And just think...... the winning ticket was one of 40 quick picks..... No wheeling system or number picking strategy..... just quick picks!!!

It's all a matter of luck you guys.  The lottery is random every time.  The numbers have to pick you in order for you to win.

DoubleDown,

I'm with you. As soon as I heard that a group of players won the jackpot, I wondered how long it would be before someone filed a lawsuit. Hopefully they'll escape without a fight.

It isn't coincidence. Who wins follows the same laws of probability as everything else. What we remember is a lot less reliable than probability theory, and in this case I'm pretty sure your memory is off. According to the Powerball website there were 14 winners in 2005 and it looks like only one was a workplace pool. 4 of those paid more than 50 million for the cash option and all went to individuals (the largest was split among family). The workplace pool shared just under $6 million among 15 people. Megamillions had a record winner in November that was a workplace pool, but I'm not sure about other MM winners for 2005. At any rate, last year's Powerball prizes went almost entirely to individual winners, whether you figure it by the number of winners or the amount won.

I don't know what percentage of tickets are bought by pools or individuals or blondes, but over the long term we can expect that for any category you choose, the percentage of winners who fit that category will match with the percentage of tickets bought by people in those categories. If 30% of tickets are bought by pools then about  30% of winning tickets will belong to a pool, and last year's Powerball winners is a short term departure, just like getting 3 or 4 heads in a row while flipping a coin. if 1% of tickest are bought by guys named Fred then about 1% of winners are going to be named Fred. People who buy 10 or 100 tickets are obviously more likely to win than those who buy 1 or 2,  but because almost everybody loses more money than they win, spending 10 to 100 times as much usually means losing 10 to 100 times as much.

Even if pools won 80% of the time, pools are still made up of individual winners and any individual's chances are related to how many tickets they have a share of. Being in a pool increases your chances of winning, but also reduces what you win since the prize is spread over all members of the pool. The $177 million cash that was just won may have been the 2nd biggest single ticket payout in US history, but 4 of last year's individual powerball winners (plus the the family that split 164 million) got bigger pre-tax checks than the current winners. The only thing that routinely favors those with more money is that they can afford to lose more. With only a few exceptions, spending $1000 per year on Powerball or Megamillions tickets means losing about $850. If an indiviual spends $1000 a year on tickets and losing that much money is a problem the trouble has nothing to do with how much other people are playing.

I'm certainly curious about these two parts of the article:

 << Zornes said it has been a struggle to iron things out among the winners, >>

<< The group's attorney said he took a call from one of the winners, and all the caller would say it that he needed an agreement drawn up >>

What had to be ironed out after they found out they won, and what agreement had to be drawn up after the fact? Maybe they just wanted to formalize an existing  agreement or had differences of opinion on how soon to make thier claim, but it sounds like Zornes and the attorney may have both put their feet in their mouth. I'd certainly advise clients not to say anything about the sharing agreement without getting legal approval first and the lawyer commenting on it is really foolish. Chewie commented about the tax collector's interest in how it's divided, and as far as I know the IRS is fussy about agreements to split the winnings. Having the IRS rule that the agreement to share was made after the ticket became worth $177 million could have seriously unpleasant tax implications that make sharing with a couple more people the lesser of two evils.

The fact is that multiple tickets are winning much more than single tickets. Also just because one single ticket was the winner, does not mean that the player did not buy many more than that one ticket.

Plus we are not talking only work pools here, family pools as well. Which in fact the last large jackpot was won by.(Wests) The lottery only wants to make you believe that your chances are just as good so that more people who do not have the money to buy many tickets will still throw their money in.

HAPPY THURSDAY....."MURDOOG"

Don't.....remember, what you did to get this far in life. You made it through rain & kept your world protected.....You didn't win anything significant at "26"...but pretty soon you will win something pretty big$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$, and you can act like "26" or "66" whichever fits you best......

HAPPY THURSDAY  "KY"

I read that one of the winners indicated that each week everyone is offered a chance to play in the "pool", and that those who decide to play must give $5.00. He said that this time was no exception, everyone was asked to play, those who did were the "8" who played and won the 365 (smackers), which means that there shouldn't be any "technical difficulties" in this bunch.

KNOCK ON WOOD.......

I'd certainly advise clients not to say anything about the sharing agreement without getting legal approval first and the lawyer commenting on it is really foolish.

I Agree!  I credit them for grabbing the loot as soon as it was grabbable.  But they have no idea of how the taxes are going to adjusted.  Keep you mouth shut on the financials.  Smile, like a dufus, joke with the camera man, but don't talk to any one about money.  Let the "team" do that.  In this case, get a new lawyer!  This one is obviously out of his league.

Will they continue playing? How can they go to a store without people knowing who they are? All lottery winners should be allowed to choose anonymity; as they can in the UK and Australia

Did you see the grin on their faces?  Did you see how fast they jumped on the money?  They were barking at the spotlight for attention.  You set a handfull of people down, throw $365M at them, and some one is going to be howling at the moon!  There goes your anonymity.  Out the door faster then New York Chili!  Pass all the laws, change all the laws, you're still not going to teach people to shut their mouths.  There will always be the handfull who can't see beyound their glasses, nor think beyound the double-cheesburger.  People have a right to make an a** out of themselves, and, according to the news conferences, lottery winners make sure their oppotunity is never over looked.

If they can't go to a store to buy tickets any more, they can play by subscription from the comfort and privacy of their own homes. They can subscribe to the Massachusetts State Lottery games and they don't have to be residents of Massachusetts.

Massachusetts State Lottery: 1-800-222-8587

See below for more info:
http://www.masslottery.com/SeasonTickets.htm

Just remember, eight peple in a room, made a decision within two days!  Didn't need twenty advisers and six months of meditation.  Were able to realize. and conclude, they can get advise and be millionaires at the same time!. They could have spent the next six months making ham slices, deciding what to do, or they could be enjoying the benefits of millions of dollars.    Get money, have money!   S-M-A-R-T people!  D-E-C-I-S-I-V-E people!  It is how America became great!