Mega Millions...

[AccountingDrone]

I remember when Texas voters passed the lottery on the belief that the funds would go to the schools...

Actually, the money goes into the General Fund, out of which a SMALL amount goes to the schools.

Oh well; it's nice to dream.

As I said, purportedly. *sigh*

[BrenDAnn]

*twitch* Yes, let's bring up THAT nightmare of a shift, shall we? My lottery machine-- and it seems a lot of them in the state-- decided it was a good idea to crash at 6:00 PM. It stayed down for half an hour. I was asking people for hammers or anything to use on it in the meantime. I'm just thankful my customers were all chill about it, though I did feel as if they were all staring me down the entire time they waited. Yeah... multiple people just stood and waited for the machine to come back up. It was... almost surreal. Surprisingly, I only had one person try to get a ticket after the cutoff time. I was really anticipating more.

ETA: Even with the lottery system crashing, I ended up selling some 200 Mega Millions tickets. I had so many people getting ten, twenty or more dollars at a time that it shocked me when someone would ask for just one. Really, I could go without ever hearing the words Mega Millions again. As to the people promising to share if they win-- the only person who I KNOW would share is my father, who has said for years that winnings would be splot four ways between him, me and my two siblings.

[xxscooterxx]

I'm another one that could go without hearing mega millions ever again. Or powerball for that matter. Our upper management doesn't believe in having double coverage at our stores so I was dealing with huge lines the whole evening. I was so sick of listening to people complain about the fact that I had no help.

[wolfie]

I just took over my office lotto pool.

Office pools can run into a LOT of problems - you frequently see in the news cases where a pool wins, and various people claim to have been members but got cut out. Especially with a lottery which ALWAY has random numbers (Max has 1 "chooseable" and 2 random lines per play), you need to establish some rules. Suggestions:

- Establish a granularity of participation (e.g. "You're in for the month or out for the month"), and a deadline for payment (e.g. 5 PM on the last Friday of the previous month).

- Establish conditions for joining (above example would imply no new person can join for the remainder of the current month, but this month they can join for next month).

- How to handle current participants who, for reasons beyond their control (e.g. in hospital after being hit by a car) can't get the payment to you in time. Do you "front" the money, or are they out for the next month?

- Printed list of who is participating, along with how far they are paid up until, distributed to all participants and updated every "participation period". Specifically "break out" people who are "fronted" (if you allow this), people who have dropped out and are no longer playing this "participation period", and people who are new to the pool for this "participation period".

- Post or distribute a photocopy of the tickets. Be sure to sign them "Jetfire for MyCompanyPool". Make sure it's always posted/distributed BEFORE the drawing.

- How are free tickets to be handled? Are they to be used on the next draw? The next draw with a $50 million jackpot (even if this means they are earned in one "participation period" and played in another, so pool membership may have changed? The next $50M or the last draw of the current "participation period" whichever comes first? If earned on the last draw of the PP, and membership changes, are they to be played separately for the old membership (repeat ad infinitum if any of them earns another free play), or are they property of the pool even if membership changes?

- How are smaller prizes to be handled (e.g. $10 winners)? Are they to be paid out on a per-draw basis, paid out at the end of the PP, paid out when each "share" reaches a specific value? If the last, how do you handle a change in membership? Does a departing member forfeit their share while a joining member gains a share, or does a PP end that involves a change in membership trigger a payout even if the threshold hasn't been reached?

- Have a printed list of pool rules. Each member (and everyone joining) signs a copy and returns it to you so you have a record that they have acknowledged the rules. They can also keep a copy for personal reference.

- Always buy "pool" tickets at the same store (or at least the same brand of store, e.g. always buying at a 7-11). Never buy your own tickets at that store (or, if buying "pool" tickets at different branches of the same brand, at that brand of store). Include in the rules a statement that you are free to purchase your own "non-pool" tickets, but that you will NOT buy them at the same store/brand of store where you buy the "pool" tickets.

- Hang onto "dead" tickets for at least a year. Even though they're no longer of any value, they can establish a pattern (i.e. that you always buy the "pool" tickets at the 7-11 at 38th and Vine). If one of your "personal" tickets winds up a winner, being able to show such a pattern (the lottery corporation can tell from the ticket where it was bought), it's a virtually "bulletproof" defense that a ticket bought at the PetroCanada at 12th and Maple was *NOT* bought on behalf of the pool.

