By Amrit Dhillon | Corridor Inc. Staff Writer
Originally published October 2007

     What would you do if you had a million dollars? The Barenaked Ladies, in a song by the same name, sing about fur coats, new cars, exotic pets, fine art and even true love. But, in today’s land o’ daily lottery, you could win more than just a measly million, with recent jackpots reaching upwards of $300 million. While some of us realistically assess our odds and know we have a better chance of replacing Matt Stover on the Ravens or becoming a back-up dancer on Britney Spears’ next tour, others dream about the day they hit it big. Corridor Inc. decided to brave the wrath of all those Mega Millions and Power Ball losers and find out what they would have done if they held the golden ticket.

     At the top of the lotto food chain is Buddy W. Roogow, director of the Maryland Lottery. He’s not allowed to play here, but it’s free game in other states — and he does try his hand. So if he won, he has a list: First, pay his daughter’s Bucknell University tuition. Second, take care of friends and family and favorite charities. Third, splurge.
     “I’d build a home in my favorite destination, probably Turks and Caicos and I’d take a trip to the Galapagos Islands,” he says.
     Oh, and Roogow, an astronomy buff, would consider taking a multi-million dollar ride into space. If that didn’t work out, he’d at least buy a super telescope and open an observatory.

     Greg Smith, manager of M&T Bank’s BWI branch, would do things a little closer to home. The Chicago native would bring deep dish pizza to Baltimore and get Charm City its own NBA team.
     But the geology major would do a little travel, laying a red carpet from his airport office onto the tarmac where a private jet would be waiting. From there he’d spend his days flying around the world looking at volcanoes.
 
     Ironically, James Denora of Severn Financial Group in Annapolis doesn’t even play the lottery. But he still has a wish list. The ever responsible financial advisor would take the lump sum and spend just five to 10 percent on something fun, like a family trip to Italy. The rest would be invested so there would be a greater pay off.
     “One million dollars really doesn’t change your life that much,” he explains. “If it was $300 million, I’d change some things, but I would still pretty much do the same.”

     Carol Iglehart of Montgomery County wouldn’t quit her job. But she would take the responsible root, paying off taxes and debt and investing the money. Maybe take a trip to Ireland, she conceded. But she also doesn’t play.
     “My father was a mathematician, so I know how hopeless it is,” she says.

     NASA employees Felecia Glaude and Jason Katona like to play. The co-workers were part of an office pool that invested “hundreds” in Mega Millions tickets.
     Glaude says if they had won, money would have gone to animal charities and to paying off student loans. And she’d take some to Las Vegas, stay at the swanky Wynn Hotel and become a high roller.
     Katona would buy himself a BMW M3 and probably a Mercedes.