What is $640 million divided by three? More math than jackpot winners in Illinois, Kansas and Maryland will ever have to do again.
Mega Millions announced Saturday that winning tickets for Friday’s record-breaking lottery were bought in those states. Americans spent nearly $1.5 billion on tickets, according to The Associated Press. The numbers drawn were 2, 4, 23, 38 and 46, and the “Mega Ball” was 23.
Maryland’s winning ticket came from Baltimore County, according to the state’s lottery Web site. “This is truly remarkable and historic,” Stephen Martino, the state’s lottery director, said in a statement. “We can’t wait to greet the winner.”
In Kansas, officials said only that the ticket had come from the “northeast region” of the state.
Of course, stories abound about the perils of life after a windfall. There is the tale of Jack Whittaker, a West Virginia man who in 2002 won a $314.9 million jackpot but later said he regretted the payout after years of legal turmoil and personal tragedy.
“Since I won the lottery, I think there is no control for greed,” he told ABC in 2007. “I wish I’d torn that ticket up.”
In November 2009, a construction worker in New Jersey, Americo Lopes, hid a $38.5 million Mega Millions ticket from friends with whom he had been playing the lottery, as a team, for years. Less than three weeks ago, a jury in Union County ordered him to split his winnings.
Before Friday’s drawing, Mega Millions called the $640 million prize “the largest lottery jackpot in world history,” surpassing a previous record of $390 million.
The lottery had announced that a single winner would have had the choice of two payment options: 26 annual pretax payments of $24.6 million, or a cash alternative of about $462 million.
Instead, a split will have to do, and by Saturday morning, officials in the three states were already preaching solidarity. Their Twitter accounts began distributing an image of the three states, side by side, above the Mega Millions logo and a simple message. “Sharing is caring,” it read.
(Source: NY Times)
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9 Responses
Baltimore could be a frum yid
#1, I gurantee you that its not a frum yid. For the simple reason, Hashem would never let a frum yid win that kind of money. It goes against the essence of the Torah, bezeiyas hapanim toichal lechem.
The winning ticket was purchased in Baltimore at 715pm Friday. Lets hope it wasnt a frum yid.
Sorry, bezeyas apecha toichal lechem
@ A Jew-
“Around 7:15 p.m. Friday night, a person came to a 7-Eleven store in Baltimore, Maryland, and paid $1 for a “quick pick” of one line of numbers — which ended up exactly matching those pulled less than four hours later.”
Another reason that it’s not a frum yid….the ticket was purchased on Friday night (according to the Balt Sun).
#2… While I certainly hope it was not a Frum Yid purchasing after Shkia… your comment may not be accurate. Buying the ticket can be Zayas Apeicha and Hishtadlus. They said Reb Zundel would buy a lottery ticket as his Hishtadlus and learn the rest of the time. Additionally, there could be work afterwarda in handling, managing and keeping the money.
Candle lighting was at 7 so he had 18 minuets till sunset so it could have very well been a frum yid on his way to shul!!! Be Dan leaf zechut at all times
big boss, highly unlikely. The 7-11 where the ticket was purchased is far from the frum community. Not likely on his way to shul! Sorry!