other advantage is that every single week, players can pay one more pound to compete for the EuroMillions Millionaire Raffle. In order to win, players don’t need to match any numbers as all they are required is to have the winning series inscribed on their ticket. This week it was time for Malcolm Talbot to win and the £1 million is going to make him and his 69 years old wife very happy this year.

They are celebrating 51 years since they got married and his wife Rhona turns 70 on the day before Christmas, so they will have the best party ever. They have children, grandchildren and even five great-grandchildren so the money will also improve the quality of their lives. £1 million is a lot of money, but not enough to change all their lives virtually overnight and the best the winners can do, is to help them cover college expenses while buying them nice gifts.

The lucky couple played the lottery for many years but never purchased too many tickets, as they didn’t like the idea of spending too much money on a game that essentially depends on luck. Nevertheless, regardless of how many tickets they might have purchased over the course of time, they surely offset the losses by winning this jackpot. Buying a new home is among the investments at the horizon, but the Talbots don’t have anything excessive in mind.

They intend to relocate in the same community in a house with fewer steps as it is excruciating for them to climb and descend every single day. On the other hand they are thrilled with living in the Bolton area and have no intention of leaving even though they could afford to move pretty much anywhere. It was Malcolm who found out that they’ve won the jackpot, not before realizing that the EuroMillions ticket failed to match the winning numbers.

The moment he realized that he had the winning series inscribed on his ticket he let his wife know and it took a while before the news sank in. They can now enjoy the peaceful retirement and no longer focus about how to cover the numerous expenses worsened by old-age and illness. Their example will probably inspire many of the lottery players who gave up hope after playing for many years, to start purchasing tickets once again. At the end of the day this is a clear case of how perseverance paid off for people who genuinely like lottery, without being addicted to it.

Every now and then, an ordinary lottery comes into the spotlight, after some lucky player wins a huge amount and this is exactly what happened with the Western Australia lottery. The most recent winner refused to disclose his identity, but it is known the fact that he took home $22 million, an amount that is slightly higher than what this lottery usually awards.

The achievement of the lucky Australian is worthy of praise, but what makes this story even better is the fact that a couple of months ago some other lucky winner also crossed the $20 million threshold. Division 1 Oz Lotto jackpot made several millionaires throughout its history, but this amount is the third highest and the fact that two massive jackpots were won in a couple of months is remarkable.

Although it doesn’t enjoy the same popularity and media exposure as the Mega Million or Powerball, this lottery has its dedicated fan base. Compared to its American counterparts, the prizes are mediocre at best, but as Australian lotteries go the Oz Lotto jackpot is out of the ordinary. There are many ways to explain why two players won so much in a matter of months, with the main argument being the fact that the number of people who purchase tickets increased dramatically in 2013.

The price of tickets was not increased, but when lottery players caught wind of the fact that one of their peers won more than $20 million, they started to pay attention to the games. Both these jackpots were not shared by the winner, as they were the only ones to match all the numbers, most likely by using the Quick Pick option. Whenever some of the winning numbers exceed 31, the number of winners in both first category and second-tier prizes is lower, because many lottery players choose to use birthdays.

Lottery officials are thrilled by the prospect of having more players buying tickets in the upcoming months and made sure that they know that other games made millionaires as well. Esperance Goldfields is frequently cited for a warding a prize of $10 million three months ago, but for the time being, all eyes are fixed on the Western Australia lottery. The record is held by a player who won $30 million back in 2007 so those who hope to set a milestone should know that this is the amount to beat.

When people purchase lottery tickets they know from the very beginning that in the unlikely event that they win the jackpot, they will have to make one important decision. More precisely, they need to choose between a lump payment and an annuity, with both decisions having some unpleasant consequences. It would be excessive to spend a lot of time thinking about what to do in case you actually get lucky, but it doesn’t hurt to know your options.

Let’s take the case of Duc Phan as an example, with the Vietnamese fleeing his country more than three decades ago to live the American dream. He occasionally purchased lottery tickets and recently won the main price in the Lucky for Life lottery, which means that he will receive $2500 every week for the next 25 years. In his case, there is no choice to be made because the very name of this lottery implies the fact that his account will be credited with a fixed amount for many years to come.

http://www.lotterycrunch.com/vietnamese-refugee-wins-lucky-for-life-lottery-3335/ presents those interested with an insight into his life and background, offering some valuable information. He spends no more than five dollars to collect a jackpot in excess of $3 million and unlike other lottery winners he didn’t have to wait for a couple of days. The best thing about scratch off lotteries is that you know right away whether you’ve lost a couple of dollars or won big, without unnecessary delays.

