For someone in Wisconsin, it's a dream come true. One ticket, one winner. However, after the initial celebration--it's time to settle up the tax bill that comes with winning big money.
If you were in Rochelle and purchased a Mega Millions lottery ticket on Tuesday, you better check those numbers again. The winning ticket was sold at a gas station there.
I used to ponder why I have never won a prize from the lottery. No big jackpots, no little ones, either. Why, I wondered, are all these people walking off with free tickets, hundred dollar, or thousand dollar, or million dollar prizes while I've gotten exactly jack squat? Short answer: I don't buy lottery tickets.
While the rest of the country had its eyes on a $700,000,000-plus jackpot a few days ago, a Palos Heights couple already knew they had big lottery money coming their way.
In the interests of full (and somewhat idiotic) disclosure, I rarely, if ever, play the lottery. However, when I do--I wait for the jackpot to become astronomical. Take last night's Mega-Millions lottery drawing for example. I guess I couldn't be bothered with a paltry $346,000,000. But on Friday, when the jackpot will be just south of $400,000,000, I'll probably grab a ticket.
It's 2015 all over again when it comes to big payouts from the Illinois Lottery, and once again it's due to our state's ongoing money troubles and lack of a budget.
Even if you've actively avoided the latest news about our state's financial problems, you're no doubt aware that we've got a few pressing money problems in Illinois--problems that require a concerted effort to address and tackle. So, why isn't that being done?