I was driving to work yesterday and the DJ started talking about this 84 year old that won the lottery for like 500 Million. Apparently a young man allowed her to go in line before him and she purchased the winning ticket. The DJ then suggested she should give him some money because if he hadn't let her go then she would not have won. The DJ suggested if he were the young man he would get a lawyer and say he didn't "let" her go but that she "skipped" in front of him. His partner asked if he was serious and there was a long pause, for which he was called out as actually considering it.

1) If the lady wants to give the young man some money as a show of her gratitude for his being a good person, then she has that right. But I don't think she is under any moral or ethical need to do so. Thoughts?

2) If I were the young man and she DID offer me money for my good deed, I hope I would have the integrity to decline accepting it, or else the good deed is really nullified. Your reward for your good deeds comes in other ways. Ever stop to help change a tire and someone offer you money? You probably don't accept. It is harder if she was offering $10Million, but the principle should be the same. Thoughts?

3) Is it just me, or does the DJ need a good old fashioned whippin'?

 

The DJ needs to be taken out behind the barn. And his remains displayed on the sidewalk.

I used to build lottery systems for a living and the DJ's claims are just outlandish. The quick-pick numbers are generated by the in-store terminal, not the lottery computer that records all of the tickets. The key to what numbers are selected are based on when the "sell" button is pushed. To within 1/1000th of a second. Any suggestion that the woman's ticket would have fallen to someone else must be tempered with the understanding that the sell transaction would have had to have occurred on the exact same 1/1000th of a second as hers, with no other intervening activity. And every terminal in the country has the same odds of producing that ticket. Yet only one did....

It's her money. Period. I'm pleased and impressed that it was won by someone that had spent a grand total of $5 on the drawing. And that she took 2 weeks to confer with attorneys and financial advisers to best structure how to receive that much money and what to do with it.

Kudos, McKenzie. Kudos.

 

I fully agree. I'm no lottery designer but do have a degree in mathematics and I had the same thought - there is no way the slight shift in check-out position meant anything. She won, end of discussion. I do, however, applaud the young man for being gentlemanly enough to have allowed her to go before him in line. That type of simple respect is being lost and it is a great thing to hear he did that for her.

 

First it was a young woman who let her cut in line..

Gloria Mackenzie, Lottery Jackpot Winner, Thankful To Mindy Crandell, Woman Who Let Her Cut In Line

Second You are correct she is under no obligation to pay her anything.. I would give her something if it were me..

Third The DJ is just trying to up the ratings, but unfortunately there are many out there who feel entitled to a portion of the money..

 

Thanks for the correction - the DJ had it wrong and I perpetuated it. I would offer something too, but just as a token of being nice, not because she deserves the money. If I had that kind of money I would carry stacks with me and give nice people cash all the time for doing good. How cool would it be to be able to reach in your pocket and give $1000 to the person who opens the door for someone struggling with packages or something?

 

That is what I would do to spread the wealth around..

A few more would be to pay for someones groceries or a big tip for a waiter or waitress..

 

It sounds like fun, but it wouldn't work. You'd have instant fame and as soon as became known that you were spreading around free money for routine daily life, people would be cling to you like static electricity looking for their handout.

The first thing that you have to do when your name is announced as a big winner is change your phone number. There are no shortage of scams trying to get your money, but even more legitimate entities trying to shame you into supporting their causes. "Little Sally is just one of many little children with this horrible affliction. You've got so much money now and Sally really needs your help". Over and over and over again....

Not one of them was there to offer help when you were laid off or late with your truck payment, but they're beating each other up to be in a better position to get some of your money.

 

I've often thought about how cool it would be to give those giant tips at Christmas time to deserving waitresses and others. I'm as guilty of anyone, I suppose of daydreaming about winning the lottery, but I realize I don't need to win it in order to be able to give those anonymous gifts to desrving people. I do need to get rid of my debt, though.

As far as the lottery goes, I also think one should try to hold off on collecting the winnings for a couple of weeks, at least, while he lines up his lawyers and accountants, makes wise decisions and thinks about how life is going to change. I also think I would probably not quit my job until I had the money in hand. Of course I would quit, as being a multi-millionaire would become a fulltime job. I think lottery winners probably need to hire a firm to go through their mail and filter out the scams. IDK, but I would sure like to find out.

Oh, I also think the powerball winner should at least make the offer of a gift to the woman who let her in line. The randomness of the event seems like it would have played an important role in her winning the pot. I do not think she has a moral or legal obligation to offer it, however. Think about this: had the clerk who printed out the ticket moved just a tiny bit slower that day than usual, there might be a different winner. So many things play a role in the numbers being generated, how could anyone say this or that was the reason she won? It was just her time.

 

I figure if I ever win the powerball, I would pay off bills as far as it would go!!!

 

I don't remember the exact number these days, but for many years the cost of a ticket in Florida was divide three ways. 50% toward prize money. 37.5% to the state "for education", and 12.5% to the Lottery for operational costs. (The 12.5% was split so that the vendor got about 2% and the Lottery 10.5%. Think about that -- the vendor built and ran the lottery on 2% of gross, but the state needs 10.5% to manage the vendor.)

The bottom line is that 50% of the cost of a ticket is tax, going to the state (with 2% diverted to the vendor). The income tax rate is 39.6%. Nearly 40% of the 50% that the winner gets goes to the government in the form of direct taxation.

50% + 39.6% of the other 50% is 69.8% of the price of a ticket going right back to the government.

Talk about a scam!

 

why do you think the states advertise the lotteries so much? they love the easy money!!

 

I had a friend in the Midwest who won over $4million in the lottery. Not only did he change his phone number, but, within three months, he moved and gave no one his address. Too afraid of some nutjob taking one of his grandchildren and holding it for ransom or kidnapping another family member. He said winning was the worst thing that ever happened in his life. Living in fear now at undisclosed location; even I do not know where he is.....

 

A morning radio DJ has about Zero % credibility----'nuff said!

They're all looking to raise a stink or some other manufactured controversy, the end goal getting others to talk about---like us here right now.

There's absolutely no guarantee had this particular lottery would have been won by the person giving up their place in line. It does make good radio and TV talk though. Fox "news" should have been all over this right?

 

Side note to address this portion of the OP quote;

In such a situation I respond that I did not stop for the money.

If they insist, I accept it, for charity.

I also believe that charity begins at home!
My daughter usually is the beneficiary.