The Pool Manager must do everything he/she can to avoid any potential future conflicts that might arise from a Jackpot Win for his/her Pool. Any Pool Manager that purchases tickets on his own behalf outside of the Pool is inviting a legal challenge should "his tickets" win, leaving his Pool Pals in the dust. I can smell trouble, can you? Some Pool Managers say they buy "their own" tickets at a different location from the Pool purchases. Sounds like a good defense? You think so? If there is a Jackpot of 250 million dollars at stake, there might be a legal challenge on some charge, like "unfair practice", "conflict of interest", etc. You trust these contingency fee legal manipulators? In every other nation on earth, contingency fee representation is both illegal and unethical. In Britain for example, it is thought of as unconscionable for legal counsel to take any portion of his clients court awarded settlement. Note that there is less frivolous litigation in Britain. Lottery wins are seldom challenged in Court and when they are, the plaintiff must pay his attorney by the hour out of his own pocket. Imagine if these Lottery opportunists in America had to pay for legal fees by the hour out their own funds? I digress from the point...Lottery Managers avoid even the appearance of any conflcit of interest by avoiding buying Lottery tickets outside your Pool. You won't reget it.