Note that they have age verification on the landing page. Is that a thing in new Zealand?

Yes, it's quite strange. If you order booze online it asks you if you are over 18 and the school kids say yes...

$1.2 Billion anyone? I'd have sworn somebody was going to win at $1 billion..

So it's legal to become a drunk at 18 in NZ?

Yep.

We have quite a big drinking problem in this country.

Labour (Democrat) government said they would lower the drinking age to 18 so of course they got tens of thousands of young voters voting them in.

1.2 B ?! Holy cow.
Hey I deserve some of that money!
I was abused by a priest at Camp Lejeune

Just think about trying to manage that amount of money. You'd lose half to taxes and still need a manager to deal with the rest of it. Still, I'd like to try.

Another 20% to justify all the initial stupid spending.

Actually one of the bars I visit, you can do both, buy lottery tickets, buy beer and buy shots, plus you can watch the races and shoot pool.

Should be even lower than that.

When I moved to the US from Germany it was a bit surprising when my teen friends were always scheming how to get beer.

I'd say. "your parents don't have beer at home?"

Yes

"OK, so lets just go get some"

??????? ARE YOU NUTS, we'll get our asses kicked.

"Why"

Point being, my impression of the States was teens saw drinking as this forbidden thing that challenged them to get alcohol vs alcohol is just alcohol, not really that big a deal, and they never really learned responsible consumption.

Spent $20, won $14. What's interesting is of the 7 tickets, the 2 winners had the same winning numbers.

That's quite good.

I think my rate of return is about 1%. Maybe I'm exaggerating, and it's about half that.

Hmmm, $1.2 BILLION on the next Powerball drawing. My $1 billion drawing ticket didn't match one number. Think I'll sit the coming one out. Thinking it over, why would I want to ruin the remaining time of my life? I turn 79 in 5 days...What would I do with the money? Too damn old for exotic cars and young women...even if one followed me home, Cindy wouldn't let me keep her. We'd probably have to change our names and move. I no longer drink, and the drugs I do are all prescription stuff. All the excitement would only upset my routine...and I need my routine. Yep, another game best left to the younger folks.

Hmmm, wanna be king of your bar's pool table? If I'm not mistaken, "Captain Hook" lives in Florida and is willing to give lessons at the right price. To win in a bar doesn't take much, really...to win what he has? Well, that takes more, a LOT more. I'm thinking he must be pretty good at instructing. He taught Tom Cruise, who'd never held a cue before filming Color of Money". Tom's stroke in that film looked like a pool player's stroke. Not always the case in movies...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Sigel

Yea but think of all the good you could do. The things I'd do "if I won a Billion dollars"...

I would build a gymnasium/craft/art/workshop school aimed at anyone who wants to learn. Staffed by pros who know what they're doing. Get people off their phones, out of their houses and keep them busy. Make a real difference. Teach them boxing/self defense, working with leather, sewing skills, wood working, electronics, jewelry making, bicycle building/repairs, car restoration/repairs etc... The skills taught would be practical/useful & the place would be run like a social club. I'd encourage a sense of ownership to the people that attended.

Everybody would be welcome. No drugs allowed including alcohol and the only requirement would be a desire to learn. This would not be a free service (if it was free people wouldn't value it). A small charge to help cover costs only but that charge could be waved in certain circumstances or for underprivileged kids.

I believe people need to feel like they belong to something in the real world.
- Why not give them something that helps them feel good about themselves as well?

Or I could just forget all of that and go on an endless Summer holiday. ;)

I would make sure every poor kid in this country got breakfast and lunch at school. And create some kind of new supermarket that would work in food deserts.

I'd make sure the cats 'n dogs in NZ/Aust/Pacific Islands who are down on their luck got good meals.

BILL Douglas .... you NEED to play the BILLion Dollar lottery ..... It's got yer name all over it :)!

It would be a hoot if a winner turned up 1/2 way around the world.

Thanks. I'd be broke by the end of the week but it would have been a good week.

Happy cats 'n dogs.

We already have this. Its called Boces. Mostly high school kids go there if they dont want to do real school. Its free for them a special bus brings them there half a day. But adults can attend also. I did it in high school for masonry and carpentry and my brother went for automotive. It was great I got a job imediately out of high school for carpentry and my brother is still a mechanic 25 years later. They also had heavy equiment, welding, electrical, cad, welding, cosmotology, a super market, veteranarian ect