A large pot of gold is still available after St. Patrick’s Day. Tonight’s MegaMillions jackpot is estimated to be worth $201 million. There was no jackpot winner in the latest Mega Millions drawing that took place this past Tuesday night, but 18 lucky players matched the first 5 numbers for a $250,000 prize, including 2 from New Jersey. The jackpot has been steadily growing since Feb. 1, when megamillions.com reports a $93 million prize was claimed by winnersin Michigan and Indiana. Mega Millions has now gone 12 drawings without a winner being selected. Yahoo News reports the largest payout for a single lottery ticket tookplace in February 2006, when a Powerball jackpot with an annuitized payout of $365 million was won by eight people who worked together at a meat processing plant in Nebraska. In that case, they opted for the $177 million cash payout. MEGA MILLIONS WINNING NUMBERS FOR FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 2011: 14, 33, 34, 54, 56 Mega Ball = 37 The New Jersey Lottery has used the slogan, “It pays to dream.” And dreaming of luxuries to spend your winnings on is half the fun of playing. For instance, according to aolnews.com, 110-acre private islands in Thailand are available starting at $160 million. In November 2006, Jackson Pollock's"No. 5, 1948" and Willem de Kooning's "Woman" sold for an estimated $140 million and $137.5 million. You could afford to pay for one of them and have funds to spare. For those who would rather be more conservative with their cash, $2 million will buy you and 10 friends a trip into space. Winning a lottery prize can change your life, but people always need to handle their winnings with care. Lotterypost.com reports Curtis Sharp Jr., an air-conditioning technician from Newark, N.J., who won $5 million playing Lotto in 1982. Sharp filmed commercials for the New Jersey Lottery Division, became something of a local celebrity — and blew his money on cars and fine living. Before long, he was borrowing against his future payout checks. Eventually the cash disappeared, andhe moved to Tennessee and became a minister. According to thatmoney.com, 80% of all lottery winners file for bankruptcy. That's because they don't know the true power of money and they don’t appreciate how crucial it is to make solid decisions. Stay within your means. Invest, but it only takes one dollar to win.
