EuroMillions, the lottery held in nine European countries, is about to eclipse Powerball in the U.S. as the world's single biggest cash prize.
The payoff in tomorrow's draw swelled to 183 million euros ($224 million) after no winners emerged from any lottery since Nov. 11. The jackpot is luring would-be millionaires from across the region.
"I'll buy a desert island somewhere warm, lots of things for my family, and give some to charity," said Martha Dacosta, 25, a nurse's aide who bought two tickets at a kiosk on Paris's Boulevard des Capucines, named after a 17th century convent. "If I don't win? I'm signed up for a training program to work in passenger services, hopefully for British Airways."
EuroMillions was created two years ago by the lotteries of France, the U.K. and Spain to increase revenue by creating bigger paydays. Revenue at the three companies that run the service has risen over the past two years, and the growth prompted Belgium, Luxembourg, Austria, Switzerland, Ireland and Portugal to join the game in October 2004.
"The huge prize, no matter how little the chance there is to win it, is what drives dreams and ticket purchases," said Simon Holliday, a partner at West Bromwich, England-based Global Betting & Gaming Consultants. The odds of winning the jackpot are one in 76 million. "This could be when it really captures the public's attention."
Soaring Sales
Sales at Francaise des Jeux, the French state-controlled operator, rose 4.3 percent last year to 8.9 billion euros, with most of that gain coming from EuroMillions sales. Revenue from that game rose to 869 million euros last year from 587 million euros in 2004. This year, sales have soared.
"Last Friday I sold 7,000 euros worth of EuroMillions tickets, that's about five times the normal level," said Christelle Bellet, 38, wrapped in a burnt-orange fleece and grey scarf as she doled out tickets in the Boulevard des Capucines kiosk, and bought three herself. Tomorrow she expects sales to equal her total weekly average revenue of 11,500 euros.
Camelot Group Plc, which runs the U.K. lottery, saw its revenue jump as well. "We've had two-and-a-half years of growth now, the longest period in our history," said Ben Rosier, a company spokesman. He said the big prize attracts new players.
"I'd feel left out because loads of people I know are playing it," Pamela Bates, 47, a senior policy adviser at the British Beer and Pub Association, adding that she would quit her job as soon as she found out she had won. "You'd see me running out the door."
Advice for Winners
Dot Renshaw, Camelot's head of player services in the U.K., says she typically arrives at a winner's home or business, makes them a cup of tea, validates the ticket and then drives the winner to one of the lottery company's offices.
Renshaw provides a list of private banks, with most U.K. winners opting for arms of HSBC Holdings Plc, Lloyds TSB Group Plc or Barclays Plc. A bank representative comes to collect the winning check.
"We set up a panel with legal advisers and independent financial advisers so the winners understand the ramifications of what's happened to them," Renshaw said. "We tell them: 'It's important that you don't make any major purchases before seeing the panel and don't start making promises about gifts and don't tie money up until you've seen the panel."'
About 1,000 millionaire winners of U.K. lotteries receive a 24-page glossy quarterly called "Lottery Life" in which they read news about each other and advice columns for their cash.
In most European countries, unlike the U.S., winnings aren't subject to income tax and the money is paid out immediately once the winning ticket is validated.
Powerball Jackpot
Powerball, an association of 30 state lotteries including Arizona, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, has a $180 million jackpot this week. U.S. lotteries are usually paid over a 20-year to 30- year period, or a winner can get immediate cash for only half the prize. Powerball lists the cash payment at $87.2 million this week. U.S. citizens are also subject to income taxes for lottery gains.
Andrew "Jack" Whittaker Jr. of Scott Depot, West Virginia, holds the record for an individual lottery win, getting all the numbers for the Powerball game on Dec. 24, 2002, and taking home a lump sum payment of $170 million, according to Guinness World Records.
In May 2000, Mega Millions, then called the Big Game, had the largest jackpot ever, of $363 million, which translated into a cash payout of $90.3 million for Larry Ross of Shelby Township, Michigan, and the same amount for Joe and Sue Kainz of Tower Lakes, north of Chicago.
At the time, Sue Kainz said her priority was to fix a leak in her roof. Some EuroMillions ticket buyers today have more extravagant dreams.
