Mega Millions, Powerball Back on Georgia's Mind

Dreams of winning the big one are dancing though the minds of Georgians this week with the huge jackpots offered in the Powerball and Mega Million lottery games.

Chances are the 8,200 lottery retailers in Georgia will be filled with ticket buyers this week, so if you're in a hurry at your local QuikTrip, Tuesday or Wednesday may not be your lucky days.

In case you missed it, the Tuesday Mega Millions drawing is for a jackpot of more than $130 million, and the Wednesday Powerball will be more than $400 million.

Here are five things you may not know about those drawings:

• Well, you sorta already know this: "Impossible" may be the only level of odds longer than the actual odds of winning either game. The jackpots odds are 1 in 175 million for both (more precisely, it’s 1 in 175,223,510 for Powerball and 1 in 175,711,536 for Mega Millions, according to the respective websites).  
• Uncle Sam's cut: Subtract about 40 percent from your dreams of what to do with the loot after you win. The IRS will collect 39.6 percent for the federal tax rate, according to Forbes, and state taxes may also apply.
• Sorry, Alabama (and six others): The Powerball and Mega Millions games are played in 43 states, but you won’t find a ticket vendor in Alaska, Alabama, Hawaii, Mississippi, Nevada, Utah or Wyoming. 
• Quick picks, or pick you own? Powerball says the computer is a clear winner here — 70 to 80 percent of winning tickets are purchased via computer. The numbers in your Uncle Beau's birthday should probably be avoided, and your "lucky numbers" might not be lucky after all.
• Here are your winning numbers: OK, well, it's just a website (lottonumbers.net) that will generate random numbers for you for the Powerball or the Mega Millions. But at 1 in 175 million, does it really matter from where your numbers come?

What would you do with the money if won either jackpot? Tell us in the comments below.

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