indeed - Note that it is the FIRST quick pick on their ticket (They only needed to buy ONE TICKET)

Additional sobering thought: The person ahead of them SHOULD HAVE BOUGHT ONE MORE !!

Now that is a fact I would never want to know at all - ever.

Abe,

The person before them would have gotten different numbers, unless they hit the quick pick button at the exact same nanosecond as they did. The "random numbers" chosen are most likely generated fro a "seed" number that is based upon the computer's internal CPU clock.

Definately sound like the smartest couple to ever win! CONGRATULATIONS!

My advice for Merle and Pat....... don't keep your winnings at CitiBank, they'll steal every penny.

I understand how pseudo-random #'s are generated. I can't find any evidence that it's driven by CPU time. It will be just as pseudo-random using an initial seed with algorithm.

I'm not saying it isn't time-based seed in which case, the point is taken.

Very happy for these hard working folks. The financial advisors/lawyer, who have given them several options on how to invest the money, are no doubt in the mix. I would imagine that they have put themselves in the middle of the getting tree here. Typical of folks who deal with other peoples money. Make sure they, the advisors, get their chunk of the take. Would hope that these winners put their money in options that would allow themselves, and only themselves, to access the money. If you didn't already know someone or the relative before you bought the ticket, chances are, you weren't meant to know them, so kick them to the curb. My biggest fear if I were to win a lot of money, is that relatives would come out of the woodwork and even take me to court to claim just about anything, to get my money. I'm not weak, but lawyers, who stand to rake in a bunch of dough, are ruthless. So glad neither of my kids went into law. Congrats to the winners.

Random number generations have to be generated from a number that always changes...Henceforth, it's based on time.....I haven't heard of random numbers in a computer program being generated in any other way, although I guess it's possible....

I kind of have to agree with Cassandra....it would be interesting to know how many people spent their rent money, grocery money, etc. to buy lottery tickets. It just seems odd to me that someone would spend so much money on a lottery ticket when the chances are almost nil and none to win. I do congratulate the winners....they are extremely lucky. As for me, I bought ONE ticket and figured that if I won, it would be nice, but I never really expected it. Buying 30-100 tickets wouldn't have made any difference. I just didn't have the money and didn't think it was worth it to buy lottery tickets in lieu of paying a bill. Congratulations to the Butler's....they certainly sound like they deserve it and will use it wisely.

Not to belabor the point, but PRNG are just as pseudo-random if one selects the initial seed (one time only) using some random process (ie time) .vs. every single time thereafter. Since an algorithm is required, it is pointless to continuously re-seed via the randomizing parameter (time). After selecting the initial randomized seed, a new seed need not be used at all. It is the algorithm itself which yields the next PRN.

Using this approach, the next "Winning Sequence" could very well be waiting for the "next ticket"

Make sense? Having said this, if a new seed truly is used on every sample, then SingBiker's point is valid.

@ Maureen:

"Typical of folks who deal with other peoples money. Make sure they, the advisors, get their chunk of the take." Um, do you perform *for free* the services that you are skilled at and educated in? I know I don't. There's nothing wrong with these folks selling those services as long as people need them and will pay for them. I know that if I won millions of dollars I would go directly to a financial advisor and a tax advisor, so they could help me deal with it. And knowing that some advisors are more effective and trustworthy than others, I would sure do my homework to try to find the best one I could.

You also said, "...lawyers, who stand to rake in a bunch of dough, are ruthless. So glad neither of my kids went into law." If you should happen to be sued by a family member (um, nice family), I'm guessing you'll be calling a lawyer to help YOU out. And again, I would recommend doing some homework to be sure you find a competent, trustworthy attorney (they DO exist!). Or would you just represent yourself since you seem to know everything?

Moneyisn'teverything writes"Random number generations have to be generated from a number that always changes...Henceforth, it's based on time....."

So when I just complete some finishing touches to my "wayback machine' .....jump in and travel back in time...you all will be talking about me winning that ticket!

@starsailing,

Interesting. (Funny 2!)

I wonder: If I use Mr Peabody's Wayback Machine (going forward instead of backward) 2 get the winning numbers for next weeks drawing, then come back in time 2 the present................will the future B altered in some way as 2 change those winning numbers?

Enquiring minds want 2 know!

