If I were Filthy Rich
By celiacsunshine+34 Is anyone else here concerned about the Oregon Powerball winner?
It hasn't even been a week since the drawing, and Oregon gives lottery jackpot winners up to one year to claim winnings. IMO, the only person the winner should be revealing their win to right now (besides maybe their spouse if they have one) is a partner at a large national law firm. Even if the winner is really broke and desperately needs cash, with the help of a reputable attorney, they should be able to get a bridge loan to carry them through so they can get their affairs in order before claiming the jackpot.
I'm seriously worried about this person. The fact that they're coming forward so quickly tells me that they don't know what they're doing, that they're going to be very vulnerable to the scummy people and outright criminals out there who target big lotto winners, and that they're going to have a tough time responsibly managing this large amount of money and not losing it all in a few years like so many jackpot winners before them. Oregon does not allow lottery jackpot winners to claim anonymously, which will only make this person more vulnerable.
I really hope that I'm wrong, and that the Oregon Powerball winner does not become another cautionary tale and enjoys their newfound wealth for the rest of their life and is able to secure generational wealth for their family if they have one. I guess we'll see what happens.
Recent responses
+231 @akersam There are almost no people on this earth I am worried about less than a person who just won a $1.3B lottery. For all we know they could be a senior partner at a law firm themselves. They are either financially literate or they are not. They are either gullible or they are not. It’s not worth clutching your pearls over someone claiming immediately, and I promise there are better things to spend your time and energy on.
+65 @BillsInATL Folks here waaaaaay overestimate/over worry how bad of a time lottery winners have. There was another major jackpot winner a while back who came forward right away, and the same thing was posted about them. It's been at least a few years and there havent been any stories surfacing of their downfall or demise. You dont have to rigidly follow the advice here in order to avoid tragedy. They'll likely be fine. They have ~$400M cash in their pocket.
+44 @MiGreve I truly do not care.
+17 @rtrawitzki I’m my state you can’t be anonymous. You don’t get the money the day you turn the ticket in. In makes all the sense in the world to get that ticket validated and the payout process started. You have plenty of time to get representation and financial council. Worst case scenario the money sits in your bank account gaining interest. How much interest on 300 + million would you be giving up waiting for months to collect your winnings ?
+17 @WicketTheSavior There's nobody in the world I care about less than someome who just won over a billion dollars. Who cares what they do?
+16 @Tabernerus Definitely worth raised eyebrows, though who knows what’s going on. If they don’t have much in the way of family, don’t owe a bunch of people, and aren’t wedded to where they live, that’s enough money to kind of disappear. But yeah, I hope they’re not blundering into a bad situation.
+13 @Jo_Duran You can get your affairs in order after you claim the winning ticket. Imagine busying yourself with getting a “team” lined up and you lose the ticket, it’s stolen, or accidentally destroyed. Now there’s a cautionary tale! I would be waiting outside the lottery office all night in my car with the ticket glued to my body and wrapped head to toe in cellophane if I won. I’d want to lock in the fact that I am the one holding the winning ticket before anything wild happens out of a movie (i.e. my dog eating it). But alas, I am not overly concerned about someone who now has 600 MM. I would trade this problem for every problem I’ve ever had.