Get Better Odds of Winning – With a Lottery Pool

How to organize a lottery pool

Office lottery pools are both entertaining and thrilling, but they also need a few safeguards to ensure that they are properly organized. IN A STUDY BY CNBC [https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/05/odds-of-winning-a-lottery-jackpot-are-worse-than-you-expect.html] , they concluded that the odds of winning the Powerball lottery are 1 in 292 million. So it’s probably a good idea to increase your chances with a lottery pool and have some fun with colleagues at the same time.

If you want to start an office lottery pool, you must first understand how they function and the measures you must take to ensure that each member has a great experience. Continue reading to discover how to set up an office lottery pool using the best practices.

1. Make a written agreement

Writing an agreement not only makes it legally binding but also ensures that everyone has the same expectations for the pool. It is important to note that all payments should be made before any ticket purchases are made.

For example, if you want to participate in a $5 pool with three other friends, you will collectively contribute $15 before even buying tickets.

This agreement should include:

  • The joining procedure for new members
  • Money-collection technique
  • The amount that each participant gives to the pool
  • The specific Lottery games that the club intends to obtain tickets
  • The specific way the pool will payout to its members should it win any money

2. A Pool captain should be chosen

Every team needs a captain, someone who is responsible for organizing tasks and keeping everyone on track. There are many reasons why choosing the captain before the lottery starts is important. It should be someone the pool is comfortable with collecting money, tracking contributions, purchasing and securing tickets, and distributing winnings.

3. Welcome everyone to take part

This part is very straightforward. Ask your team captain to email everyone in the office and ask them if they’d like to take part in the new lottery pool.

It might be an idea to mention at the end of this email invite that anyone who has had gambling issues in the past should avoid this new pool. This will help with any potential legal issues arising in the future should a former gambling addict in the office not heed the advice in the initial email.

4. Money should be collected online

If you are in charge of running a lottery pool then it is imperative that you use an electronic payment method instead of cash or checks.

If your group uses cash, then you will lose money if one person doesn’t pay their share. Checks can also get lost in the mail and take up to 3 weeks before they clear.

Keeping track of things this way electronically will ensure that the winner receives their prize money without any issue, as well as proving that all participants contributed their fees.

5. Before purchasing lottery tickets, double-check the names of all participants

The purchase of lottery tickets for a lottery pool is not just an act of fun and excitement. It should be done responsibly because there are certain rules that need to be followed.

The first step before purchasing the tickets is to double-check the names of all participants. The last thing you want is to end up with an argument about who won or lost because someone was left out or forgotten.

Before tickets are bought another email should be sent out to all in the office so they can confirm or deny they’re in the pool, because lottery pool litigation is a very real thing with many examples.

IN 2011 [https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/legal-and-compliance/employment-law/pages/office-lottery-pools-lawsuits.aspx] , a cabinet manufacturing employee in sued coworkers for excluding him from a $99 million lottery payout.

He claimed that he’d been in the workplace pool for eight years and that his coworkers should have covered his contribution while he was out with a back problem.

ANOTHER EXAMPLE [https://www.indystar.com/story/news/2018/10/23/mega-millions-powerball-indianapolis-lawsuit-office-lottery-pools-jackpot/1736994002/] is a $9.5 million Hoosier Lotto win by eight hairdressers in 2013. Rather than being a cause for joy, the victory ended in unpleasant litigation and served as a warning story about the dangers of colleague lottery pools.

The lady in charge of purchasing the tickets the week of the jackpot said that the winning ticket was acquired independently from the group’s tickets and with her own money. What followed was another lawsuit between her and her co-workers.

6. Email copies of all bought tickets

There are many reasons why you should photocopy your tickets and send them to all pool members. Information like: when and where the ticket was bought, the serial number, and the ticket price play an important role in order to avoid future disputes.

The emailing process can be done in two ways: scanning the photographs of the tickets or sending a PDF file with photocopies of all tickets bought.

7. Keep the original tickets safe

It is very important to keep original tickets safe and organized when organizing a lottery pool. The original ticket, along with the cash and prizes, should be stored in a secure location like the office of the company’s manager or in an office safe.

Has a lottery pool ever won?

Yes, and they’ve won big.

A GROUP OF CALIFORNIA COWORKERS [https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/california-office-pool-wins-543-million-lottery-jackpot/] won a $543 million Mega Millions jackpot after playing the lottery on a spur of the moment. It was the greatest lottery win ever on a single-state ticket at the time.

Is there an App that can help keep a lottery pool organized?

The SMARTCAPTAIN: POOL LOTTERY [https://apps.apple.com/us/app/smartcaptain-pool-lottery/id1260664876] app helps do some of the heavy lifting for you.

It will:

  • Keep track of how much each person has paid in
  • Keep an eye on the results of the Powerball and Mega Millions draws
  • Determine each person’s award
  • Lottery ticket scanning with advanced artificial intelligence
  • Support for multiple-draw number picks
  • Provide players with a pool overview

Conclusion

There is something about the lottery that is compelling to almost everyone. It’s a game of chance and yet we want to play it.

Maybe it’s because we like the idea of winning life-changing money or maybe it’s because we enjoy watching others win.

Whatever the reason, the lottery has been around in America SINCE 1964 [https://www.naspl.org/historyofthelottery] and continues to be a hot topic for discussion – both in and out of the workplace.

Some lottery pools can even lead to stronger office culture and bring people together in a way that bonds them with their work colleagues and builds rapport.

This is only possible if your lottery pool is done the right way. The above tips will help you organize your pool with the least amount of headaches and ensure a smooth experience for you and your colleagues.