Jacqui Shannon regularly buys EuroMillions tickets online, which means she never has to worry about checking the lottery results. But when her ticket won her a £1 000 000 EuroMillions prize, Jacqui was none the wiser for three weeks.
That’s not because the online lottery ticket agent hadn’t informed her, it’s because she didn’t check her messages.
It was only three weeks later while talking to a colleague that Jacqui noticed the message.She asked her colleague to hold on while she rushed out into the corridor and did a dance of joy. She phoned the National Lottery operator to confirm her win and then returned to her desk without saying a word. She decided to keep the good news under wraps until the money was safely in her account.
Shortly before her big win, the mother-of-one had been wondering how she would get her car through its annual roadworthy test. Now she plans to use her winnings to buy a new car for herself and her husband. As the couple have recently set up a savings account for their son, some of the money will be put in there. Jacqui plans to use the rest to buy a new home and visit her sister in Dubai.
It’s incredible how much even a smaller EuroMillions prize can change your life. One can only imagine what the big Powerball and EuroMillions winners do with their winnings. Despite the stories one often hears about lottery winners, most go on to spend their money wisely and secure their financial future. And that’s because they receive expert advice from a team of lawyers and tax advisors.
In fact, that’s normally why big winners take so long to come forward and claim their winnings. You normally have a few months at the least, and a year at the most to claim a jackpot, so there’s no rush. This gives winners a chance to get used to becoming a multi-millionaire overnight. It’s better to have a plan in place before you cash your check. And a team of experts will be able to help you make the big decisions that come with a jackpot win.
For Powerball and Mega Millions winners, the first decision to make involves choosing between the once-off cash lump sum and the annuity options. The United States of America regards lottery winnings as a form of income, which means winners must pay federal and state tax on their prize money. With the cash lump sum, all taxes are deducted up front. But with the annuity option, winners pay tax on the pay-outs they will receive every year for the next 29 years. There is no right or wrong decision, but winners will have to think how either option will affect their lifestyle.
If the winners want to donate their money to charity, these experts can help them set up a trust. Instead of writing one big check, the winners can donate smaller amounts over several years to support causes they care about. Most charities prefer this arrangement too and it allows more people to benefit from the generosity of lottery winners.
The biggest EuroMillions winners, Chris and Colin Weir, established their trust shortly after they’d won an incredible £161 000 000 EuroMillions jackpot in July 2011. The Weir Charitable Trust is still going today and supports a wide variety of projects in Scotland. The Weirs have done some amazing things for their local community and are proof that lottery winners are anything but selfish.
The EuroMillions lottery has a total of 13 prize divisions, including the jackpot which means your odds of winning any prize stand at only one in 13. With five main numbers from one to 50 and two Lucky Stars from 1 to 12, you could easily match enough numbers to win any prize division. The jackpot starts at €15 000 000 and is capped at €190 000 000. If nobody wins the maximum jackpot after the second drawing, the prize is rolled down and shared between the players in the next prize divisions. You could be a EuroMillions winner simply for matching five main numbers and one Lucky Star. Even if you only match one main number and two Lucky Stars, you’ll win a small prize in the thirteenth prize division.
And like Jacqui, you can buy EuroMillions lottery tickets online from anywhere in the world. Pick your lotto numbers and order your tickets online from one of the many online lottery ticket agents. They’ll purchase official EuroMillions lottery tickets on your behalf and check the Euromillions lottery results after the draw. But, remember to keep your eye on your inbox because if your ticket is a winner, they’ll send an email right away.
With two draws every week on Tuesdays and Fridays, you could be a EuroMillions winner sooner than you think. So if you dream about buying a new car or a new home next year, play EuroMillions online today.
