Lottery store owners like Thuy Nguyen in San Jose provide an essential service for players. Photo: Mercury News

The shopkeeper gave me a smile. "How are you today?" she asked.

"I have something for you," I said, slipping her an envelope, and watching as she opened it.

"Oh my goodness!" she said, "Is this for real?" She flipped through the notes that I knew added up to $1,000 in total.

I explained to her that when I won some serious prizes I would share some of my winnings with her. And I always follow through.

Now I'm one of their favorite clients!

Some people don't think a tip is necessary. They argue that the shop may get publicity from the winning tickets anyway, and in some countries some lottery franchisees get a small percentage of the prize.

But I recommend you tip the store for these reasons:

- It makes you unforgettable. Just think of the number of winners who don't tip (and from my talks with many shops - they don't). It's always a good thing to have some karmic credit going.

- You will be popular with them for years ahead. You will get little discounts here and there that add up to a very happy way to shop!

- It is no loss to you if you only give in proportion to your prize. My own guide is for every prize of $50,000 I would give $1,000. Under that it would be 1%, starting at $1,000.

What a great way to start thinking about distributing your riches!

"WINNER - $3.2 MILLION!"
Dear KEN, ...Last Saturday i was one of the lucky winners - we shared the big jack (pot) ... 6 provisional winners of $537396.59 each (Total $3,224,379.00) and we are one of the 6. Regards Maher M.** qal*****@hotmail.com