Call me crazy, but I'd rather win a much more manageable sum, say around $5 million, than $500 million. This way I can live a comfortable normal life under the radar for the rest of my life, buy just about anything I want, and still share a little bit with my closest friends and family. Winning too much money changes you life forever, and not all in a positive way. You'll never have privacy again, and every person that you've ever known will be looking for you, for a handout. ..I actually have a friend at work whose mother hit the "Pick 6" for around $20 million. She split it with him and his siblings. After taxes, he gets around $176K a year. I believe that is for 20 years.