By the time you reading this, someone might have already won and claimed the historic Powerball Jackpot drawing of over $1.5 billion. For now, Kerry Carmichael is hoping that lucky person is him. It might sound like greedy thinking for a man who’s already won two lottery drawings worth $1 million and $2.5 million, according to the local news station TucsonNewsNow.com. But for Carmichael, it’s more a hobby or passion than anything.
“We always felt we were going to win; we just didn’t know when,” Carmichael said. “Some people golf; I play the lottery.”
The odds of winning the enormous Powerball lottery stands at a whopping one in 292 million, but that’s not stopping people like Carmichael who are excited for what could be the opportunity of a lifetime. Just like the Mega Millions, the Powerball can be taken in a lump sum of cash or an annuity paid out over the course of 29 annual payments, each increasing 5% in size.
Arizona is one of the many states that has likely seen big increases in lottery sales due to the amount that’s at stake. In fact, the state is already about 12% ahead in terms of overall sales compared to this same time last year.
“When you put a ‘B’ in front of the ‘illion,’ people get pretty excited,” the executive director of the Arizona Lottery, Tony Bouye said. “We’ve already given back to the state about $81 million in just six months.”
Even if Carmichael doesn’t hit it big again, this time for astronomically more, he does have some advice for the winners through the experience from the significant winnings he’s had to manage.
“Resist the urge to splurge,” he said. “Get a financial adviser, get a lawyer, and get a tax guy — three guys you trust, not your brother-in-law, guys you trust. And put the money away.”