Pooling for lottery win may turn out messy
Source: Agencies |
April 4, 2012, Wednesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
EVERY once in a while a lottery jackpot becomes so huge that people can't help but band together in the hope of increasing their odds, pooling their money for a wad of tickets and promising to evenly split the spoils. Seems like a good idea until the group wins.
Then the future involves not only luxury, but also lawsuits. Numerous group winners have been sued by people claiming to have pitched in for the ticket, creating messy fights over what money will be left once the attorneys are paid.
On Monday, rumors swirled about the three people in US holding winning tickets from the record US$656 million Mega Millions drawing Friday night. Kansas, Illinois and Maryland each have a winner. But as of Monday night, no one had yet stepped forward.
The New York Post reported that one potential winner in Maryland was a McDonald's employee who claimed to hold the winning ticket as an individual, but also bought tickets for several people as part of a restaurant pool. If the woman does indeed have a winning ticket, it could trigger just the latest group lottery lawsuit.
Maryland Lottery spokeswoman Carole Everett says the agency doesn't put out any information for groups, though she recommends friends and colleagues who play together come up with a system.
"That way there's no confusion or mistaking it," she said.
In Illinois, where one of the three winning tickets was purchased in the small town of Red Bud, Lottery spokesman Mike Lang also suggested advanced planning to stave off disputes.
"There have been disputed wins in just about every lottery in the country," Lang said.
Resolving disputed group winnings can take years.
In 2010, colleagues at a Florida country club won US$16 million in the state lottery but soon faced a lawsuit from one regular pool member who wasn't at the club the day money was collected for the tickets. Jeanette French played the lottery with colleagues for nine years, though the members of the group changed over time. Seven group members claimed the winning ticket, but a lawyer for French got her claimed portion of the winnings set aside in a trust which the two sides are now fighting over.
One of French's attorneys, Miami lawyer Eric Shane, suggested that pool participants establish written rules. He also suggested trying to keep pool members consistent. But his real advice?
"My true advice, honestly, would be don't do a pool," Shane said.
Then the future involves not only luxury, but also lawsuits. Numerous group winners have been sued by people claiming to have pitched in for the ticket, creating messy fights over what money will be left once the attorneys are paid.
On Monday, rumors swirled about the three people in US holding winning tickets from the record US$656 million Mega Millions drawing Friday night. Kansas, Illinois and Maryland each have a winner. But as of Monday night, no one had yet stepped forward.
The New York Post reported that one potential winner in Maryland was a McDonald's employee who claimed to hold the winning ticket as an individual, but also bought tickets for several people as part of a restaurant pool. If the woman does indeed have a winning ticket, it could trigger just the latest group lottery lawsuit.
Maryland Lottery spokeswoman Carole Everett says the agency doesn't put out any information for groups, though she recommends friends and colleagues who play together come up with a system.
"That way there's no confusion or mistaking it," she said.
In Illinois, where one of the three winning tickets was purchased in the small town of Red Bud, Lottery spokesman Mike Lang also suggested advanced planning to stave off disputes.
"There have been disputed wins in just about every lottery in the country," Lang said.
Resolving disputed group winnings can take years.
In 2010, colleagues at a Florida country club won US$16 million in the state lottery but soon faced a lawsuit from one regular pool member who wasn't at the club the day money was collected for the tickets. Jeanette French played the lottery with colleagues for nine years, though the members of the group changed over time. Seven group members claimed the winning ticket, but a lawyer for French got her claimed portion of the winnings set aside in a trust which the two sides are now fighting over.
One of French's attorneys, Miami lawyer Eric Shane, suggested that pool participants establish written rules. He also suggested trying to keep pool members consistent. But his real advice?
"My true advice, honestly, would be don't do a pool," Shane said.
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