The Cash Fever!

Lottery jackpots are huge again.

Mega Millions and Powerball are near $1 billion again. 

Do want to start the new year off being a millionaire or billionaire?

In my state of Ohio, sports betting is legal. You can legally bet on sporting events for chance of earning a huge payout. The state has issued licenses to the four casinos and seven racinos. 

Sports betting is also available at many bars, clubs and convenience stores that have legal betting stations.

I am wondering, are you willing to pony up at least $2 to play a multi-state lottery game for a chance at winning over $1 billion?

The Mega Millions and Powerball jackpots have reached that record level again and you will have a 1 in 292 million chance of winning the prize.

Played in 45 states, the District of Columbia and two U.S. territories, Powerball is a coordinated by the State Lottery Association (MUSL), a nonprofit organization formed by an agreement with lobbyists and U.S. corporations. From its inaugural drawing on April 19, 1992, until August 21, 2021, Powerball drawings were held twice a week (Wednesday and Saturday); a third weekly drawing (held Mondays) was added on August 23, 2021. Drawings are held every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday evening at 10:59 p.m. Eastern Time, at Florida Lottery headquarters in Tallahassee.

Mega Millions is drawn at 11 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday and Friday evenings, including holidays. Mega Millions is administered by a consortium of its 12 original lotteries; the drawings are held at the studios of WSB-TV in Atlanta, Georgia, supervised by the Georgia Lottery. Played in 45 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. Virgin Islands with Puerto Rico being added in the near future, Mega Millions is independent from MUSL but does have an agreement with the consortium of states that operated the similar Mega Millions lottery, which allowed MUSL members to sell Mega Millions tickets and consortium members to sell Powerball tickets. 

Many who are often playing are not rich. 

Most who often play have a family member, co-worker or friend who has a gambling addiction.

So here's the public service announcement.

Most lotteries and casinos offer help for problem gambling. I want to acknowledge this.

The National Council on Problem Gambling operates the National Problem Gambling Helpline Network (1-800-522-4700). The network is a single national access point to local resources for those seeking help for a gambling problem.

It is a difficult thing to tell a family member, friend, co-worker or a player of a gambling venue. But if see something, say something. It may save a life.

The signs of problem gambling include:

• The person constantly borrowing money from friends, family, loan facilities or banks.
• The person is always taking more out to chase the jackpot (or clout).
• The person loses track of time or misses appointments due to gambling.
• The person is running late on paying bills or dues.
• The person feels like "playing it back" is the only way to win.
• The person is getting agitated over wins and losses.
• The person is using alcohol or drugs to ease stress. 
• The person damages property at casinos or lottery retailers.
• The person deliberately asks others to claim prizes to avoid paying child support, spousal support or owed taxes.
• The person uses false ID, false social security numbers or gives wrong information to avoid taxes or has known status as a banned guest or voluntarily excluded player (self-prevention/restricted gambler).
• The person is restless and feel the only way to relax is to gamble.
• The person is jeopardizing relationships, their jobs and their social life in order to gamble.
• The person repeatedly lies about wins and loses.
• The person is trying to curb problem gambling but never achieves the goal.

These are the hard truths about problem gambling. You know someone or have a problem. That's why it's important to know your limits when you gamble. 

Folks, the multi-state Powerball will now have three active drawings. The original jackpot drawings were on Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59pm. Now the drawings will be on Monday nights as well.

It will try to increase the opportunity for players who avoided playing during the pandemic.

Rules on how to play lottery. Note: Many lottery venues are no longer taking verbal requests due to the coronavirus and the possibility of eliminating long wait times due to excessive ticket requests.

