MegaMillions - Two question...

Firstly, let's say that a cash option jackpot is $400m. What if there are two winning tickets, but they were bought by the same person. Does the person get $800m or do they simply get the $400m, but split in two (i.e. $200m x2)?

I'm guessing the latter?

Secondly, I understand that the MegaMillions jackpot amount keeps rising until somebody wins - so can it rise to a billion dollar? I am aware that the largest has been $656m, can it continue rising to say, $700m or $1.1billion even? It is after all in the organisers interests, when it starts getting to such high amounts, they will be generating more than a billion dollars in revenue per draw.

Cheers in advance!

two words, idiot tax.

you have better odds of stepping outside right now and getting hit by lightning.

I wish I'd win a five hundred million dollar lottery.

Oh boy the things I'd do with it.

I'd buy me a huge ship of my own design to live on, then start a charity, then start a computer game business for PCs, buy stock in the things I love such as Pepsi and Cucumbers. I'd also start a business doing research into creating a substitute fossil fuel to replace oil and coal.

My charity would be to help feed people and put them to work.

Ah, one can dream.

reply to post by benrl


Oh no, you don't understand. I'm genuinely interested. I don't even live in the US and I'm not a citizens and I don't even play.

I'm simply interested. So, if you're American and know about it, could you answer the questions?

reply to post by HomoSapiensSapiens


Wikipedia tells me that it's one of those games where you choose a bunch of numbers, and then the drawing is a machine that picks balls with (hopefully your) numbers?
If this is true, why would you buy the same number twice?

And the jackpot is always the sum that is in the pot. It can't get bigger or smaller in that specific round, regardless of the number of tickets. It's just split.

And finally, whatever your "scheme" is, it won't work.
And finally #2, yes, it could get up to a billion if no-one wins the jackpot for long enough. The jackpot consists partly of your money, in your hunt for the jackpot.

If the pot is for 400 million, and you buy 2 winning tickets, you are splitting 400 million by 2. Not 400 million times the amount of winning tickets. It is always Pot / winning tickets - taxes = your share.

Originally posted by Consequence
reply to post by HomoSapiensSapiens

 

Wikipedia tells me that it's one of those games where you choose a bunch of numbers, and then the drawing is a machine that picks balls with (hopefully your) numbers?
If this is true, why would you buy the same number twice?

And the jackpot is always the sum that is in the pot. It can't get bigger or smaller in that specific round, regardless of the number of tickets. It's just split.

And finally, whatever your "scheme" is, it won't work.
And finally #2, yes, it could get up to a billion if no-one wins the jackpot for long enough. The jackpot consists partly of your money, in your hunt for the jackpot.

As I said, there is no scheme. I'm not even American or living in America. I was merely interested and, if you must know, it indirectly tied in with a fictional idea that I'm working on.

In any case, my questions have been answered.

Thank you all.

reply to post by Daemonicon


Cheers. It makes sense. On the other hand, it would be different for the smaller prizes (the ones that don't get split, but give an equal amount to winning tickets).

Originally posted by Consequence
If this is true, why would you buy the same number twice?

Actually, if somehow you knew ahead of time what the winning numbers were, it would indeed make sense to buy multiple tickets with the same numbers. In case someone else chose the same numbers, you would then win more shares of the jackpot. But I guess this is just a thought experiment, right?

Originally posted by AnonymousCitizen

Originally posted by Consequence
If this is true, why would you buy the same number twice?

Actually, if somehow you knew ahead of time what the winning numbers were, it would indeed make sense to buy multiple tickets with the same numbers. In case someone else chose the same numbers, you would then win more shares of the jackpot. But I guess this is just a thought experiment, right?

That is true.
And in this world, if you have money you wish to depart with, buying different numbers would be the at least somewhat sane.

reply to post by benrl


Idiot tax for the common peasant only, slush fund for those in the "know".