Though his millions have caused Mr. Bakely more than a few headaches, there have been compensations. He bought an expensive new house and a luxury sports car. Living out a longtime fantasy, he put the car through its paces at a high-performance driving school. His 15-year-old daughter, Kathleen, attends a private school and will be able to afford any college she chooses when the time comes. Time for Community Service

Since his "retirement," Mr. Bakely has had another luxury -- free time. He donates many hours to community service projects and is active in his local Kiwanis Club.

Now more than halfway through his 20-year lottery stipend, Mr. Bakely is looking ahead to the day when the checks stop coming. His house will be paid for, and his investments should provide a steady income, though he admits that it will not be as much as he has received from the lottery.

He does not foresee a return to the working world. As a designer of nuclear power plants, he has watched the demand for his specialty diminish as his years away from it have increased. The lottery may well have saved him from needing that other kind of state stipend -- unemployment insurance.

Dr. Kaplan noted that Mr. Bakely was not alone in leaving his job. About three-quarters of the earliest lottery winners quit their jobs for one reason or another, he said. By the 1980's, more of the winners were younger and opted to continue working, though some used jackpot money to retrain themselves for more gratifying jobs. Dr. Kaplan also noted the tendency of many winners to buy themselves new homes.

A Two-Time Winner Loses Her Privacy

Like most lottery winners, Ms. Adams of Point Pleasant Beach endured the publicity barrage that goes with winning a big jackpot. Unlike her fellow Pick-6 winners, Ms. Adams was thrown into the spotlight twice, as the first two-time winner of the New Jersey Lottery.

After winning $3.9 million in October 1985 and $1.4 million four months later, Ms. Adams found that she no longer had the privilege of privacy. "I was known," she said, "and I couldn't go anywhere without being recognized."