If you win the Mega Millions lottery, here are the first two things you should do
CHICAGO - With the third-biggest jackpot in Mega Millions history on the line for Tuesday night's drawing, millions of Americans are dreaming big.
So, FOX 32 Chicago spoke with the Illinois Lottery about how to win responsibly.
"The minute you figure out you've won, you always sign the back of the ticket. That is the first thing you do," said Lorell Lynch, spokeperson for the Illinois Lottery.
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Lynch said the second thing you do is hide the winning ticket where no one can find it.
"It could be behind a picture, a safe, a safe deposit box, under a floorboard. Anywhere you know somebody's not going to easily find it, because you don't want someone else to find your ticket and take your ticket," Lynch said.
Step three: call the Illinois Lottery Claim Center and make an appointment to claim your jackpot. Winners have 12 months before winning tickets expire.
"I also recommend that you contact an attorney," Lynch said. "A financial advisor definitely will help you cause there's a lot of money involved."
Specifically, she recommends an estate-planning attorney.
"If something happens to you, what happens to the money down the road?" she said.
Mega Millions tickets for Tuesday night's drawing are available until 9:45 p.m. If no one wins tonight, Friday night is the next drawing, when the jackpot would soar over a billion dollars for the first time since last January.