Amazing how much you lose if you take the lump sum, which being in their sixties I think is a good idea, and then through taxes, which haven't been taken out of the 158 M yet. Still a nice chunk of change though. I hope they enjoy it.

It's Red Bud, not Red Bull. Might want to fix that.

so they won 218 million and only get 158 million and then have to pay taxes (which i hear is half) so they really only get 79 million. seems like a jerk move for the government to take 75% of the winnings since the winnings are only half of what is paid in so in the end they rally only pay out about 12-13% of what they receive... Im sure the rest goes to lavish GSA meetings

Old people winning the megamillion AGAIN? FFS, I never hear anything about your average YOUNG middle class family EVER winning. It's like the mega million is purposely giving this money away to old people, because every time someone wins a huge lotto like that, it's always senior citizens.

The $218M is the amount you will get if you take the annuity over 20 years. If you take the cash option you only get $158M because there was never $218M in the fund to begin with. If you go with the annuity, they put a smaller amount of money in a conservative investment that will produce yearly payments that add up to $218M over the life of the annuity from the principle invested. In the last few years they actually give you the principle towards the $218M balance. You will make way more then $218M if you invest the $158M they give you in slightly more risky investments. Just make sure you spread the money around in a few different investments.

What are you saying? What about all the million$ lost on investments?

Ever watch "American Greed"?

Invest ? BS ! A couple in their 60's should enjoy that money and do some good for others.

I'm sure the town is happy to see it was a couple of locals who won. If they decide to stay in the town, I'd bet that they will be making some donations to some of the local causes (scouts, baseball, civic organizations, etc.) if only just to keep everyone happy.

DADDY.... IS THAT YOU DADDY?!?!? I'm your long lost son!

No, but John Madden just found his brother...

LOL.....I was thinking the same thing......maybe it's his brother...

......ACE is the place

"The Gentleman kind of looks like John Madden."

I think he looks like Sandusky.

Oh well, at least it isn't a welfare h0e. Congrats!

John Madden is a good comparison...but I was thinking Bobby Knight..with a few pounds.

He looks almost identical to Bobby Knight.

good one Snuze, you're right.....now if he only can throw a chair across a basketball court I'd be convinced of some relation to BK

I hope he doesn't use the word 'penetration' as much as Madden did.

Happy if they disappear. They will now besieged with friends and relatives they didn't know they had. Charities will be banging at the door and calling them non-stop. Hello gated community. They will have to buy millions of dollars worth of personal liability insurance and always be looking over their shoulder for everyone trying to make some kind of claim. Always watching and suspecting that vehicle pulling out in front of them.

Does Illinois have a law that winners have to made public?

If not, why on earth would anyone do that?

Yes, Illinois requires the winner be made public!

and that law should be changed..what possible purpose does it serve except to make winners' lives harder..they certainly don't need it to collect their taxes...seems punitive to me although I do remember a few years ago, a woman won hundreds of millions and she got around the law legally-she had some type of legal thing drawn up that allowed 'her representative' to be named and photographed instead of herself..wonder why these folks didn't do the same..the illinois lottery site even had a story on how well this woman planned things out before she came forward and urged others to do the same.. When I win, I certainly will do as this woman did and find a way to remain anonymous lol

I would have one lawyer I paid 10 or 20k, a year who would say,'No", to people asking for a handout as a sideline to his regular work. When beggars came to me I would give them NO-man's card and say,"That sounds good, get in touch with my 'project consultant'", which would be the title on his card.

@Scooteral,

I like it.

Living close to Red Bud, I wish all states would allow winners to remain anonymous. It only seems fair to me, otherwise, people you know and don't know will be camped out on your lawn or looking for ways to "sue their way" into some money.

I remember one winner who claimed the lottery as a "Trust" and the lawyers appeared to collect the fake check...maybe that's what you're thinking of?

vttova - I believe they had to show their certificates (the ones saying, "Good Person Award" and "Hardworking Award"), in order to collect.

Seriously??? What difference does it make what type of person won or whether they "deserve" to win or not? The state-run lotteries are randomly drawn so that anyone can win. There is no character screening. You have the ticket with the winning numbers? Then, you win! End of story.

Where does it say they are good or hardworking? Seriously, they are probably nice folks, but you can't tell that from the article or pic.

