the registers. yet in nevada the line snaked around the building, some people waiting more than four hours for a ticket. and nevada doesn t participate in the lottery, but it straddles the border. even first-timers are trying their luck. it s as big as it is. i don t normally play, but it s a huge one. i figure if i win, all of my relatives are winning. so if you take the cash payout versus installments over 29 years it comes out to $904 million before taxes. then you lose 37% in federal income tax, bringing that number down to $569 million. that s before you get hit with the state tax. the highest state taxes at new york at 8.82%. now your odds are even slimmer than they were yesterday, sitting just under 302.26 million.