Thanks! Funny -- I did notice this week that the payouts were a lot higher and I'm wondering "Duh? Are more tourists buying tickets this week?" A single winner tonight would have won $375K and I don't think the jackpot has ever been that high. 3 people hit it for $125K each. That's about $120K more than an average Sat evening payout. I never stopped to realize it was because of the new EZMatch. When I first learned about EZMatch I read that the winner has 2 choices if he wins instantly. He can collect right away and get a new receipt or just wait until after the drawing. I'd probably wait.
" If you cash it after the Fantasy 5 drawing and win a Fantasy 5 prize, then the winning amounts will be added for one total."
Hmm..in that case, maybe it's better not to wait. I've known people who've won cash 3 and they just get $500 at the grocery store. I haven't won much, but you don't have to fill out a claim form for 4/6 in Lotto for example. I once won $75. So if you do win Fantasy 5 and go to the lottery office to collect, would you then have to pay tax on the EZMatch portion of your prize? Normally prizes under $600 are claimed at the retailer. So if you win $125,000 plus $500 and they deduct 25%, aren't you losing $125 of the $500 if you hit EZMatch? Wouldn't the game be better for the player if the extra dollar you spend gives you a separate ticket altogether? For example, 4/5 tonight paid $106. So let's say you did hit EZMatch for $500 and got 4/5. You'd then have to go to a lottery office to collect since the retailer can't payout more than $599 on any one ticket or are they viewed as separate wins? If not, you'd have to fill out a claim form for $606 and pay tax on the $106 bucks you'd normally just get at the store plus the $500 you'd also just get at the store. Am I making any sense here?
