Still in it after they win it

Winning the lottery, it turns out, isn't a ticket to the good life for many entrepreneurs.

A new survey from BMO Harris Bank asked business owners of firms with $3 million in annual sales or less if they would sell their company after winning the lottery. Nearly two-thirds of the respondents, 61%, say they would not sell their company. “Business owners are extremely invested in the success of their business,” BMO Harris Bank Florida Regional President Dave Maraman says in a release. “Our survey results reinforce the fact that for many of them, it isn't just about the money.”

The survey, commissioned for the U.S. Small Business Administration's National Small Business Week, also broke down responses by age group. The 18-39 age group, the survey shows, was most likely to sell after a lottery triumph, with 45% who would cash out of their business. In the 40-49 category that figure dropped to 35%, while in 50-64 it's 36% and 65 and over it's 39%.