[Jetfire]

Office pools can run into a LOT of problems - you frequently see in the news cases where a pool wins, and various people claim to have been members but got cut out. Especially with a lottery which ALWAY has random numbers (Max has 1 "chooseable" and 2 random lines per play), you need to establish some rules.

I'm taking over a mature pool; it's been running for 10 years now under the other guy and the rules are pretty straight forward.

20$ every 10 weeks per participant. If you don't pay in, you aren't in the pool for that period. Tix are bought on the alc.ca website, and I email out the numbers for the 10 weeks I bought for once I buy them. (I don't buy off the alc.ca site otherwise so all the tix will be for the pool regardless)

Any single prize amounts over 50$ after split will be paid out, 20$ to 50$ after split will be asked of the group, anything under gets rolled back in for the next draws, if you are out of the pool and residuals win, tough luck for you, only people who are active in the current draw will split the prize, etc...

I'll be proposing one minor change (to take advantage of combo plays) on our next cycle, but otherwise there isn't much reason to change the rules.

We're about to enter our 3rd draw of my first cycle, and so far we've won 20$ each draw + about 5 free games.

[Seshat]

My state's lotto allows you to have a 'lottery card' - a card which they use to ID you when you buy your tickets. It can be in the name of a staff lottery pool, or some such: it doesn't have to be a legal entity.

Makes things much easier for identifying which tickets were for a lottery pool, and which for an individual. Of course, it doesn't help when splitting a pool's prized.

[Jetfire]

ALC used to have group options for buying tickets online; but they removed it a few years back and haven't figured out how to put it back in yet.

[Shalom]

I think if you run the numbers, you have better odds of being struck TWICE on separate occasions than winning the dang thing.

The way the guy on WINS put it last time the pwrbll went up to ridiculous levels: "You have better odds of being struck by lightning while simultaneously being attacked by a shark, than you have of winning this thing."

I had so many people getting ten, twenty or more dollars at a time that it shocked me when someone would ask for just one.

I usually buy only one. I figure if I'm fated to win, one ticket will do it, and if not, I could spend my entire savings on it and get nothing.

This time, I got two. One for annuity, the other for cash.

(I'd thought the tickets were $2, so I got two dollars out. Then I found out the Powerball is the one that's $2, so I bought two tickets.)

No, I didn't win. Either of them. Oh well, back to our regularly scheduled life...

[Willis]

I'm taking over a mature pool; it's been running for 10 years now under the other guy and the rules are pretty straight forward.

They may be mature now and for the last 10 years but it's still big money involved. Let any unforseen issue come up after a win, that so called maturity will be like piss in the wind.

[Firecrackers Not Included]

So yeah,
How about more situations such as:

SC: Where are your playslips so I can fill out my own numbers?!?!!!!!
Me: They're back in hallway area on the blue lottery board, HOWEVER, our
reader broke today in the choas so we can only sell you quick picks...
SC: What?! (exasperated sigh) that's the only reason I came here! Fine,
I'll take twenty. Individuals please.

This will spark some of you, I know it.

[BrenDAnn]

FNI, the machines at least here in Iowa would allow us to type in their chosen numbers manually. However, it would be one individual play at a time. I would say if they wanted a lot of different plays with their own numbers and the reader was broken... tough luck. Other people would undoubtedly be waiting in line.

[Firecrackers Not Included]

Oh for sure Bren, I'm coming from a store that sells way too many for that jazz. We had a solid line all night. Surprisingly, this round didn't have an outpour as much as last time the PWRBLL was half
a billion dollars, where on the final night we sold something like $16-18,000!

I'm always thinking to be ready for a robbery on those nights. When else can you garauntee all transactions to be cash?

[wolfie]

They may be mature now and for the last 10 years but it's still big money involved. Let any unforseen issue come up after a win, that so called maturity will be like piss in the wind.

That's why I suggested coming up with a written list of rules for the pool, and having members sign off on them. If the rules try to anticipate every contingency, that will minimize the chances of a post-win challenge (by having proof that people knew and had accepted the rules of the pool). Looks like Jetfire already has most of the contingencies covered.

[Jetfire]

Sadly, no need for the rules for the 50 + 50 draw. Completely wiffed last night; not even the token 20$ we'd gotten the first two draws.

In fact, looking at the payouts, of all the winners, the maritimers only had 1 1million guy in Truro, and someone in Gander split a million 3 ways.

Oh well, next week is only 41 mill. Maybe that'll be better.

[VenomX]

I went to the store right next to the store I work at and walked right in and right out. Not a single person playing. Was odd.