Imagine what you could do with a ten digit bank account. For a few days, this is the reflection that occupies the minds of millions of people on the other side of the Atlantic. In question, the jackpot of the American Powerball lottery. Already raised to $1.2 billion on Wednesday, the jackpot was not won for the 39th consecutive drawing and thus reaches the sum of 1,500 million dollars for the next scheduled for this Saturday at 22:59 French time.
It is simply the second largest jackpot ever put into play. In 2016, three Americans had shared an amount of 1,586 million dollars. With these jackpots reaching staggering levels at times since its inception 30 years ago, the Powerball has attracted international interest, starting in neighboring countries. Here’s the million-euro question: can the French check their Powerball luck?
Almost 45% of the sum will go to the US tax authorities.
The answer is “yes”, but it is subject to a strict condition: you must be on US soil to validate your ticket, in particular in one of the 44 states that allow Powerball, which is not the case with Nevada, Alabama or even Mississippi. Therefore, the French who live in the United States or who are temporarily on American soil for vacations or others can try their luck. “You don’t have to be a citizen or resident [américain] play. You can be a tourist,” says the Powerball website.
If a stranger wins, however, the american tax collector he takes a total of 44.6% of the jackpot and not the 39.6% as for a resident. In addition, there is a tax imposed by the state in which the ticket was purchased, but only Arizona and Maryland also apply this tax to winners who are not US residents. These taxes will be paid whether the winner chooses to touch time a reduced portion of the jackpot (about $750 million for Saturday’s drawing) as the entire jackpot that will then be paid to you as an annuity over 30 years.
risky websites
If some Canadians or Mexicans do not hesitate to cross the border on time to check their numbers, the trip can be much more expensive for the French. Some sites have sniffed out a good deal, offering non-Americans the ability to choose their numbers online and validate their ticket on the spot for a small fee. When a Powerball ticket sells for $2, the price can be doubled at these sites.
There is no regulation governing these sites that claim to sell tickets or a ‘service’ to buy tickets for you, says the Powerball site. Many lotteries believe they would be violating local and federal laws if they paid out winnings from purchased tickets to an unauthorized reseller.”
In addition to the risk of not receiving payment of the amount won by choosing this bias, players are exposed to significant risks from these same agents. They do not have a real and reliable guarantee as to their honesty, especially in the case of a jackpot. Therefore, they risk never seeing the color of the jackpot if they win it. To reassure somewhat demoralized readers, know that the probability of playing the correct numbers is only one in 292 million chance …
Source: BFM TV
