Lottery and Corruption
Ever wondered why the lottery has had such a bad rap? Well I don’t know all the specifics but based on what I have read, by the end of the Civil War, there was nothing good going for the lottery and it was banned in most states, except Louisiana that is. The Louisiana Lottery Company was able to bribe the authorities very well and continued their operations, earning a whole lot of money, giving away loose change in prizes and to charity. This continued for 25 years until Congress finally put its foot down and banned multi-state lotteries in 1890.

A Lottery Loser?
Ever heard of Clarence Jackson?  This guy won the Connecticut Lottery in 1995. For one reason or another, he didn’t find out that he won until 15 minutes before the one-year deadline to claim the prize. To cut the long story short, he didnj’t get to claim the prize in time for him to get $5.8 million. Until now he is still attempting to have the courts award him the prize. It is preposterous from both perspectives, really.

Lucky Jackson
If the other Jackson was unlucky, this one definitely isn’t. Andrew Jackson Whittaker won the $314.9 million Powerball lottery in 2002. Thing is,he was already a millionaire by his own rights.

By the way, completely off topic, someone just won the Powerball jackpot from Indiana last weekend. Lucky people…

Lotteries have been around for far longer that you may think.

If you know anything about the Bible, the Old Testament in particular, you would know that God ordered Moses to use the lottery to divide the land along the Jordan River. There are also other numerous mentions of the lottery (in their own form) in other books of the Bible.

Ancient China also has its share in the history of lottery. A warlord named Cheung Leung supposedly used a numbers game (today we call it keno) in order to persuade the people to finance his army.  Talk about ingenuity!

Then there was Augustus Caesar who wanted to raise money to be used for public works projects in ancient Rome.  What did he do? Authorize a lottery.

So if you ever hear someone saying that lottery is exclusive to the modern ages, you can tell them they are wrong. The lottery has been around for more years than anyone can count and it is likely that it would be here for many more.

(to be continued)

At the moment, she seems to be really level headed saying that nothing much would change in their lifestyles, that is, her son’s and hers. He is finishing school soon and wants to be a fireman and that is what he is going to be, says Angela Kelly. As for herself, she does not want more than her newly fitted kitchen in her old flat and a decent modest saloon for a car.

More than this piece of news, though, what interests me are the comments of other ordinary people. They are posted under the article in the Telegraph’s web site where a feature of Ms. Kelly can be found. Many of the people give her the advice to invest wisely, engage the services of financial experts, and so on along those lines.  Yet one person says: “Invest wisely???????????????

Don’t be daft - even if she put it in the Post Office, the interest alone would be more than she could spend. Go out girl and follow every instinct you have - live a little, help others if you feel the need - but above all - take no advice from ‘experts’. How do you think this country became such a mess in the first place.

What do you think? Which opinion makes more sense?

First, keep your mouth shut. I know, your instinct would be to shout it from the mountain top and let the whole world know of your fortune. This would not be a good idea, though, at least until you take care of some things first.

The moment you find out you have won, fill out the lottery ticket if you haven’t done so yet. Then, find a secure place and keep your ticket there. Remember, all this time keep your mouth shut. The next step would be to engage the services of a financial consultant. If you have won big bucks, you would need advice on how to deal with it, taxes and all. Make sure that the lawyer or financial adviser is someone you can trust.

Once you have sorted out your options with your adviser, only then should you get in touch with the Lottery Board and claim your winnings. Only when you have a sound financial plan should you let other people know about your fortune. That way, your money will be safe from impulsive decisions that could cost you your fortune.

The holder of ticket number 0189067, from Madison County, has not come up to claim his or her prize as of yet. The winning ticket has been traced to the general store (Casey’s General) in Glen Carbon. Everyone is excited about the whole thing yet the main player has not shown up yet. He has up to a year from the drawing to do so and claim his prize. We can only surmise why he has not done so yet.

Sometimes the lottery can expose strange stories, don’t you think so? I just can’t help but think up of different scenarios why this person has not claimed his prize. I mean, if it were I who won that lottery, I would have been there (wherever it is I need to be to claim the prize) in a heartbeat. I’ve thought of mundane (but heart breaking) reasons such as the person having thrown away his ticket, oh that would really be bad! I don’t know, no one knows except that person. Yet think about it, this is the chance that so many people have been waiting for all their lives. I hope that this guy, whoever he is goes up there and shows his face soon.

