View Full Version : What Would You Do If You Won the $1.5 Billion Lottery?



Bunty
01-13-2016, 01:20 AM
I like admiring skyscrapers, so I would have to make arrangements to build a tower. I would offer it as a headquarters for a bank or insurance company or whatever. The top floor would be a restaurant. The kitchen would entirely be in the middle, so that every table could come with a view. The floor under the restaurant would be the penthouse where I would live. I would eat many a meal a the restaurant.

The tower would be at least 21 stories, or as much as 41+ stories max. It would have to be someplace where it would really stand out. So downtown Oklahoma City and Tulsa wouldn't be suitable. More like downtown Stillwater. So above the restaurant to top the tower off would be a cool pyramid, frequently lit up in orange. It would also perform as a cool place for me to go lie under to soak up the powers of the pyramid.

Plutonic Panda
01-13-2016, 01:31 AM
First order of business, I'd donate $280 million dollars to build a 6 stack at the Kilpatrick and hefner Parkway. I'd build off and on ramps leading to nowhere if I had to.

OKCisOK4me
01-13-2016, 02:35 AM
I'd leave Oklahoma, lol...

stile99
01-13-2016, 06:18 AM
My first order of business is to remind myself I do NOT have 1.5 billion dollars. Unky Sam wants his cut. After that I would set up a series of annuities to provide for certain friends and family. They would live comfortably, but they wouldn't be getting $1000/day either. Then and only then would I start with the crazy plans, and even then they wouldn't be that crazy. Do some travel, design a house to my specifications (why is there never an outlet where you need one, and when you find one is there's only TWO ports?), maybe have 2-3 in different locations so when weather acts up in one, I'll be at another.

This (in my opinion) explains why people who win big jackpots go broke soon after. First of all, mark my words, noone is going to win the 1.5 billion (which we already said won't be 1.5 billion). No *ONE*. There will be at least three winning tickets, at least one of which is from an office pool of multiple people. However, these people will each get the mindset that they won 1.5 billion and will go wild, and will quickly learn that when you have (for example) $10,000 to spend, but then spend $5,000 here and $5,000 there and $5,000 on this and $5,000 on that, you are now $10,000 in the hole.

Urbanized
01-13-2016, 06:28 AM
The first thing I would do is go to my bank and put my ticket into my safe deposit box.

The second thing I would do go see an attorney I know who specializes in corporate and contract law, and ask him to tell me what my third thing should be.

AP
01-13-2016, 08:02 AM
^Ditto

FighttheGoodFight
01-13-2016, 08:06 AM
I'd buy OKCtalk.net and only have one section. Politics. :)

Roger S
01-13-2016, 08:18 AM
I'd probably get up and go to work.... just so I could see the looks on peoples faces when I quit to open a BBQ joint.

FighttheGoodFight
01-13-2016, 08:23 AM
I'd probably get up and go to work.... just so I could see the looks on peoples faces when I quit to open a BBQ joint.

I would go to your restaurant. Only if you stay anonymous though.

Roger S
01-13-2016, 08:28 AM
I would go to your restaurant. Only if you stay anonymous though.

Well being very much an introvert and liking my smokers more than I like people... I'd probably stay in the back with my smokers....lol

It would be a very interesting concept though.... There would be no cooking for the masses at my place.... Small batch, hand crafted, Q would be the only thing on the menu and if a piece of meat didn't meet up to my standards..... Well I'd donate it to a homeless shelter.... Not going to just trash it. ;+)

AP
01-13-2016, 08:34 AM
I'd probably get into property development.

Filthy
01-13-2016, 08:42 AM
If I won the lottery, I would not want to win one of these HUGE ones. I think I would much rather win something smaller like $6-$8 million rather than $100 million plus. With smaller winnings, I would still need to be financially responsible and really put a lot of thought in how to stretch/grow my money. I could provide a little better life for my family, but yet still have the internal flame going inside me reminding me that I need to be smart with my money...or risk running out of it in a few years.

