According to state lottery officials, a person in New Jersey won a $1.13 billion Mega Millions jackpot in March but has not yet claimed the winnings.
The terrible possibility that they could be sitting on a billion-dollar wealth without even realizing it arises from this.
Naturally, the unidentified winner might simply be organizing their affairs. To shield themselves from the shock of unexpected ultra-wealth, they may be busy employing a group of attorneys and financial advisors.
Or perhaps they believe a billion bucks is more bother than it's worth because they've heard of the "lottery curse."
Perhaps the ticket was eaten by the hamster.
A lightning strike
Fortunately, there are still eight months left until the 12-month period expires for the mysterious New Jerseyan who defeated odds of 1 in 302,575,350 to claim the ninth-largest reward in US lottery history.
Let's consider the bigger picture. You have a one in 1.5 million chance of seeing lightning strikes at least once in your lifetime. Accordingly, your chances of winning the Mega Millions draw would be about the same as your chances of getting hit by lightning if you purchased 200 tickets. A level playing field appeals to us.
More positive news. According to New Jersey law, the winner may pick up the award anonymously if they are worried about the publicity. In 2020, a law was passed that eliminated the need for victors to be paraded in front of cameras with large novelty checks.
In contrast to New Jersey, several other state lotteries require jackpot winners to become cogs in their never-ending advertising mills, exposing them to killers, freeloaders, and scammers.
A Word of Advice
We'd like to share some tips from Jason Kurland, America's (former) top "lottery lawyer," in case the winner is still hesitant to come forward.
Many of the nation's largest jackpot winners were represented by Kurland, including the unnamed South Carolina winner of the $1.5 billion 2018 Mega Millions prize.
Kurland stated in 2020 that the best course of action for jackpot winners was to "call a lawyer and keep your mouth shut."
"Don’t advertise it,” he added. “Don’t tell too many people you won. If your name’s out there, everyone comes out. Not only family you haven’t spoken to in a long time, but charities. Mostly good. But some are bogus.”
Kurland was found guilty of cheating lottery winners out of $107 million, and he is currently incarcerated in a federal prison. Yes, he disappointed us all. That being said, his advise was sound at the time, and it serves as further evidence that you should never trust anyone, particularly your attorney.
The winner can choose to receive $537.5 million in cash as a one-time payment or the entire reward amount spread into 29 yearly payments that rise by roughly 5% year. State and federal taxes are not included in it.
The jackpot will be divided among the 45 states that contributed to the reward pool if they never come forward.
On March 26, Shoprite Liquors in Neptune Township, New Jersey, sold the winning ticket.
Do you recognize this?