The advantage of such a lottery is that you can rest assured that no matter what happens in the next decades you won’t get broke. Having such a safety net in place should allow winners to focus on the things that actually important to them and make bolder attempts. On the other hand, there is always the risk of complacency, as some people decide that they are now set for life and don’t even try to improve anything. Keep in mind that the Vietnamese winner will receive an amount that is less than the average monthly wage, so this would deprive him of the inherent advantages of winning the lottery.

This brings us to the reasons for why most winners choose a lump payment, because they get the full amount transferred to their bank account. From that point onward they decide what to do with the cash, although most of them prefer to dwell on the interest collected and don’t take risks by investing in potentially lucrative but tricky ventures. The main downside is that such an amount leaves you vulnerable to volatility and you are also subject to higher taxes, so the amount you receive is diminished.

Lottery officials recommend readers to choose the community and even though very few follow their advice, there are good reasons in favor of this recommendation. Those who play in the Lucky for Life lottery on the other hand, don’t need to worry themselves about making the right choice because there is only one path to follow.

After being rolled over for many weeks in a row, the Powerball jackpot was finally won by three lucky players and what’s interesting is that two of them reside in New Jersey. The third winner lives in Minnesota and the three of them will receive an equal share worth roughly $8 million after taxation. Powerball players were buzzing with enthusiasm and some of them secretly hoped that if they don’t win the jackpot nobody will, so that the previous record could be broken.

As the size of the jackpot increased, so did the number of tickets sold by local vendors and it was only a matter of time until someone would hit the winning combination. The numbers were 5, 25, 30, 58, 59 and a Powerball 32, with three of them above 31 which makes it even more surprising that we had three winners. It is known that the vast majority of players manually add the numbers on their lottery tickets and they are inclined to use digits or numbers that have a certain signification to them, such as birthdays.

Regardless of the manner in which they chose to select the numbers, the three winners will join the club of Powerball millionaires. Very little information has transpired about the Minnesota winner, but it is known that the two tickets originating in New Jersey were bought at a Super Stop & Shop and at an Acme Markets. Tens of thousands of lottery fans watched the Powerball draw life, hoping to learn firsthand if the extracted numbers matched those on their lottery tickets.

As the interest is rising for increasingly high jackpots, Powerball players are starting to lose interest in second-tier prizes. The study conducted by a group of professors in conjunction with lottery officials clearly show that players tend to compare prizes and what was previously regarded as exciting is now bland and uninspiring. Obviously, if you put in balance the jackpot and the lower category prizes, it is obvious that there is a huge discrepancy between them and nobody talks about the latter.

Another interesting fact is that even the jackpots are only fascinating if they exceed 200 or 300 million, something that didn’t happen a couple of years ago. Back then whenever the amount exceeded the three digit threshold, everyone was buzzing with interest because the average prize was below that limit. One reason for why the jackpots were bumped is that the price of Powerball ticket was doubled in early 2012.

A further increase in the price of a ticket would be a bad idea right now because too little time has passed since the last bump. Furthermore, this would only lead to higher jackpots and the gap separating them from second-tier prizes will only increase. What lottery officials need to concern themselves with is to find a new way to split up collected amounts so that lower category prizes will be dramatically increase. Doubling or even tripling these amounts won’t solve the problem completely, but it should still be a step in the right direction.

Lottery wheels are immensely popular with some of the players and those who use them regularly say that they cannot envision any other way of playing the game. In order to become a fan of this system, one needs to thoroughly understand what the lottery wheel actually is and which are the advantages as well as the shortcomings. http://lottostrategies.lottoguy.net/ describes in a simple yet interesting manner how these wheels work and doesn’t go either way with recommending or criticizing the system.

One myth about lottery wheeling systems is that they improve the players’ chances to win, and some believe that there are infallible strategies. The truth is that a wheel consists of several numbers which are combining different ways, so when some of those numbers are extracted from the plastic bubble doing that draw, players are certain to win a prize. Keep in mind the prerequisite, which is to have some or all of those numbers extracted in the first place as there is no guarantee for this to happen.

The next thing that comes to mind is the cost, because whether players are allowed to add more numbers on a lottery ticket or have to purchase more betting slips, the outcome is the same. They all translate into additional costs and if you’re not willing to spend some extra money, it is better to forget altogether about these wheeling systems. Then again, there are ways of mitigating the costs at the expense of certainty, by using incomplete wheels that focus on less numbers and fewer combinations.

When creating the block of numbers, players have complete freedom in choosing them and they can safely put aside any misconceptions. Any strings of numbers are just as likely to be winners and there are no advantages in choosing one over the other. Full wheels will set you back financially and those who play the lottery frequently, short refrain from using them on a daily basis to keep the expenses in check.

Lottery wheels should be limited to those occasions when the jackpot was rolled over several times and has hit a huge amount. In fact this is a very popular strategy among veteran lottery players, who purchase more tickets when the prizes are larger. They have the same chances of winning as in any other draw, but by acquiring more tickets they slightly improve these odds.