If my winnings were in excess of 100 Million, I'm pretty certain my life expectancy drops to about zero real quick. I know my marriage would be wrecked, and I cant imagine my body being able to handle the mountains of cocaine and hookers, and the weekend rendezvous in Dubai, Paris or London. I just don't think I would have the intestinal fortitude to be responsible in any way shape or form.

FighttheGoodFight
01-13-2016, 08:44 AM
If I won the lottery, I would not want to win one of these HUGE ones. I think I would much rather win something smaller like $6-$8 million rather than $100 million plus. With smaller winnings, I would still need to be financially responsible and really put a lot of thought in how to stretch/grow my money. I could provide a little better life for my family, but yet still have the internal flame going inside me reminding me that I need to be smart with my money...or risk running out of it in a few years.

If my winnings were in excess of 100 Million, I'm pretty certain my life expectancy drops to about zero real quick. I know my marriage would be wrecked, and I cant imagine my body being able to handle the mountains of cocaine and hookers, and the weekend rendezvous in Dubai, Paris or London. I just don't think I would have the intestinal fortitude to be responsible in any way shape or form.

I love that this post got stranger and stranger as it went on. Well done

TU 'cane
01-13-2016, 08:46 AM
Build matching 50 story towers in both Tulsa and OKC. And they can be known around the state as "The Two Towers."

No not really. I haven't thought about this personally, but I came for the comments...

Thomas Vu
01-13-2016, 08:49 AM
If I won the lottery, I would not want to win one of these HUGE ones. I think I would much rather win something smaller like $6-$8 million rather than $100 million plus. With smaller winnings, I would still need to be financially responsible and really put a lot of thought in how to stretch/grow my money. I could provide a little better life for my family, but yet still have the internal flame going inside me reminding me that I need to be smart with my money...or risk running out of it in a few years.

If my winnings were in excess of 100 Million, I'm pretty certain my life expectancy drops to about zero real quick. I know my marriage would be wrecked, and I cant imagine my body being able to handle the mountains of cocaine and hookers, and the weekend rendezvous in Dubai, Paris or London. I just don't think I would have the intestinal fortitude to be responsible in any way shape or form.

I'm glad somebody said cocaine and hookers

gopokes88
01-13-2016, 09:05 AM
Buy a chunk of the thunder.
Get to know Rainey Williams.

Bunty
01-13-2016, 10:28 AM
https://scontent-dfw1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/t31.0-8/11289487_10203970604175496_7547409105288406437_o.j pg

bchris02
01-13-2016, 10:50 AM
Considering after taxes, I would "only" get $500 million or so, that's still more than I would probably spend in a lifetime.

I would pay off all of my debt, move to a coastal city of my choice (Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Philadelphia, NYC, or Boston), and live my life. I wouldn't live super extravagantly.

I might help finance some developments I would like to see in OKC, especially in Uptown and/or the Paseo. For instance, I would like to buy Samir's convenience store in the Paseo and redevelop it into a mixed-use development with a full grocery store and housing.

gopokes88
01-13-2016, 10:56 AM
But really I'd invest most of it. Buy a lot of stock in companies with high yielding dividends like AT&T, Verizon, any major oil company. Get a 4% return which is $20,000,000 a year and the tax rate is a mere 10% on that. (dividends could be taxed higher after a while, I dk though haven't made that much off of them.) Take my 18,000,000 a year reinvest, give to charity, buy lots of land, spend lots of time bumming around Europe, buy a winery,

MadMonk
01-13-2016, 11:15 AM
1). Sign the back of the ticket.
2). Contact an attorney about how to collect anonymously and next steps. :)

Stew
01-13-2016, 11:25 AM
I'd take it to Vegas and double it. Then I'd probably get that monster Asus router I've been wanting. After that eh I'd play it by ear.

Martin
01-13-2016, 12:13 PM
there is only one reasonable thing to build with that kind of money:
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zHzv66a2N7E/T1oe41bwXmI/AAAAAAAAIOw/WWclgvQ9_g0/s1600/Money+Bin.jpg

trousers
01-13-2016, 12:14 PM
Hang out with Filthy.

