Posted on 04/02/2012 8:30:50 AM PDT by rawhide
Employees at a McDonald’s in Maryland are outraged at a co-worker who claims she won $105million in Mega Millions which she is not planning on sharing - despite the fact they had pooled their money for tickets.
Workers at the fast food outlet bought a number of tickets together for the biggest lottery in world history but Wilson claims she separately bought one of the three tickets nationwide that will split a record $656 million payout.
'We had a group plan, but I went and played by myself. [The ‘winning’ ticket] wasn’t on the group plan,' Wilson told The New York Post.
The group’s tickets —along with a list of those who contributed to the pool — were left in an office safe at the fast food outlet..
Then, late Friday, before the night’s drawing, the owner of the McDonald’s, gave Wilson $5 to buy more tickets for the pool on her way home from work, and she went back to the 7-Eleven and bought them.
Wilson took those tickets home with her.
According to the Post, when she found out she had the winning ticket, she called coworkers and told them she - rather than they - had won.
'I won! I won!' she told a colleague.
'She said, "Turn on the news". She said she had won.
A man identifying himself as (Allen), the boyfriend of a McDonald’s manager named Layla, then went to Wilson's home to question her about the winning ticket. Though she first refused to come out, they banged on her door for 20 minutes until she finally relented.
'These people are going to kill you. It’s not worth your life!' Allen said he told her.
'All right! All right! I’ll share, but I can’t find the ticket right now,' she said, according to Allen.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Same odds of hitting the big ticket - yup.
But, when you select a portion of the viable numbers, and wheel them - you are using chaos theory to your advantage. If I'm buying 250 tickets, and there is no pattern - then every ticket is 'random'.
However, if I opt to pick a subset of numbers, and wheel the combinations - the odds drop dramatically. Thus, the primary strategy is different. We are 'hoping' to win the big ticket - but we are playing on winning a bunch of smaller prizes; with the odds working to help sustain the 'wheel' for future drawings.
In practice, we found that we only had to pay into our wheel about 85% of the time - approximately 15% of the time, our winnings paid for the following weeks lottery.
This kind of activity keeps happening.
There is an easy solution:
If one is appointed to purchase tickets, do so and provide photo copies to all other participants prior to the drawing. That way, each can know what numbers the ‘group’ has.
Bump
In practice, we found that we only had to pay into our wheel about 85% of the time - approximately 15% of the time, our winnings paid for the following weeks lottery.
Interesting figure, 15%. It's pretty close to the 10.3% payback ratio on Ohio's Megamillions (I think states can pick their own prizes below the jackpot) of the prizes below $10,000. Other lotteries will be different, but I wouldn't be surprised if yours has a 15% average payout on the low prizes. Spread them out and you don't remember them. Bunch you numbers and you remember the times they cover next week's tickets.
Rule #1: If you want to win the lottery, NEVER enter into a lottery pool with other people. Buy your own tickets and sign the back of them as soon as you buy them.
Rule #2: If you join a lottery pool anyway, remember that possession is 9/10th of the law.
Unless she told them before that she was going to buy one of her own and they were bought at a different time she will have to share whether she likes it or not.
............Better odds than a bunch of random numbers...........
At a place I worked at back in the seventies, the machinests were paid based on a piece rate, and “Ralph” consistantly had the biggest paycheck due to his super productivity.
So, the union steward, who had little else to do, went around the shop all week auctioning off Ralph’s pay check amongst the 600 shop employees.
Of course the steward sold more tickets than Ralph’s paycheck, so Ralph got to keep all the weekly proceeds, all except the 10% that the union steward skimmed off the top!
it seems better to take annuity payments, if allowed, rather than a lump sum. Defers the taxes into the future, allowing a bigger after-tax return.
But everyone now takes the lump, the argument being more control of funds.
All tickets are time stamped as to the sale. If the ticket was bought in a group with 4 other tickets shortly after the manager gave her the 5 dollars, this woman is toast.
If the woman bought a ticket time stamped before the manager gave her the money, she gets it all.
All the rest of the pool tickets were in the office safe.
We have an office pool, but the tickets are photocopied and posted in the office. If one of the two folks who usually buy the tickets wins separately, the winner won’t be among the photocopies.
LOL!
That may have been the testimony but it's not exactly true. It's only a winner after the ticket itself has been verified, and after it's been established that the claimant has complied with lottery rules. Ask the smarmy New York lawyer who tried to claim the Hot Lotto jackpot in Iowa!
1. You’ve changed your phone number.
2. Hired a lawyer.
3. Get a P.O. Box to serve as your official address.
4. If you plan any major life change (a wedding, quit your job, etc.), do it BEFORE you turn in your winning ticket.
I remember reading about a guy who filed for divorce after he won the lottery, but before he submitted the ticket. He kept his wife in the dark about winning the lottery. She found out after the divorce, sued and won half the money. Good for her!
This is going to court, that is for sure.
And gotten out of town.:)
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