It states he is retired. So he worked. She also worked. People our age (and theirs) WORKED for a living. We did not live off of entitlements. They are the middle class that PAID the taxes.

vttova, are you braindead?

If they were a black or hispanic couple, I wonder if Mrs. Georgia peach would say the same. Doubtful.

People our age (and theirs) WORKED for a living. We did not live off of entitlements. They are the middle class that PAID the taxes.

Yes, your generation may have worked for a living, yet you're also the generation that ran up nearly the entirety of the $15T debt tab handed down to future US taxpayers (don't blame it on the government, YOU voted for these people).

You worked for a living, paid yourself handsomely, retired on the taxpayer credit card, and now have the gall to suggest that your generation and yours alone is the only one that grasps the concept of hardwork and self-reliance....

{I know this is off-topic, but seriously. The babyboomer generation was great, wonderful people, my mother's one of them. But I get sick and tired of hearing them lecture younger generations about these things when THEY are the generation that put this country in the hole. They sit around collecting Social Security and pension checks, something the younger generations will never have the luxury of collecting, and remain completely oblivious to the $15T in debt they left them.}

@RTypo,

People in Georgia STILL hate Lincoln; U know that, right? :-P

Drowning Grover - Don't be such a simpleton. Politicans have been corrupt forever. Do you really think we'd be in any better shape had different people been elected over the course of the past 100 years? Power and money corrupt.

People our age (and theirs) WORKED for a living. We did not live off of entitlements. They are the middle class that PAID the taxes.

Oh for goodness sake - do you really want to turn this into age warfare? Plenty of people of all ages work very hard for a living, plenty of people of all ages find themselves in need of assistance from time to time, and some people - again of all ages - take advantage of entitlements.

People of "your age" - whatever that may be - do not have any special status over people of "my age" (which may very well be the same age) or any other age.

Drowning Grover - Don't be such a simpleton

I'm not. A simpleton would do something stupid like insinuate that their generation held a monopoly on hardwork and perseverance.

Politicans have been corrupt forever. Do you really think we'd be in any better shape had different people been elected over the course of the past 100 years? Power and money corrupt.

Yes, yes I do. You get what you vote for...

Oh for goodness sake - do you really want to turn this into age warfare? Plenty of people of all ages work very hard for a living, plenty of people of all ages find themselves in need of assistance from time to time, and some people - again of all ages - take advantage of entitlements.

but haven't ya heard? Those people worked all day for a nickel, and walked to school everyday (uphill both ways!) in worn out shoes with no soles only to get beat endlessly by the teacher with a ruler!

{notice the lecture stays the same, it's just the generation lecturing to the younger ones that differ.}

"People of "your age" - whatever that may be - do not have any special status over people of "my age""

LOL

Ima picturin' some 90 year-old, sittin' in her rockin' chair: "Young 'ens have no respect these days. Why in MY day, we would've taken a strap to 'em.............or juss sold 'em South." :-P

RTyp0: Yes, I would say the same, so you are incorrect.. Lazy, sorry people of ALL colors are on welfare who should not be there. It is not limited to one race or color.

DrowningGrover: No I was not responsible for all of this debt. I do not believe in wars. The Viet Nam war used the money from Social Security and was never paid back. I did not want the war in Iraq and I think we need to pull out of Afghanistan. I don't have a pension. The only money I will draw from Social Security is money I paid in. And if you end up like my husband who has terminal cancer, he won't even get to draw what he paid in. So sweetie, kiss my grits.

♪♫Hurrah! Hurrah! We bring the Jubilee.

Hurrah! Hurrah! The flag that makes U free.

So we sing the chorus from Altanta 2 the sea.

While we were Marchin' through Georgia!♪♫

Drowning Grover: Excuse me, but you have absolutely NO idea what you're talking about. ALL of us working people PAY IN TO OUR SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE accounts; we don't live off the taxpayer's money or use a "taxpayers credit card" (whatever the hell that is). If you want to complain, why don't you complain about the GOP who took money out of the Social Security and Medicare funds to pay for their "pork" projects and now don't want to pay back the IOU's that they have outstanding? Additionally, some of the money that we're paying in now is what will probably be going to pay for the next generation's Social Security and Medicare (unless the GOP screws around with it).