OkiePoke
01-13-2016, 12:22 PM
I would buy a few congressmen and senators.

Filthy
01-13-2016, 01:17 PM
I'm glad somebody said cocaine and hookers

I know its so cliché, but probably a pretty accurate assumption.

And to be honest, using the term "hookers" probably isn't fair..as its such a derogatory term. As, I'm not talking about rounding up a bunch of "trafficked/troubled" young run away type girls that frequent S. Robinson. I was more or less thinking "groupies" so to speak. A whole boat load of beautiful young women, whether they be bikini models or stay at home moms, or the one chick that always wears the polka dotted yoga pants at my gym. Just your everyday, average wholesome Hot chicks. But knowing that for a large group of gorgeous women to hang out with me all at the same time, and allow me to do some of the things that I would want to do to them................it would require copious amounts of cash.

As far as the coke...yea, pretty self explanatory.


But as mentioned many times in this thread...the ONLY way, I would ever claim my lottery winnings, was if I could do so anonymously. I'm not sure what the stated laws are here in Oklahoma...but, I wouldn't want anyone knowing that it was me that won. Even If I had to concoct some grand scheme to hire a homeless person to claim the winnings as their own, and draw up some cockamamie contract ensuring that they couldn't run off with my monies, and live out my dream with said hookers and blow.

OKCretro
01-13-2016, 01:26 PM
I would build a downtown grocery store here in okc....

hoya
01-13-2016, 01:54 PM
After hiring the best tax attorney in the country, and keeping as much as I could...

I'd start a construction/real estate development business. I'd buy up as much land as possible from Western over to about Blackwelder, from Main up to Linwood. There's a whole lot of nothing there right now, but it's close to downtown. I would fill the area with townhomes and mid-rise apartments and hotels. I'd price everything so that it was affordable for middle class people. Not half-million dollar brownstones like we've got now. Put them marginally above suburban home prices. Good bones, but not splurge on the interior finishes. People can put in marble countertops and stuff like that later.

Rather than building a small number of high-priced, high-profit townhomes, I'd build a very large number of medium-priced, low-profit margin buildings. I wanna play SimCity. I'm not targeting oil execs or retired heart surgeons. I'm going after young couples who otherwise couldn't afford downtown. I'd go for volume of sales. Ideally I'd build a few blocks at a time, and when it sells I move on to the next one. In ten years, the whole place is built out.

Sprinkle in a dozen or so 15+ story hotels, and apartment and office buildings. And one of them would have my Lon Cheney Jr. Museum on the ground floor.

gopokes88
01-13-2016, 02:44 PM
Oklahoma is not an anonymous state.

FighttheGoodFight
01-13-2016, 02:49 PM
Oklahoma is not an anonymous state.

Correct. Also can't claim under trust or LLC.

Get a lawyer. Buy property on LLC. Vacation for a while.

gopokes88
01-13-2016, 02:56 PM
Correct. Also can't claim under trust or LLC.

Get a lawyer. Buy property on LLC. Vacation for a while.

Buy a good suitcase and a first class plane ticket to London.

Bits_Of_Real_Panther
01-13-2016, 03:28 PM
Has anyone noticed people standing in long lines to buy these ticketsz?

AFCM
01-13-2016, 04:14 PM
Two chicks at the same time. I've always wanted to do that. And I figure if I were a billionaire, I could hook 'at up too, 'cause chicks dig dudes with money.

Aside from that, I'd purchase a few properties; invest a few hundred million in diverse markets; take care of family; create high-paying jobs and do some good for the world - maybe donate to scientific research (specifically biomedical and clean energy), care for children, the elderly, and animals of all kinds. There's no way that I would ever spend all of that money on myself. I'd take care of myself and my descendants by living off of interest accrued from investments and from other endeavors. Beyond that, I'd really like to help others who want to help themselves.

Thomas Vu
01-13-2016, 04:15 PM
I know its so cliché, but probably a pretty accurate assumption.