"I would buy a mountain cabin and a valley in the Alps, so I can go skiing every weekend with my friends, and a nice car like a Maybach" said Patrick Leypold, 25, who runs a massage company in Vienna. Maybach sedans start at about $350,000.
I know I have my tickets but am not holding my breath that I'm going to win. The prize is the biggest one ever offered so I'm not surprised at sales. I would be shocked at a rollover at this point.
Did you buy from Prime Ticket Service? The great thing about this one, NO TAXES. YAHOOOO. LOL.
It goes without saying that winning $220M+ EURO MILLIONS this Friday would be fantastic.
But, in the news, I find some reasons why winning $14M+ UK Lotto 6/49 rollover draw this Saturday would be nice as well.
UK lottery's really good services for the winners - almost everything on it!
Good luck to all that play the games!
"I'd feel left out because loads of people I know are playing it," Pamela Bates, 47, a senior policy adviser at the British Beer and Pub Association, adding that she would quit her job as soon as she found out she had won. "You'd see me running out the door."
Pam has the right idea. Let's hope no one at the BBPA reads this!
I've got tickets but lost my passport
Well, Euromillions seems to be a much fairer game. Here you get screwed twice - first they don't give you the lump sum that is advertised but about 1/3 of it, then the taxman comes and takes a share. I wonder if an online service will honor the winning ticket though, it's just too tempting...
By the way, what is this supposed to mean?
U.S. citizens are also subject to income taxes for lottery gains.
If a foreigner wins, do they get away without taxes or they don't get any prize at all?
"I would buy a mountain cabin and a valley in the Alps, so I can go skiing every weekend with my friends, and a nice car like a Maybach" said Patrick Leypold, 25, who runs a massage company in Vienna. Maybach sedans start at about $350,000.
Much more thoughtful statement then some dumb "Winning millions and millions will not change my lifestyle" statement! Money ALWAYS changes your life. Try living on Social Security for three years, and making $60K a year for 20 years! I see hundreds of thousands driving to and from Pennsyvania and New York City every day. It is NOT for the fun of sitting on a U.S. Highway for hours!
I still can't buy through Prime Ticket Service as cards keep getting declined.
They use Verified by Visa and MasterCard Secure Code, so if you can find a credit card that uses either of those programs, you will definitely get approved. Try contacting your credit card company to be sure you're enrolled.
But do it quick, because you only have until 9:00 AM tomorrow morning.
we are having same problem!!!!!!!!
Lottery tickets that are administered in the US carry a federal tax. there is no getting around that whether you are a citizen or not. They have higher taxes imposed for foreigners making claims on state and multi state lottery wins.
If memory serves correctly, the euromilllion will only roll so many times before it devies out the pot to lower ticket prize levels if the major pot isnt won. I beleive this is the last play before that occurs. I like that the *odds * are far lower then megamillions or PB.
striper- use a major credit card, like Mastercard,or visa. Some of the best cards that are verisigned approved work best- such as MBNA, BANKONE, CHASE ,CITIBANK and American Express. Bank debit cards wont work.
Actually, I use a debit card with PTS all the time - at least since they got the system fixed.
Well, Euromillions seems to be a much fairer game. Here you get screwed twice - first they don't give you the lump sum that is advertised but about 1/3 of it, then the taxman comes and takes a share. I wonder if an online service will honor the winning ticket though, it's just too tempting...
By the way, what is this supposed to mean?
U.S. citizens are also subject to income taxes for lottery gains.
If a foreigner wins, do they get away without taxes or they don't get any prize at all?
There is a simple solution to your worrying about not being paid any winnings from an online service. Don't buy from them. Walk away. No chains, no pressure. Hummm - no winnings either.
Income is income! The IRS calls it income tax because they tax your income. Why would you think you could increase your income in America, regardless how, and not pay any income taxes? The IRS has been around a long time, and have pretty much thought of every way they can to get "revenue" for the politicians to spend. Do you think they would overlook a little thing like a foreign lottery? Remember, they are the professionals, you are the amateur. There is only one way to avoid U.S. taxes, permanently live outside of the U.S. and never come back.Plus if you can't live off of $90 Million, you have a serious problem.
