yolanda vega. thank you, yolanda.se, she is the legendary face of the lottery in these parts, presided over so many lottery drawings, yolanda. hopefully nothing like this has happened to you. look at a drawing in south carolina last year. things going according to plan. and then -- [ laughter ] >> i love that face. >> it shot -- everybody won that night. everybody won. >> pure terror. >> i get it, though. they're not supposed to do that. >> yolanda, has anything like that happened to you? >> it's never happened, in 23 years of me doing the lottery. i hope it never does. my heart won't be able to take it. >> maybe you step away from the big vat of balls there. and people, here it comes, $500 million. is it going to be you? i don't know about that. >>> our biggest "dancing with the stars" after-party ever, on the way. our winners are in. there's d.j. irie. spinning things. go nowhere. [ female announcer ] the craving for chocolate... oooh. [ female announcer ] ...is all grown up. oooh. [ female announcer ] jared present

yolanda vega joins me now.come. >> thank you for having me, piers. >> i want to hear that voice. piers, you have won. >> you have won the big jackpot, piers. >> and a big debate tonight. and the show, everyone is talking about very little else. not much going on other than fiscal cliffs and the powerball is gripping the nation, you have heard the debate on either side. is it a force of good, really, or does it have its negative side? do you appreciate that too? >> honestly, piers, i have been doing this almost 23 years, and nothing but goodness as far as i can see. all of the winners i give the giant oversized checks to are definitely so very excited and, you know, for the time being, that people purchase their $2 powerball ticket, they have a source of entertainment, an opportunity to dream, and to hold on to what they believe can happen positively, and hopefully for the best for all, and all the people around them. >> isn't the problem, though, a lot of the winners i notice end up having pretty miserable time

. >> i am yolanda vega.rough it all, we've persevered, supporting some of the biggest ideas in modern history. so why should our anniversary matter to you? because for 200 years, we've been helping ideas move from ambition to achievement. and the next great idea could be yours. ♪ and the next great idea could be yours. meet the 5-passenger ford c-max hybrid. when you're carrying a lot of weight, c-max has a nice little trait, you see, c-max helps you load your freight, with its foot-activated lift gate. but that's not all you'll see, cause c-max also beats prius v, with better mpg. say hi to the all-new 47 combined mpg c-max hybrid. >>> before we go tonight, this woman has been announcing winning lottery numbers for the last 20 years, yolanda vega, welcome. >> thank you for having me, piers. >> i just want to hear that voice, i really want to hear you say piers, you have won. >> you have won the big jackpot, piers? >> we'll have a big debate, everybody is talking about very little else because there is not m

the one and only yolanda vegas is joining us, the face and voice of new york state lottery. almost 23 years. how did that get going? >>guest: right place at the right time, i have a degree in business economics, i was doing my jobs, they wanted someone. and you at 11:00 each night, would watch the balls. this is kind of the only thing anyone is talking about. >>guest: because it can make dreams come true. it is about being happy. and dreaming. and visual using what can happen to your life, how it can change from where it is now because a lot of people are in bad places. >>shepard: when people see you on the street they ask you tips. >>guest: they ask tips, they want to touch me, they want to do everything. i tell them to continue to play quick pick and play the anniversaries but put $2 on quick pick because a lot of winners on quick pit. >>shepard: when you meet the winners, is there a constant? >>guest: they are quiet initially. they have won millions. they are exposed to the public. they are protective. but so happy. delighted. >>shepard: if people who win need a land and

. >> not a bad prize for yolanda vega or rick leventhal who is on long beach. 5 million or 550 million or whatever would come in handy for a lot of folks there. >> absolutely. this is a glimmer of hope for people here who have been through a re rough few weeks. they are coming out in droves, shepard to buy these particulars. they don't mind these long odds of 175 million to 1. in fact, they are twice as likely to be hit by lightning twice in their lifetime as win this big prize with a lump sum payout of more than $360 million. there is a lot of good that could be done with that money. >> i would help my church. my family, and my friends. >> i will buy them everything they need. my church got it really bad. >> it seems like when they get the big jackpots somebody in nebraska, wyoming or alaska wins it. >> it would seem right if somebody won had here, right. >> i believe so. i believe somebody in long beach should hit this thing. >> 75% chance that someone will win tonight and pretty good chance that there will be multiple winners splitting the more than $200 million after taxes, shep. >

remember, remember yolanda vega said do not use your special dates, anniversaries. look at those numbers, all under 30, and lottery experts say this is a very good chance the winners likely used their special dates. if this ticket or tickets were bought by groups, here is legal advice. >> when you have the winning ticket, you have to go to an attorney and have an agreement written up that each individual is responsible for their proportional share because you have had a couple of unpleasant cases where the purchaser of the ticket, the individual held the ticket was liable for the taxes. >>trace: when you are rich, the fights begin to start. the powerball lottery goes back to $40 million, not even worth playing. >>shepard: not at $40 million. now seven time lottery winner, seven time lottery winner author of "learn how to increase your chances of winning the lottery," in orlando. >>shepard: best advise for the winners? >>guest: well, right now people who usually win this kind of money don't know what to do with it and they usually end up going crazy and buying talkin