I agree with Scary.  Luck doesn't target an area, although in FL it's just the opposite. We seem to have a disproportionate number of winners in Miami. Even a newspaper said that once when posting the lottery results..something like "Believe or not there were no winners from Miami last night." Maybe for a while the Lottery Fairy was vacationing on South Beach.  :-)

Sure there are winners in small, rural towns. But most of the winning tickets are purchased in Miami or a surrounding suburb.  I've seen many winners from my area too (Lotto, Fantasy-5, Raffles) especially during the busy season.  I used to say that nobody ever wins in Lee County, and a few months ago 2 people split a large Lotto jackpot --  both were in Lee County. 

Stack, I've wondered about the same thing, that is, what would happen if I continued to play my own numbers.  I "assume" that the pool would only be able to claim tickets bought as a group.  I wouldn't join any pool that didn't have that stated in the agreement. The best thing is always to make copies of the tickets purchased for a pool or scan and email them (save a tree! lol)  

To answer your question,Collinsville is suburb of St.Louis,Mo.It is across the Mississippi River from St.Louis.

It is a small town in comparison to major cities,but not so small that everyone knows everyone else.

I must say you are doing it right...for a lottery pool that is.  But it all seems like too much work to me.  I figure that since I am the only one playing on my ticket, I don't have to worry about any disputed claim lawsuits.  Also, since I know I don't owe anybody anything, I don't have to worry about anyone else making a claim to some of my winnings.  So I just like to keep it simple, buy my ticket for every PB and MM drawing, check my tickets, and when I do win, take the appropriate steps to ensure this jackpot win lives on for generations to come (sorry folks, no I won't end up like David Edwards (I hate drugs), Jack Whitacker (I don't like nor do I frequent strip joints), Bud Post (I only drink in moderation...I know my limit which is 1 beer or several glasses of wine...no intoxication thank you; and I also know how to say NO).  I don't like the pool mentality because you will always have people who know that you won and if any of the members of the pool happened to blow their winnings, who do you think they'll call on first to help them out?  No thank you.