• Make sure you have money on hand. The operator is required to take money before issuing a ticket. Make sure you have your numbers placed on either a betting card, your lottery app or a previous ticket. Most operators will help you plug numbers in through the terminal or place an automatic bet for you. However in the case of long lines or possible errors, it would be best to be prepared for the transaction. Some states do offer debit and credit transactions. Make sure you get your information from your local lottery commission. You cannot cancel Powerball or Mega Millions tickets. They are property of your state (or territory's) lottery commission. Any alteration, distortion or underage playing will void the games.
• In most states, the required age to play the lottery is 18 years or older. Do not let anyone under the playing age purchase a ticket or lottery game. The operator could lose their license or you will forfeit your prize if the regional lottery operator determined that an underage player was the winner.
• If you purchase Powerball and Mega Millions from another state (or territory) and you won, understand that it not a winner in your home state. You must return to the state (or territory) where you purchased the ticket. The Mega Millions is played in 45 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Powerball is played in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. If you're a traveler and won the lottery in the state of purchase, you have to return to the state to claim your prize. Every state has their own rules and regulations so don't think "it's all the same." It's not. It's a licensed property of the state gaming commission. 
• Whenever a lottery retailer handles a jackpot ticket, ask the cashier to make sure you hear the "winner" sound. Most machines will make a noise if you're a winner. There are also ticket verifying stations located near a lottery terminal. Make sure before you hand a ticket to a cashier, you are sure you won a jackpot. Ask for a claims form and/or a validation claim voucher. If you are claiming jackpots that are under $500 or less at a licensed lottery operator, check your tickets at a lottery scanner first before handing the ticket off to the clerk. Make sure the cashier confirms the ticket. Tickets over $500 or more may have to go to a local lottery office in a regional jurisdiction. Lottery operators have vendor licenses and tickets are printed by a large set of numbers. If any allegations of fraud or cheating do occur, the lottery can subpoena the operator for the records of purchase and video surveillance of the person who purchased the ticket.
• Mega Millions and Powerball minimum jackpots start at $20 million. Each ticket is valued at $2 per unit. Some states have multiplier options to their games which could make your ticket $3 or $4 per unit. 
• You can view the results of Mega Millions and Powerball on your local television station at 10:59pm. Mega Millions is drawn on Tuesday and Friday. Powerball is drawn on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. You can also get your state's lottery results on websites, the lottery commission apps on the Apple Store and Google Play. You can view results on social media. 
• You can self-validate tickets under $500 through your phone so it can make it "touchless" contact. You can also get winnings under $500 installed in your bank account or through a credit card. Some fees do apply for distribution of cards and bank deposits.
• You have at least 90 days to a year to claim a Mega Millions or Powerball jackpot. Some states have a period of time to claim your prize. If you fail to claim the prize upon its final claim day, it will go back to the state. The lottery operator will collect a reward for selling the winning ticket. Do not wait till the last minute to claim a jackpot prize. The lottery commission does have the right to forfeit or cancel any prizes presented.
• Do not quit your job until you're certain you won the lottery. At the end of the day, some people get bored with their lives and may want to return to the workforce. Don't burn bridges with your employer. You may have to return back to the employer one day.
• Inflation and the coronavirus have changed the world. Many companies have risen prices on food, supplies, rent and utilities. Lottery paper has become very scarce in some retailers. Please understand that it is not a retailer's fault they are out of lottery paper or the machine is down. Please have patience and an understanding of a lottery retailer's resources.

You know I've often posted about what I would do if I won the lottery. It is not legal advise so you don't have to take my word for it. I am just expressing what I am going to do if I win the lottery.

I will first write my name on the lottery ticket. I will always make sure that if I ever lose that ticket, my name is on it and it cannot be claimed by someone who is the person who wrote on the back of it.

I will also make sure I take a picture of the ticket. It will be a good thing to take a picture if you want to prove to your state's lottery commission that you were the one who purchased the ticket. I mean it would be smart to take pictures of your lottery tickets. Say if you have a group purchase of lottery tickets and you purchase one for yourself or your family member. You won't have to obligate to the group pool's tickets if you show that you bought one for yourself. Because it will be a legal matter if you purchase the group tickets but failed to disclose you purchased one for yourself. Even though you won on your own separate ticket, it's best to let the group know that you purchased a solo ticket to prevent them from believing you've stolen money or violated the group's contract.

If I do win the lottery, I will immediately pay off all my debts. The car loans, child support, spousal support, medical bills, phone bills, mortgage, court fees and bank loans will be paid in full. Before I even collect my lottery winnings, I want to be caught up on everything. Many states will offset lottery winnings due to a person owning state debt, child support, spousal support and court fees. If you know that you owe, pay it off.

Stay anonymous. It is best to keep a low profile if you win a jackpot.

