>>http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20530196/
>>This couple has won the lottery AGAIN!.
>>
>>The first time around they won 2.5 million. If they had invested it in a 5% interest
>>savings acount, they could be living of $125,000 a year. So, other than greed, why play again?
>
>I'm more interested in why, if they won 5 million, they are only getting 2.5 million. How come?

One possibility is that there was another winning ticket.

Another possibility is that the winning amount is described as the total amount of a series of payments (usually over 20-30 years depending on the particular lottery). You have an option on getting either the annuity or cash value.