Don't blame us for what has happened over the past 10-20 years....blame it on the Administration that was left with no deficit (when Clinton left office) and spent it so unwisely during the Bush years! We didn't ask for 2 unfunded wars and an unfunded Medicare Plan D program....we had nothing to do with that one! So, put the blame where it actually lies and quit blaming it on the baby boomers. We paid out share and will continue to pay our share....most of us can't even BEGIN to think about retiring until our mid-70's, and we'll probably be blamed for that too. You need to do some major research before you start pounding on the baby boomers....we're the LEAST of the problems in our nation today!!

DRowning Glover, My generation did do one thing wrong. We tried to give our kids a better life than we had. Instead many made their kids worthless bums who take , take , take. This while claiming all their problems where caused by their parents. Well brother, it rarely works in court and it don't work here. Your problems are yours and yours alone. As far as the national debt goes you are blaming the wrong people. Blame not only the takers of our country but also the people who do not vote. Odds are you fall into that group considering less than 50% of people vote.

As for these folks who won. Good for them! At least they are using some good comman since before blowing the money.

"My generation did do one thing wrong. We tried to give our kids a better life than we had. Instead many made their kids worthless bums who take , take , take. This while claiming all their problems where caused by their parents. Well brother, it rarely works in court and it don't work here. Your problems are yours and yours alone. As far as the national debt goes you are blaming the wrong people. Blame not only the takers of our country but also the people who do not vote."

I nominate Mark as Poster of the Day!!! Who seconds it?

DrowningGrover: No I was not responsible for all of this debt. I do not believe in wars. The Viet Nam war used the money from Social Security and was never paid back. I did not want the war in Iraq and I think we need to pull out of Afghanistan. I don't have a pension. The only money I will draw from Social Security is money I paid in. And if you end up like my husband who has terminal cancer, he won't even get to draw what he paid in. So sweetie, kiss my grits.

It wasn't my intent to attack you personally so much nor was I trying to infer your political leanings and whatnot, I just get sick of the same tired lecture by the babyboomers about how lazy and selfish the younger generations are (old generations have been saying this about younger ones since the dawn of time). Merle and Pat Butler both retired around the age of 57, younger generations will likely never have that luxury (outside of a select few, and I mean very few, who will probably work for the banking sector and make beaucoup bucks...)

My generation did do one thing wrong. We tried to give our kids a better life than we had. Instead many made their kids worthless bums who take , take , take. This while claiming all their problems where caused by their parents. Well brother, it rarely works in court and it don't work here. Your problems are yours and yours alone. As far as the national debt goes you are blaming the wrong people. Blame not only the takers of our country but also the people who do not vote. Odds are you fall into that group considering less than 50% of people vote.

Kinda my point. If the kids end up worthless bums, shouldn't we blame the parents who raised them as such? Regarding blame for the national debt, the generation that is retiring now lived throughout their prime working/voting years during the 30 years that saw taxes plummet, spending balloon, and the deficits soar. Who else are we to blame? You may blame the "takers", whoever that may be. But seriously, do you really think the poorest people in this nation cashing a measly welfare check are to blame for a $15T deficit? Honestly?

And for the record, I vote in every election I can (although I missed this years primaries as I had just recently moved states) but I will certainly be voting in November.

As for these folks who won. Good for them! At least they are using some good comman since before blowing the money.

On that I completely agree. Again, it was never my intent to suggest that these people don't deserve this money.

@ Didi-376564.

As mentioned in my post above, it was not my intent to insult you as a baby boomer, but baby boomers and the generation slightly older than them DID vote for and silently condone nearly ALL the actions you list that have downgraded our financial future in this country (e.g., filling Social Security with IOU's, Medicare Part D, Iraq and Afghanistan Wars, etc.).

And trust me, I hear ya on the destruction wrought by the GOP over the last 30 years (although to be fair, the DNC cheerled most of the way as well. Clinton did sign NAFTA and the repeal of Glass-Steagal). But someone, if not you, WAS voting for that nonsense. As I asked Mark, who else are we to blame then? And if ALL of the older generation had "paid in their fair share", then why do we have so much debt?

Lastly, I probably should have avoided singling out "the babyboomers" in my original post as I am well aware of the dangers of painting with a broad brush. I probably should have said something more along the lines of "older generations who take pleasure in calling younger ones lazy while being blissfully oblivious to the burdens they've saddled the younger generation with..."