And to be honest, using the term "hookers" probably isn't fair..as its such a derogatory term. As, I'm not talking about rounding up a bunch of "trafficked/troubled" young run away type girls that frequent S. Robinson. I was more or less thinking "groupies" so to speak. A whole boat load of beautiful young women, whether they be bikini models or stay at home moms, or the one chick that always wears the polka dotted yoga pants at my gym. Just your everyday, average wholesome Hot chicks. But knowing that for a large group of gorgeous women to hang out with me all at the same time, and allow me to do some of the things that I would want to do to them................it would require copious amounts of cash.

As far as the coke...yea, pretty self explanatory.


But as mentioned many times in this thread...the ONLY way, I would ever claim my lottery winnings, was if I could do so anonymously. I'm not sure what the stated laws are here in Oklahoma...but, I wouldn't want anyone knowing that it was me that won. Even If I had to concoct some grand scheme to hire a homeless person to claim the winnings as their own, and draw up some cockamamie contract ensuring that they couldn't run off with my monies, and live out my dream with said hookers and blow.

I mention it cause some guy on TV said so, purposely trolling the news reporter


Oklahoma is not an anonymous state.

Defintely puts a hamper on my plan.

Bill Robertson
01-13-2016, 05:12 PM
Pay off the house. We really wouldn't want another one.
Buy new versions of our three cars.
Buy a small, twin engine jet.
Get certified to fly it.
Buy a B&B in Key West.

zookeeper
01-13-2016, 07:49 PM
Oklahoma is not an anonymous state.

I know you can't be anonymous, but I thought Oklahoma was a trust-friendly state? You see winners win under trusts names in Oklahoma. Even a (smallish) jackpot or two. Have things changed?

Tundra
01-13-2016, 07:56 PM
Has anyone noticed people standing in long lines to buy these ticketsz?

There were a lot down here in south OKC, how was it in Edmond?

zookeeper
01-13-2016, 08:08 PM
The odds are every adult over 21 in the United States to - one.

Dustin
01-13-2016, 09:02 PM
1. Sign the ticket.
2. Put it in my safe.
3. Tell no one except my mother.
4. Wait a week or two to collect myself emotionally and to think about the magnitude of my new situation.
5. Hire a lawyer.
6. Collect my money.
7. Let my lawyer do all of my interviews.
8. Buy a lot of land and open a huge animal sanctuary.
9. Buy a condo in NYC facing central park.
10. Buy a Porsche. Maybe 2 or 3.
11. Invest the rest.
12. Live like I was dying.

ljbab728
01-13-2016, 09:20 PM
I'm hearing there was at least one winner from California and it wasn't me. :mad:

Dustin
01-13-2016, 09:32 PM
Chino Hills, CA.

gopokes88
01-13-2016, 09:52 PM
Well looks like we're all going to work tomorrow. Damn math

It's basically every adult in America chipping in $4 and choosing a random winner.

Urbanized
01-14-2016, 06:26 AM
It's up to at least three winners now.

Bellaboo
01-14-2016, 07:28 AM
If I had won, I'd stop picking up pennies on the sidewalk......

Jeepnokc
01-14-2016, 07:31 AM
Oklahoma does allow you to remain anonymous from the public by claiming under a trust. The trust is still required to disclose the names of the trust members but their identity is not subject to open records. This allows the state to check to see if taxes or child support is owed. The relevant portion of the statute (3A OS 724) is:

5. Any person or persons claiming a lottery prize exceeding Six Hundred Dollars ($600.00) shall provide the Commission with their name, address, social security number, and sufficient valid identification as proof of the same prior to payment of the prize by the Commission; and

6. Any person or persons claiming a lottery prize exceeding Six Hundred Dollars ($600.00) as a trust shall provide for each person entitled to any portion of the prize their name, address, social security number, and sufficient valid identification as proof of the same prior to payment of the prize by the Commission except that such information specified in this paragraph shall be confidential and not subject to the provisions of the Oklahoma Open Records Act.

Robert_M
01-14-2016, 11:06 AM
Glad to see that the option is there. While I understand the need to make sure everything is on the up and up there is no reason to put a bullseye on someone if they don't want it.