Discover the surprising story of a lottery winner who preferred to sacrifice half of his colossal winnings to collect the other half immediately. Don't miss the details of this unexpected decision!
A surprising choice for an exceptional win
On April 22, the winning numbers in the Lotto Texas were 3, 5, 18, 29, 30 and 52. A winning combination that only one lucky person managed to find, allowing him to win the impressive sum of 95 million dollars (or 86.13 million euros at the current exchange rate). However, that person will only receive half of that amount, or $47.3 million (42.88 million euros).
The identity of this mystery winner has not been revealed, but we do know that he preferred to cash in half of his winnings immediately rather than wait for the full amount. Had he chosen to collect the full amount, he would have had to wait 29 years to receive installments. This did not seem to appeal to our winner.
The financial consequences of a bold choice
By choosing to collect his winnings immediately, our winner will face much higher taxes than if he had opted for payments spread over 29 years. Nevertheless, this decision allows him not to wait three decades to enjoy his millions of euros. As they say, “a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush”, and our winner preferred to secure his immediate future.
The winning tickets of the Lotto Texas offer a period of 180 days after the date of the draw for the winners to claim their prize. Once the ticket is validated, winners have two options for collecting their winnings: a cash payout or annual payments.
If the winner chooses to receive the cash in a lump sum, he or she will have to pay a significant amount in taxes, resulting in the loss of almost half the jackpot. This was the option chosen by the winner of the April 22 drawing. The other option would have been to receive the full €86 million in annual payments over 29 years, without having to pay as much tax.
A record for the current year
This is the largest lottery win of the year in the United States. In addition, it is the third highest amount awarded in the last 12 years in Texas. This bold choice by our mystery winner raises an interesting question: “Would you have made the same choice if you were in his shoes?” Regardless, this fascinating story reminds us that financial decisions can sometimes be surprising and depend on one's priorities.
