Big Surprise: I was the only person buying lottery tickets.

[In_The_Wind]

[fleur-de-lisa]

1. I think this means you win!

Can I "borrow" ten million dollars? And by "borrow" I mean have as a free gift?

[In_The_Wind]

2. Of course.

Don't spend it too quickly.

[DFW]

3. I have won exactly two raffles in my life (do they count as lotteries?)

One was when I was 19, and I won a $2½ gold coin of 1910 (now that part of my job involves detecting fake money, I spotted it as a fake decades ago, but kept it anyway).

The other was in 2005, when I bought ten rubber duckies at $5 each for a pond race. They were for a lottery for fundraising for a children's hospital in Oakland, CA, a place I have never been (I did it for a friend in the area). First prize was a 1 week vacation to Hawai'i, including round trip flights from Oakland. Oops, I won. Now, I had a completely full schedule that whole year, and there was no way I could claim my prize. And even if I did, as a U.S. citizen with my residence still in Dallas at the time, I would have had to pay taxes on the retail value of the trip. I solved both problems in one go. Some close friends of ours from Holland were going to be in the Bay Area that summer, and Dutch citizens do not pay taxes on lottery winnings. I first asked of they would be interested in taking the trip, and when they said yes, I asked the hospital if they would change the name of the winner to my friend in the Netherlands. That worked, too (the trip was donated by a local travel agency, so the hospital didn't care at all).

No idea what I'd do with a few hundred million, anyway. Donate almost half to Democratic causes/candidates, donate the other almost half to Cancer research, and then $50,000 to each of my siblings, each of my children, and anyone on DU who wanted it. That should pretty much blow the wad.

[In_The_Wind]

6. I think they do count.

Wonderful story. Thank you for sharing it with us.

I do like the ideas you do have.

I know I would give most of it away.

[DFW]

7. My ideas plus 99 cents at a diner, right?

Since I don't enter lotteries where I might actually win something worth a headline, the question is academic.

Although, come to think of it, there was ONE lottery where I won a jackpot of unimaginable proportions--just not measurable in monetary terms. A little over 44 years ago, in a dark, smoky cabaret in what was then West Berlin, I was introduced to an uncomplicated, intelligent, and stunningly beautiful young woman who was my age (22 at the time). I just thought WOW, but then knew that a nerd like me had no chance with a woman like that. But then I thought, well, hell, if I stick with that attitude, I never WILL have a chance with a woman like that. So, just in time, I ditched the attitude, and gained a wife. Now THAT was winning the lottery!

[In_The_Wind]

9. We should all be so lucky.

[DFW]

10. Like I said:

Winning the jackpot is not always measurable in monetary terms.

[Corvo Bianco]

4. I stood in front of the machine today and dug out $3 in dimes from my purse

Then realized it says bills only. I walked away a dirt poor non billionaire. Serves me right for dreaming of something better!

[In_The_Wind]

5. I'm sorry you feel your time was wasted. But you had a dream for a moment.

[Corvo Bianco]

8. Thanks for your sympathies )

And I hope you're rich soon

[malthaussen]

11. So, you bought a lotto tickets?

-- Mal

[In_The_Wind]

12. Actually. I bought 2 tickets.

Two Mega Millions

Two Power Balls

Two Cash For Life

I want to share the wealth.

[malthaussen]

13. Sounds like a good idea to me...

... somebody's got to win.

-- Mal