The Wildest Rules You Didn't Know Powerball and Mega Millions Winners Must Follow After Hitting the Jackpot

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Between income taxes and ticket expiration dates, California lottery spokesperson Carolyn Becker revealed to PEOPLE the rules jackpot winners must follow

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00:00 lottery fever is hitting the country again after a lucky individual secured the 1.08 billion dollar

00:06 powerball jackpot on July 19th. Winning the lottery is undoubtedly life-changing but did you know

00:11 there are a bunch of rules you have to follow if you defy the odds and win one? California lottery

00:16 spokesperson Carolyn Becker tells people that if a person thinks they hit the jackpot they must

00:21 present the winning ticket to their lottery retailer themselves. Also winners must claim

00:25 their prize in the same state which they bought the ticket. The exact process varies from state

00:30 to state. There is also an expiration date and winners have to claim their prize within a certain

00:34 amount of time and there are two options with how a winner claims the prize. They can either take the

00:39 cash option which is a one-time payment or they can take the annual payout which is spread over

00:44 30 years. You also have to have actual possession of the winning ticket to get the money and Becker

00:49 advises everyone to sign their ticket even before they play because if someone else gets possession

00:54 of an unsigned winning ticket they can claim the prize and if you plan on staying anonymous you

00:59 might want to check the laws of the state you win in because while some states allow anonymity others

01:04 require public disclosure. However the amount of information you're required to reveal does vary

01:09 from state to state. Winnings are also heavily taxed so be ready to pay up.

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