Man Almost Forgot His $1 Million Ticket

[piemaker720]

http://www.wsmv.com/news/13546121/detail.html?qs=1;bp=t

For almost six weeks, a Murfreesboro man forgot that he had entered the Tennessee Million Dollar Madness lottery.
Rick Checchin was reminded of his tickets by his co-workers Thursday morning, checked them --- and discovered he had won $1 million.

How can you forget. What a dufus.

[joepole]

There was a great "This American Life" a few months ago about a guy whose job used to be purchasing annuities from lottery winners (back in the days before lump sums were an option) and he said that almost without exception lottery winners were the dumbest people he ever came into contact with and the vast majority were financially ruined by winning.

This jibes with the common sense that says people that spend more than a trivial amount of money (who doesn't buy a couple every once in a while?) on something that is almost guaranteed to pay back nothing aren't America's best and brightest. Lotteries are a tax on being bad at math.

[AnimeSpirit]

Originally Posted by piemaker720

How can you forget. What a dufus.

Lose the lottery a few thousand times and you'll probably put very little priority in checking the tickets anymore.