Why not pool together a group of parents from your kid’s school and form a lottery syndicate with them? If you already know of parents who play the lottery just like you do, it would be an easy matter to get them together. Of course, you have to have a different cause this time. Why not play the lottery as syndicate with the ultimate goal of donating your winnings to some educational or co-curricular activity that would benefit your children?

Do you have a friend or family member with a birthday coming up? Why not, in addition to your gift, insert a lottery ticket? It is pretty much the same concept as giving a ticket to charity, you are actually giving a gift with a lot of potential! Of course, it would be great if the friend or loved one you are giving the ticket to is someone who appreciates the lottery. Otherwise, it might not be a good idea.

Now here’s the best idea of them all. This actually didn’t come from me. To be honest, I don’t even know if I agree with it or not. I read it in an article, this guy is suggesting that in addition to your offering in church on Sunday, put in a lottery ticket there. Ok, I get the intention but do you think this is a good idea? I don’t know.

Do you go to convenience stores?  Probably yes, right?  If so, you’ve noticed those cans or boxes at the counter which serve as repositories for loose change that goes to charity.  How about adding a little twist?  Instead of merely giving your loose change, why not buy a lottery scratch card and put it in with your loose change?  It may be a long shot but you never know!

Along these lines, do you give food or money to the vagrant you pass on the street?  Not many people do, but if you are one of them, why not buy another scratch card and keep it in your pocket for when someone asks you for money.  In addition to your usual dollar, give him the lottery ticket.  Again, you just might be changing that person’s life with that ticket – you never know.

I am sure many of you are shaking your heads in wonder – thinking if I am going nuts.  Really, no.  Long shots may seem impossible but there is always that chance.  In the next post, I’ll share more things to do with a lottery ticket.

According to a feature done on him this weekend, He moved to Palm Beach County with $27 million, his take after taxes from the winnings. He was 46 and had recently been laid off.

Flush with cash, Edwards bought the $1.2 million home in the BallenIsles community, a $240,000 Bentley and a $250,000 Lamborghini. Several months later, he married his fiance in Hawaii and bought her a $250,000 electric-blue Ferrari.

Yet years later, he runs into trouble with heroin and cocaine again. The poor guy’s millions didn’t do much to change his life for the better, I guess. Today, he is awaiting court hearing. This weekend, hundreds of people went to the auction where Edwards’ furniture was being sold. This furniture used to be fixtures at his $1.2 million home in Palm Beach, which itself was already auctioned off already for $400,000.

This is as sad as stories go, I believe. Here was one man given the chance of a lifetime to get out of whatever rut he was in, the chance to revolutionize his life and that of others and what did he do with it? Here is to hoping that those of you who run into the same luck into the future make something better out of it!

Today, the Camelot Group directly operates the National Lottery.  This group is composed of five shareholders and is in effect a private company.  It holds a second 7-year license to operate the lottery, which was granted in 2001.

According to statistics garnered over the years, more than 65% of the population of the United Kingdom regularly plays the lottery.  This is an impressive figure, especially if you consider the fact that about 28% of the lottery proceeds are given to charitable causes.

The National Lottery has several “brands.”  Some of the more popular ones are Lotto Extra, Lotto Hot Picks, Thunderball, EuroMillions, and Scratchcards. In order to play the National Lottery, you have to be a resident of the UK and you have to be at least 18 years old.  Otherwise, your tickets will be void.  If you qualify, you only have to fill a play slip.  It has boards (basically boxes) with numbers.  All you need to do is pick out the numbers that you wish to play and wait for a win.

Why does the NKL have such high odds?  For one, the tickets to this lottery are limited.  They are in fact so popular that they run out so quickly!  More so, the way the lottery is set up, for every ticket you purchase, you have multiple chances of winning multiple prizes.  Of course, just like with other lotteries, the more tickets you buy the more chances you have of winning.  Some statisticians claim that if you buy 10 tickets, you have a 100% guarantee of winning at least 3 times (an average of 7 times).

Backed by the German government, the NKL is known for its reliability and promptness in making the payouts.  What ever tickets you purchase at any time of the year will be played every day throughout the whole year.  The good news is that all the winnings are tax free.  Here is more good news – anyone from anywhere in the world is allowed to participate in the lottery!  Then again, you have to check with your country’s own laws before you can join.