Who doesn't dream when the lottery jackpot hits a billion dollars? The thought of waking up the next day and never worrying about bills again is irresistible. But Mark Cuban, who went from sleeping on the floor of a tiny Dallas apartment to billionaire status after selling Broadcast.com to Yahoo, says most people have the wrong idea about what to do if lightning strikes.
In January 2016, when the Powerball jackpot ballooned to $1.6 billion, Cuban gave The Dallas Morning News a list of no-nonsense tips for anyone lucky enough to win. His advice wasn't about yachts or private islands — it was about avoiding disaster.
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"The first thing you should do is hire a tax attorney," Cuban said. With jackpots that large, the IRS will be waiting with both hands out, and mismanaging taxes can turn a windfall into a nightmare.
Next came the payout decision. "Don't take the lump sum. You don't want to blow it all in one spot," he warned. The lure of one giant check is strong, but for most people, spreading the money out over years is a safer bet against impulsive decisions and bad math.
Cuban also wanted winners to temper their expectations. "If you weren't happy yesterday you won't be happy tomorrow. It's money. It's not happiness," he said. Still, he acknowledged the relief of financial security: "If you were happy yesterday, you are going to be a lot happier tomorrow. It's money. Life gets easier when you don't have to worry about the bills."
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But the hardest part isn't the taxes or the payout choice — it's the people who show up afterward. "Tell all your friends and relatives no. They will ask. Tell them no," Cuban said flatly. "If you are close to them, you already know who needs help and what they need. Feel free to help SOME, but talk to your accountant before you do anything and remember this, no one needs $1 million for anything. No one needs $100,000 for anything. Anyone who asks is not your friend."
Then came his sharpest warning: don't confuse dumb luck with financial genius. "You don't become a smart investor when you win the lottery," Cuban said. That line carries more weight than it looks. Winning doesn't turn someone into Warren Buffett. It doesn't hand out financial literacy overnight. What it does do is attract people eager to give advice — brokers with "can't-miss" investments, cousins pitching a startup, neighbors promising a real estate flip. One wrong move and the jackpot is gone.
As Cuban put it, "Don't make investments. You can put it in the bank and live comfortably. Forever. You will sleep a lot better knowing you won't lose money."
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That may not sound exciting, but it's exactly the point. Lottery winnings are luck, not skill. Treating them like venture capital or a crash course in investing is a recipe for disaster.
He wasn't endorsing the lottery as a smart financial move, but he wasn't condemning it either. Cuban explained there's nothing wrong with buying a ticket or two for fun. "It's OK to spend $2 for entertainment value," he said to the Morning News at the time. Just don't convince yourself that more tickets change the odds — the chances remain one in 292.2 million, whether you play one line or fifty.
In classic Cuban style, the advice was direct, grounded, and maybe a little deflating for anyone already scrolling through yacht listings. But that's the whole point: sudden wealth is fragile. Without discipline, it vanishes. With restraint, it can buy what it was always supposed to buy — peace of mind.
As jackpots once again soar into the billions, Cuban's list of tips still reads like the smartest bet in the room. Everyone wants to dream about winning the lottery. The harder part is knowing how not to lose it.
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