I will immediately close my social media and change my phone number. If you're a winner of the lottery, the junk food media, your family, your friends, your acquaintances, your co-workers, your community, charity groups, scammers and the state will know you. I am going to cancel my Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat and social dating apps. I am very clear about my movements and I chose to not be public about it. When I was younger and naive, I would have shown my face to the public. But alas, I've gotten older and I am not the same as I was when I was younger.

I will also get a trust fund prepared, a will and a trusted member of family to hold my winnings. Yeah, it would be nice to establish a trust fund for family members if you do die. I mean this year is full of uncertainty. Winning the lottery has higher odds than catching the coronavirus. On point, 1 out of 15 people are infected with the coronavirus and people have died from it. You win the lottery one day and the next day you caught the coronavirus. You got to remind yourself, you can't take it when you're gone. So it's best to establish a will to distribute your lottery winning to either family, charity and those who you feel deserve it. It will be written and notarized by an attorney or a bank. If you do establish a trust fund you could hire a financial advisor or a family member to oversee your earnings. Make sure that financial advisor is licensed and trusted by the Better Business Bureau. It also must be routine to study on how lottery winners adapt to money. Cause you're going into a bigger tax bracket and taxes vary on many states.

Now that I have my lottery winnings, I will now take the opportunity to buy things that are rational. I would purchase a vehicle, get a home, put some in an investment and prepare for a vacation. Of course, vacations are no longer the norm in the age of COVID-19. So I would be smart to be prepared to be tested or vaccinated for the coronavirus before I take a vacation. Many countries have banned Americans entry to their countries out of fear we're carrying the coronavirus or not vaccinated. With the various strains and Washed Up 45's failure to take control of the matter, world leaders don't trust the American leadership in handling a global pandemic.

Gas station clerk stole lottery tickets.

You might also want to make sure you're not playing lottery on company work time if you work at gas stations, restaurants, casinos, bars and pool halls. You might also want to make sure that you don't scratch the tickets first then pay for them last. I used to work at a gas station and a former co-worker often took lottery tickets, scratch them off and then pay for them after they were scratched.

Taking lottery tickets is not only theft but a felony in some states if the vendor decides to press charges. 

Not only the lottery vendor could lose their license (if they look the other way), they lose the bonus from the sold winning ticket and they could be audited by the lottery commission. The worker will be forbidden from playing lottery if convicted. And yes, family members or friends who try to buy on behalf of a banned player could be criminally charged.

Be humble about winning the lottery. You will not live a normal life. You could hopefully use the lottery winnings for a long time of success or squander it away within five years and end up miserable. Do not worry about the have-nots! Enjoy the winnings with pride and caution. Your success shouldn't be a punishment. If you do take the opportunity to win the lottery make yourself aware of the surroundings. 

Be cautious about the pandemic. 

This is not a joke.

This my opinion and I stand by what I say!

Before I go, I want to get the problem gambler story out the way. A Texas woman may catch 20 years in the iron college for theft of lottery tickets. She stole over $50,000 from her employer by activating tickets and scratching them. She would purchase the tickets and then validate the winning tickets. It took an inventory check by the owner and Texas State Lottery Commission to catch her.

Mayra Alejandra Rios, 37, was escorted to the Bexar County Jail on Wednesday and charged with lottery theft and lottery fraud, according to Jennifer Rodriguez, a public information officer with San Antonio police.

The owner of the store, located at Loop 410 and Rigsby Avenue, learned that he was missing bundles of lottery tickets, which contain about 25-30 tickets each.

The owner reviewed surveillance footage and saw that Rios was activating the missing tickets, Rodriguez said.

He confronted the employee and she confessed to activating them, Rodriguez said. Rios was keeping some tickets for herself and leaving others for sale.

Problem gambler learned the hard way.

About 30 bundles were taken between October and December.

She earned more than $21,000 with the winning tickets, which she cashed at stores in San Antonio and Laredo, Rodriguez said.

“So a total of more than $52,000 were taken between the stolen bundles of lottery tickets and the winnings,” she said.

Rodriguez said SAPD has been investigating cases where people steal lottery tickets during burglaries and robberies.

She said, “eventually it will catch up with you” because every Texas Lottery ticket is tracked through a number.

The case is under investigation.

The suspect is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.