The only time being taxed on your lottery winnings would be a problem is if your dream is to own an NFL team. Then Uncle Same is ruining your dream.
For those having problems with prime service:
1.Make sure your browser works with java. Check at www.java.com to make sure you have the latest version.
2.Make sure your card supports verified by visa/mastercard. Check with your bank if you are not sure.
3.Make sure the uk national lottery website is up. www.national-lottery.co.uk often when the uk site is down Prime ticket may not work.
4.When you order you should enter your card number and the other number on the pay screen and check all three boxes. You can always enter your card as a new card even if it's not if it fails for some reason.
5.After you order it should kick you out to a pay script and you have to hit continue. If your browser doesn't do this and you just see the declined page on prime ticket try another browser like firefox. www.mozilla.org then make sure java works like in step 1.
6.If it does kick out to a third party, you click continue and then it's declined it should show up on your bank's records and you should call your bank to have the card released so you can spend your money the way you want.
7.Prime ticket fixed the payment problems they had earlier and you can always send them a help message. They responded the same day I was having problems.
I was able to use my Visa Check Card.
Fiona$
" ...........................Make sure the uk national lottery website is up. www.national-lottery.co.uk often when the uk site is down Prime ticket may not work........................"
I was wondering if Prime ticket service is somehow affiliated with the Biritish lottery agnecy. Because I know the www.national-lottery.co.uk offer online tickets for UK residence only, and if I am not mistaken this is a goverment or the official lottery agency. The point is that how trusted is the Prime ticket service is, any previous examples?...I mean if somebody won the big one, are they gonna run with the money or give it to them? these are questions that you always have to ask yourself..
Well, Euromillions seems to be a much fairer game. Here you get screwed twice - first they don't give you the lump sum that is advertised but about 1/3 of it, then the taxman comes and takes a share. I wonder if an online service will honor the winning ticket though, it's just too tempting...
By the way, what is this supposed to mean?
U.S. citizens are also subject to income taxes for lottery gains.
If a foreigner wins, do they get away without taxes or they don't get any prize at all?
There is a simple solution to your worrying about not being paid any winnings from an online service. Don't buy from them. Walk away. No chains, no pressure. Hummm - no winnings either.
Income is income! The IRS calls it income tax because they tax your income. Why would you think you could increase your income in America, regardless how, and not pay any income taxes? The IRS has been around a long time, and have pretty much thought of every way they can to get "revenue" for the politicians to spend. Do you think they would overlook a little thing like a foreign lottery? Remember, they are the professionals, you are the amateur. There is only one way to avoid U.S. taxes, permanently live outside of the U.S. and never come back.Actually, there is a simpler solution - I buy my tickets through a friend who lives in London, and he gets his Powerball tickets through me. So far no luck, but at least we saved a lot of money by buying the tickets at the list price.
My citizen question referred more to what happens if, for example, a Mexican temp worker in Texas who has a valid visa but no green card or passport wins the Mega Millions. Will he be allowed to claim the price? Will he be taxed more/less/same as a citizen?
Where does Mega Millions advertise its cash value option? On http://www.megamillions.com/ , there is no cash value amount listed, only the annuity.
Chewie wrote:
<< There is only one way to avoid U.S. taxes, permanently live outside of the U.S. and never come back. >>
There are three ways to avoid paying US income tax, but that isn't one of them.
1. If you don't have any income you won't have to pay income tax to anyone.
2. If you're dead you won't have to pay income tax to anyone. In the year that you die your estate or your spouse may have to pay estate or income tax, but every year after that you'll be exempt even if you stay dead for a million years. Every cloud has a silver lining, and death will solve all of your problems.
3. Don't be a US citizen and don't live in the US and don't earn any income from US sources. You have to meet at least two, and probably all three requirements or some of your income may be taxable.
If you are a US resident your income may be taxable, depending on its source. The government's idea of "resident" and your's may not be the same thing.
If you aren't a US resident or a US citizen any income that comes from US sources still may be taxable.
