It may have once seemed like a dream come true, but a winning lottery ticket has turned into a nightmare for 21 people in Okotoks, Alberta.
On Nov. 23 last year, the 21, all patrons or employees at the local Elks Club, chipped in $5 each to buy tickets for that night's Super 7 draw, one of which proved to be worth $20 million.
The members of the group should each have received more than $900,000 by now, but a dispute has arisen over who is entitled to a share.
While they attempt to sort things out, the claimants have agreed to let the Western Canada Lottery Corporation put the money in a trust account.
The lottery corporation hasn't released the names of the winners, who are keeping a low profile. Reached at his Okotoks home, Drew Devries said he belongs to the group, which purchases lottery tickets on a regular basis, but declined to comment further until the matter is resolved, though he expressed the hope that, "Maybe I'll see some money some day."
A bartender at the Elks Club on Monday also declined to comment, saying lawyers had advised everyone involved in the dispute to remain silent.
The Alberta Elks Association doesn't plan on getting involved in the dispute, said Don Neal, president of the Alberta chapter, since it seems to be a private matter that doesn't reflect negatively on the Elks.
"I wouldn't be too concerned about it," he said, adding jackpots always seem to result in someone wanting more than their fair share of the winnings.
Okotoks Mayor Bill McAlpine, who belongs to the Elks Club but isn't involved in the dispute, expressed a similar opinion. He takes part in a different lottery group.
"I know the little group that I get tickets with, you snooze, you lose," he said. "If you don't (pay for) a ticket, how can you ask for a portion of the winnings, that's my position."
The squabble in Okotoks isn't the first of its kind in Canada. In 2005, four employees of an A&W restaurant in Mission, B.C., went to court over a disputed ticket, claiming they should have received a share of the $14.5 million won by nine co-workers. The judge ultimately awarded almost $10 million to the original nine.
I'm selfish, lottery pools suck
Stories like these are reasons I like playing the lottery myself.
I stay out of lottery pools at work
I jump in whatever pool I can. There is one that I join regularly on high Mega jackpots (imagine how it got my attention when I heard the winning Mega was sold in my county, even though it wasn't my numbers)... I feel like if they happen to win when I didn't put in, if they're nice they'll give me some consolation prize being I contributed many other times, but if not, then I should have put in. I certainly wouldn't sue over it. If people win who I know personally (and who I like), I am a lot happier than if stranger(s) win, even if I don't get anything myself.
"I feel like if they happen to win when I didn't put in, if they're nice they'll give me some consolation prize being I contributed many other times, but if not, then I should have put in."
That's easy to say now, since they haven't won. I don't doubt that a lot of the people who sue and claim thay were part of a pool are either outright liars or deliberately chose not to participate in the pool the time it happened to have the winner. I'm also sure that there are people who are consistent of a pool, but occasionaly get left out when they don't want to be. If somebody misses a drawing unintentionaly because they are sick, on vacation, or temporarily working at a different location it may well be because the pool isn't well-organized and doesn't plan ahead. I could easily imagine a court ruling that somebody was a member of the pool and is entitled to a share because they weren't given a fair chance to participate as they usually did. It's far easier to imagine somebody who doesn't think they'd sue changing ther tune if they missed out for some reason.
When the jackpot is high, somebody will ask other people to put in $5 or $10 along with them so they have more chances to win the jackpot and any winnings will be split among all the players. If they get 9 other players and they all put in $10, one of them will buy $100 worth of tickets.
That is the easy way to run a pool and the only dispute would be if the jackpot rolls and somebody in the previous pool was left out. They probably wouldn't have any legal standing because another pool was created for the next draw.
It's in the complicated weekly, monthly or permanent pools where people pay in advance the problems begin. If a pool runs long enough, there are many players that have been in and out of the pool. Nobody will claim they were wrongly excluded from the pool when nothing is won, but will when it hits the jackpot.
"I could easily imagine a court ruling that somebody was a member of the pool and is entitled to a share because they weren't given a fair chance to participate as they usually did."
The members of the pool will need a lawyer, have legal expenses, and the prize won't be paid until a judgment is made. That puts the non-member into a better position to get a settlement without eventually going to judgment. And since the lawyer could expect to get 1/3, they certainly won't turn down the case.