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Lottery Winnings and State Owned Debt
Lottery Winnings and State Owned Debt
Do you owe money on a student loan? Back child support? Back taxes and other debts? Then the North Carolina Lottery is definitely not for you! North Carolina sold its first lottery ticket in March 2006 and since then the state has collected $1.3 million in back child support, delinquent student loans, back taxes, and other debts including medical bills owed to state and local hospitals. Under North Carolina state law the lottery is required to check to make sure winners do not owe the government any money.
204 state lottery winners have paid over $274,000 in back child support since the North Carolina lottery was started. North Carolina lottery officials say that student debt and unpaid medical bills are common among lottery winners. Alice Garland, a spokeswoman for the North Carolina state lottery says that most lottery winners indicate that they are willing to pay their debts voluntarily. When asked what they will use lottery winnings for, most winners say that paying off their mortgage is their top priority.
For some lottery winners only a few hundred dollars are taken for debts while others have seen their entire jackpot confiscated by the state. Ms. Garland said that some winners who had their lottery winnings garnisheed were actually relieved to have past debts settled. One winner who won $100,000 on a scratch off ticket was happy his children were going to get the back child support he owed.
Of course many lottery winners are less than pleased to have their winnings seized. One $35,000 winner who walked out of the lottery office with nothing wondered aloud which former wife would get the money. Many state lotteries routinely check for state owned debt which includes back taxes and child support so it is wise for lottery winners to check the policies of the lottery in the state where they will collect their lottery winnings.
Several states are considering the possibility of offering online lottery tickets. Players could log on to a state website and make an online lottery purchase. Computer technology could also allow the state to check winners against a database of those who owe fines, back child support and other debts. Lottery players could also check for the latest lottery results and winners could be notified by email. Most players say they would appreciate the convenience that the ability to buy online lottery tickets would bring. Online lottery tickets would eliminate the need for a trip to a lottery retailer and most players would welcome the move online.
Some People Have All the Luck !
Some People Have All the Luck !
Some people have all the luck! Dan Polla who runs a gas station along US 90 in Mullan Idaho hit another Idaho lottery jackpot. He bought a $10 Idaho Lottery Wild 10’s scratch ticket and was astounded when he realized he had won $100,000. While collecting the $67,200 prize after taxes Polla said the prize “didn’t seem real until today.”
This is not the first time Polla has hit the jackpot by any means. Earlier this year in July he won a $50,000 jackpot and as if that wasn’t enough, he won $1,500 in 2004 and then scored $15,000 during that years Lottery sponsored live game show at the State Fair in Coeur d’ Alene. The grand total is a whopping $167.000! Not bad for a guy who runs a gas station!
Polla does have a lucky charm, a 1998 quarter, the same year his son was born. Polla also stated he will be cutting back on buying lottery tickets as he thinks it will be quite some time before he wins again. Polla plans to pay off some bills and take his son to Disneyland. There have been a few isolated cases of multiple lottery winners such as the central Ohio auto dealer who won the Ohio Lottery twice or the 81 year old Iowa man who won $81,000 in three lottery wins.
There have been many stories about multiple lottery wins. In Canada a 7 time lottery winner just won $17 million dollars. The lucky winner had recently traded the tropical climate of Madagascar for the frozen Canadian north. The Canadian Lottery is investigating the win and so far everything looks on the up and up. In the early days of the Ohio lottery a millionaire won the lottery not once but twice!
In rural areas like Idaho and much of the Pacific Northwest lottery players must drive considerable distances to buy lotto tickets. If lotteries in these states would allow the sale of online lottery tickets players could purchase lottery tickets from their home computers or cell phones. The idea is gaining in popularity throughout the US and lottery experts say it is only a matter of time before most state lotteries join the 21st century.
As any lottery player will tell you “you can’t win unless you’re in.” We at LuckyLotto congratulate Mr. Polla on his lottery wins and wish him and his family a great trip to Disneyland!