If you're a US citizen any income that is subject to income tax will be taxed regardless of where you live. You may qualify for some deductions and/or exemptions if you live outside the US for the entire year, but simply moving doesn't exempt you from US income taxes. Moving and renouncing your citizenship still may nott keep your income from being taxed. If the IRS can prove that citizenship was renounced for the purpose of avoiding taxes your income will still be subject to taxes for 10 years. As a practical matter the best you could hope for would be to avoid taxes on the future income, and not the win itself.
As for whether or not you'd actually collect if you bought a ticket from an online purchasing service, you're certainly taking a gamble. We've seen plenty of articles about ownership disputes with pools. What kind of proof do you have for any tickets bought online? Not only do you have to trust the service itself, but the employee(s) that have access to your ticket.
What happens to the service if they try to keep your winnings? Even if they win a lawsuit they could be out of business due to a lack of future ticket sales, so would it make financial sense to keep the winnings? If future income from the winnings is expected to be more than the business income it would make sense purely from a financial perspective to keep the winnings. Unless they're doing huge business the current EU jackpot would probably generate more future income than continuing to sell tickets, even if they have to pay US income tax on the winnings.
mil92 wrote:
<< My citizen question referred more to what happens if, for example, a Mexican temp worker in Texas who has a valid visa but no green card or passport wins the Mega Millions. Will he be allowed to claim the price? Will he be taxed more/less/same as a citizen? >>
You don't have to be a resident or a citizen to win (there could be some exceptions I dont know about, but the lotteries make their money by selling tickets not limiting who can win). I'm pretty sure that if you can't provide a social security number the withholdongs will be higher than for those with an SSN. I expect that the higer withholdings are based on the idea that a foreign national can easily go home and not file a tax return. It's a lot easier to keep the withholdings than to try and chase somebody down and get more money from them.
not long now
Where does Mega Millions advertise its cash value option? On http://www.megamillions.com/ , there is no cash value amount listed, only the annuity.
That's a stinky website, IMHO. Very little useful info there.
USA Mega has all the details on both Mega Millions and Powerball.
http://www.usamega.com/
did it roll can't find #'s
Results:9-21-30-39-50 Lucky Stars1-3
Good luck!
I had a 1+2 match! (At least I should get something like $20 or so.)
There are 3 jackpot winners. Irish website confirms.
Congratulations to all of THEM!
You skeptics about PTS always ask if there is proof if they will pay off. For PTS, prove to me they have never paid off on a jackpot. You remind me of the anti-gun crowd asking if anything I own is worth a persons life. The thief has to ask himself, is what I own worth his life. If you're too gutless to shoot some one, don't own a gun. If you're afraid to gamble, stay away from PTS. The more of you who live in fear, the better my chances of winning!
I take it you did'nt win mr Chewie
There are 3 jackpot winners. Irish website confirms.
Congratulations to all of THEM!
3 winners. 1 from Portugal & 2 from France
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4676172.stm
Congrats to them
Congrats to the jackpot winners! I won £7.10 (about $12.50) - or I should say I only lost $7.50. I guess that's better than losing the full $20.00 I paid to Prime Ticket Service. (Looking on the bright side)
Plus, it was fun. I'll play EM again if the jackpot gets that big! It was my first time and I chose my own numbers. Anyway, there's always the MM tonight (I have go to CA to get tickets) and PB tomorrow night (I live in AZ, so no need to border jump )! I'll win a multi-million $ jackpot yet!
Congrats to the winners!
Cant wait to read the winners stories!
I can proudly say I aided in putting a smile on their faces, because I didnt win a half' pence or a pound.
3 winners? Those odds are not blind. The get so high then spit out 3 winners instead of one rich ...
3 winners? Those odds are not blind. The get so high then spit out 3 winners instead of one rich ...
Hmm...I need to go back and read all the posts because I must have missed something, unless you are saying that 3 people splitting the winning jackpot will not be stinking, filthy rich. In American dollars isn't that over $75 million each, tax free (and they don't have to take it in an annuity!) So that's equal to one of our mega jackpots of over $700M. A 50% lump sum would be $350M less state & federal tax. I wouldn't mind splitting that with 2 people.