I probably should have avoided singling out "the babyboomers"

We are used to it. We've been blamed for everything from the time we were born.

"We've been blamed for everything from the time we were born."

If by 'born" U R refering 2 The Garden-then yes I concur.

Be a man you fool and accept responababilty for something! Please! Why do I call you a fool? Cause you have convinced yourself that the Reps. are to blame for all our countrys problems. Sure Clinton did leave office with the country in pretty good shape. I agree. ( I choose to give part of that credit to the fact that the Reps. took over Congress and forced many of those issue down Clintons throat) . Bush spent like a drunken sailor, I also agree. There was a little thing called 911 which threw not only our economy but the world ecomomy into a downward slide. Two wars(like them or not) plus tons and tons of other issues that have driven down our economy. Yet you still find a way to blame the Reps for eveything. That makes you a fool in my book.

I agree.

What do you expect from a crooked politics state like Illinois that produced Obama?

I agree. I think one law that should be on the books of all states that participate in lotteries is the winner or winners should have the choice of their identity being public or not, as well as how much information can/will be used about them when they win over a certain amount.

In Idaho, if you win, they also make it public, unless they have changed that in recent years.

Laker Steve....oh yeah, if we can't find something intelligent to say, we can always blame President Obama! What an idiot you are! If you can't say anything intelligent, then shut up, okay?

I like it.

Ok, its time for a little geography lesson, Red Bud, IL is a very small farming town close to the Missouri border, a long ways away from corruption and people that want handouts(unless they are from St. Louis), and Didi, wasn't it Evelyn Beatrice Hall(not Voltaire) who stated, I may not agree with what you say but will defend to the death your right to say it?" when did it become,"if you don't agree with me shut up" if he wants to blame Obama, let him, I give him my right as a Chicagoan to do it

@really,

U must B a newbie 2 these boards.

This is SOP 4 Didi.

ya fairly new, thanks for the advice

Want some more advice?

Trolls love, LOVE, LOVE 2 attack 4 errors in spelling (even if they're just typos), punctuation, sentence structure, etc.

Keep in mind, they usually do this when they run out of intelligent things 2 say. That's when I usually just start makin' jokes. :-)

You do realise that they were very well off already? They did not need this money.

Just say average white couple, you are making me feel unfortable with all the political correctness,jeesh!!!

I would respect you more.

Hunter: I've found the silver lining to the high price of gas.

Now every time I fill up, I double the value of my car.

@hunter,

Boat's kinda crowded, isn't it?

So by that logic you will be born in 2024?

Perhaps U should have thought about that before U had 2 kids?

Translation: Can I have some?

Keep playin and prayin Dado me maybe God will get you next time around

God decides who wins the lotto. Right, and earthquakes are punishments.

I just wish the journalist who wrote the story could decide if it is Red Bull or Red Bud, Illinois.

Where did he get his education from?

Shelby Owner, I totally agree! I don't think MSNBC employs journalists, rather they have texters/tweeters (twits?) who don't know how to research, spell check, nor edit.

Shelby,

You ended with a preposition.

Yeah, whatever happened to ol' whats-her-face... geez, forgot her name already..

Did this pesky couple snatch up that poor woman's ticket?

They say you have to watch those older folks sometimes, they might pick your pocket.

Maybe this guy is actually Bobby Knight's brother!

CJ: I always wanted to attend the Bobby Knight School of Anger Management so I could take courses like: Chair throwing 101, advanced choke holds, and effective referee insults.

"Chair throwing 101"

LOL

No, but I'm sure Obama will "demand" to see their tax returns.

Sorry, this shouldn't be political.

I'm still very happy for this couple, congratulations again!

This just shows how ignorant you are about what Occupy is...

Shows you know as much about what Occupy is as the Occupy participants and leaders do -- they are protesting bankers who were all laid off in 2008. I hope they miss aiming at these apparently good folks just as much.

too bad the figure is before taxes -- how many millions of people already paid how many hundreds of millions of taxes on this very lottery play?

these guys should receive the jackpot tax-free. Occupy needs to aim at the government and the press.

Just saying.

This just shows how ignorant you are about what Occupy is...

That's OK, Occupy is (was) ignorant about what Occupy is (was).