The head of the Mega Millions on Monday revealed the very first thing the potential winner of the game’s historic $1.6 billion jackpot should do: Sign the ticket and keep a low profile.
The simple yet sage advice came from Gordon Medenica, the game’s lead director and director of the Maryland lottery.
“Sign the ticket! Because keep in mind that little slip of paper is a billion-dollar bill — imagine that,” he said on NBC’s “Today.” “So you want to secure it and also be calm. Don’t be running to the ‘Today’ show the next day.”
Medenica also advised, “Get some good advice, get a good financial adviser, good lawyer, tax accountant, all that. Get your affairs in order. You’ve got between six months and 12 months to come and claim the ticket.”
The drawing for the whopping windfall will be held Tuesday night. But the jackpot could soar beyond the estimated $1.6 billion. Medenica will join in on a conference call Monday morning with the game’s other 11 directors to determine whether to up the pot based on the weekend’s ticket sales.
When it comes to selecting those special six numbers, Medenica said it doesn’t matter if they’re handpicked or chosen by the machine.
“It’s completely random,” he said. “At these levels of jackpot, I’d say 90 to 95 percent are Quick Pick random numbers. But if you’ve got a favorite number, your birthday, an anniversary, go for it. Play it.”
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