"So many people tried to buy tickets in the final hours before the draw that the National Lottery website crashed." TimesOnline
Does this mean they didn't get a chance to play? Most of these people probably saved money they would have lost anyway, but this is one reason not to wait until the last minute if you're serious about buying tickets for any online game. In hurricane preparedness training they always tell people to buy plenty of bottled water, flashlights, batteries, non-perishable food & a can opener. I always add "and my lottery tickets for the week!"
You skeptics about PTS always ask if there is proof if they will pay off. For PTS, prove to me they have never paid off on a jackpot. You remind me of the anti-gun crowd asking if anything I own is worth a persons life. The thief has to ask himself, is what I own worth his life. If you're too gutless to shoot some one, don't own a gun. If you're afraid to gamble, stay away from PTS. The more of you who live in fear, the better my chances of winning!
On the one hand, I'm on Chewie's side. It's a form of gambling, so it's all a crap shoot anyway. If I ran a service like PTS, I would not appreciate being judged as unreliable, especially if no complaints had been registered against me.
On the other hand, KY Floyd makes some valid points. A winner would have little or no legal recourse if they didn't pay up. Obviously, if a huge jackpot was won through one of these services it would put a much brighter spotlight on it and I wonder if you'd get your money. I'm not talking about PTS stealing it, I'm talking about the guys in the black robes and gavels creating a lot of red tape, because that's what they love to do. This article in PC Word answers several questions about these services and if they're legal.
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,115957,00.asp
I also won $12.51
I take it you did'nt win mr Chewie
Actually, I hit on three of the 8 tickets I bought. Obviously not the big one. HOw well did you do?
"justxploting" has a valid point about the robe wearers. The laziness in Congress has allowed them to become law writers, answering to no one, and the lazziness of the voters, have made both of them untrustworthy. I have more faith in PTS being honest then I do in my representative being honest. At least if I am screwed by PTS, it was a choice I made, not a choice thousands of "wanna-be like a sheep" people made.
thanks"""justxploting"" for that pcworld web sight.and thank you "chewie"" i'm new here but you guys are teaching me alot about the lottos out there
You skeptics about PTS always ask if there is proof if they will pay off. For PTS, prove to me they have never paid off on a jackpot. You remind me of the anti-gun crowd asking if anything I own is worth a persons life. The thief has to ask himself, is what I own worth his life. If you're too gutless to shoot some one, don't own a gun. If you're afraid to gamble, stay away from PTS. The more of you who live in fear, the better my chances of winning!
On the one hand, I'm on Chewie's side. It's a form of gambling, so it's all a crap shoot anyway. If I ran a service like PTS, I would not appreciate being judged as unreliable, especially if no complaints had been registered against me.
On the other hand, KY Floyd makes some valid points. A winner would have little or no legal recourse if they didn't pay up. Obviously, if a huge jackpot was won through one of these services it would put a much brighter spotlight on it and I wonder if you'd get your money. I'm not talking about PTS stealing it, I'm talking about the guys in the black robes and gavels creating a lot of red tape, because that's what they love to do. This article in PC Word answers several questions about these services and if they're legal.
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,115957,00.asp
Great article from PC World. More evidence the do-gooders have more influence then the average person is aware of. People who want to control your life because it makes them feel better themselves! Do-gooders always think the worse in a person, regardless of the situation. Whatever you do is be bad – at least for them. The lottery can't be good, do-gooders don't like it. As long as they say the right thing, regardless of the results, they have superiority. If they don't get their way, they'll pressure the lawmakers to re-write the law. Another curve in the slipping of personal freedom in America.
thanks"""justxploting"" for that pcworld web sight.and thank you "chewie"" i'm new here but you guys are teaching me alot about the lottos out there
Nice of you to say gocart1. I've learned a lot too.
Chewie, You just reminded me of a bizarre episode on an 80s tv show "LA Law" where a man made an excellent living being "tossed" at bars. He was born with dwarfism and had trouble supporting his family when he came across this opportunity. With the money he earned he was able to send his children to college and give his family a nice life. But the liberal lawyers thought it was prejudice and discrimination against the physically challenged and tried to stop the activity they said was undignified. Don't ask me why I suddently thought of this (I know..because I'm strange!) since it's been about 15 or 20 years, but when you said people want to control your life because it makes them feel better, I remembered this show where the man was begging the do-gooders to leave his job alone, but they thought he was being unjustly humiliated because of his size. As long as it's not drug dealing, child pornography, animal abuse or the like, when we become adults we should have the right to choose our own poison which means living the way we want and dying the way we want.
does prime ticket service ever read this stuff thats written about them?????????
I doubt PTS has the time or inclination to be impressed about what is said here. It isn't worth their time or money to pay some one to monitor LP.
justxploting,
I hope you're not insinuating that PTS is anything like Lottery Universe, who is the target of that slanted article. Lottery Universe is a scam site; PTS is a legitimate company, run by a quality organization.
PC World is not known for their expertise in the lottery industry. They are a so-so computer magazine that had their heyday several years ago. It's also not a recent article. If I were you, I would not apply that article to real life today.
Anyone who gains their primary understanding of the online lottery industry from that article is highly misinformed, and it certainly has nothing to do with PTS.
Chewie, you are correct about PTS, and they certainly have earned the trust of many people here. Anyone who has actually taken the time to write to them and find out a shred of information would learn that they have delivered multiple 2nd-prize tickets worth $175,000 and up.
Anyone reading this should also keep in mind that over the past several months I have had to terminate Lottery Post accounts created by PTS competitors, who sign up and try to spread negative thoughts about that excellent company, because they don't really have any other way to compete.
There are lots of scam sites out there, but that is not one of them.
justxploting,
I hope you're not insinuating that PTS is anything like Lottery Universe, who is the target of that slanted article. Lottery Universe is a scam site; PTS is a legitimate company, run by a quality organization.
PC World is not known for their expertise in the lottery industry. They are a so-so computer magazine that had their heyday several years ago. It's also not a recent article. If I were you, I would not apply that article to real life today.
Anyone who gains their primary understanding of the online lottery industry from that article is highly misinformed, and it certainly has nothing to do with PTS.
Chewie, you are correct about PTS, and they certainly have earned the trust of many people here. Anyone who has actually taken the time to write to them and find out a shred of information would learn that they have delivered multiple 2nd-prize tickets worth $175,000 and up.
Anyone reading this should also keep in mind that over the past several months I have had to terminate Lottery Post accounts created by PTS competitors, who sign up and try to spread negative thoughts about that excellent company, because they don't really have any other way to compete.
There are lots of scam sites out there, but that is not one of them.
Sorry, I just enjoy reading posts on your site and participating in the discussions. I never intended to suggest that PTS was dishonest and I believe I've said that in other posts. I even said, in their defense, I'd resent someone judging my business as unreliable when there is no evidence to prove otherwise. I only pasted that link to the PC World article because of the information on the legal issues regarding buying tickets online. Actually I didn't think it was very negative, but maybe I read it too quickly. This is your web site, so I respect your right to allow or reject members, but I never pointed a finger at PTS. Honestly, I never heard of them before I signed on to your site a few months ago.
Nancy
Nancy,
Sorry if I come off as a little quick-triggered. There are so many scam artists out there and so few good companies in this space, and I personally spent a lot of time researching this area that I really just don't want to see PTS harmed and gone away. I personally enjoy using their service, as do lots of other people, and as you say, many people are finding out about them for the first time.
I posted my comments not because I thought you were attacking them in some way, but to provide context for people seeing this subject for the first time, and possibly getting very confused by all the legal mess out there.
Importantly, I hate to see PTS and Lottery Universe even mentioned in the same post, because it sickens me that people throw their money away at Lottery Universe, and meanwhile PTS is a class act.
Also, my comments are accurate as to the fact that the article you linked to was written by people with no background in this subject. They're a dopey PC magazine. Your post seemed to imply that people could get a good legal knowledge by reading that article, and I don't think that's the case. I think they get mis-information by reading that magazine article, and in fact, people could be drawn to possibly give money to Lottery Universe after reading it. That would be like rolling up your money and using it like a match to light your cigar.
With regard to the article, I wanted to offer an alternative opinion to what those people wrote, again so that newbies will not be confused.
i think i just might do business with prime time.i know if they have had 100,000 dollar winners they are more than trustworthy.i have always wanted to play mega millions.i live in a powerball state.now is a good chance.......