Winners work in the Chubb IT Department
Includes video report
WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J. — Robert Space got into work at the Chubb Insurance company at 6:30 a.m. Wednesday, realized the lottery ticket he was holding matched the winning numbers, and fired off a one-line e-mail to his nine co-workers who had pitched in to buy it.
"We won the big one," it read.
The replies came back instantly: "Hahahaha" wrote one. "GREAT. Where do I pick up the cash?" joked another. Then they saw the ticket for themselves.
Space and his colleagues hit the second-largest single-ticket jackpot in New Jersey history, winning $216 million in the Mega Millions jackpot.
"I feel incredibly blessed. I can't even absorb it," Space said, surrounded by stunned colleagues and clutching the winning ticket during a news conference at their office in the central New Jersey town of Whitehouse Station.
Space, with $5 from each colleague, said he bought 50 quick-pick tickets Monday afternoon at the Singin Oil gas station in the shore town of Toms River.
Space stopped by the gas station again Wednesday morning to get a printout of the winning numbers to check the tickets.
"I jokingly asked him (the attendant) if anyone had won and if it was sold here, but he didn't know," Space said. So he stuffed the list in his pocket.
It wasn't until an hour or so later that Space had time to review the numbers, scanning each row and growing increasingly shocked as first one, then two, then three - then six numbers matched. He called his wife to make sure he wasn't hallucinating, then sent out the e-mail.
"It takes a lot of stress out of life," Space said of the winnings. The 10 will split a $216 million annuity or a one-time payout of about $140 million.
Lottery officials say no one has officially come forward to claim the prize yet. The 10 have not discussed when they will claim the prize but have a year to do so.
Taner Cetintas of Jackson, the owner of Singin Oil, will collect $10,000 for selling the ticket. Cetintas, a Turkish immigrant who worked for decades as a gas station manager before saving up enough to buy Singin Oil in January, said he was happy for his customer, and his own bonus would help pay bills.
The six men and four women who won said they've worked in Chubb's IT division from seven to 30 years and had been buying tickets together for years.
Their usual ticket buyer, Alan Mooney, always stops by colleagues' desks to collect ticket money, asking "Are ya in?" Mooney, who was among the winners, was in Florida on business. Space said Mooney was hurrying back to New Jersey, "upgrading to first class," he joked.
Space said there were some colleagues who had opted out of this ticket buy.
One regular buyer, Oscar Oviedo, had asked Space to count him in and promised $5 for his share. Space rushed over to him early Wednesday morning and demanded the money.
"I thought: 'How rude!'" Oviedo said with a laugh, recalling how he handed over $5, unsure why Space was being so insistent. "Then he said, 'OK, thanks — you're a millionaire.'"
The winning numbers were: 26, 32, 35, 43, 52 and the Mega Ball was 10.
In addition to Space, of Manchester Township; Mooney, of Budd Lake; and Oviedo, of Stewartsville, the other winners are: Gerard Solas, of Hillsborough; Anne LaFontaine, of Summit; Linda Harrington, of Bay Head; Melanie Jacob, of Alexandria Township; Joanne Roth, of Basking Ridge; Bill Bollwage, of Bridgewater; and Todd Ellis, of Maplewood.
VIDEO: Watch the report
Congrats to the winners. SPECIAL thanks to the PLAYERS across the USA who contributed to their joy. Claim it quick before the big O. raises your taxes! Buy some erl now and buy some gold. Buy a GM vehicle and subscribe to some newspapers, and eat out more often. Something how the winning ticket sold in Toms River, far away from the Chubb locaton, and during a snowstorm yet! I'd be giving up that commute.
I heard a winner in nj.. so being that's where I live and where I play, I figured I had no chance!
Hey I DID have the Bonus Ball...so there!
"Space said there were some colleagues who had opted out of this ticket buy"
Now thats the sticky part.......I hope those who opted out of this ticket buy, don't become insensed or jealous and challenge the group and the "kitty".....this is what causes "wars" among co-workers and colleagues.....when members of the "usual players' are alleging refraining fron contributing to the "office pool".......then the office pool wins......lets just wait and see......I hope they do not end up in Court over this......hope they had an "office contract" that can protect who played from those who didn't this time around.
Congrats to the winners!
So happy for them and it has got to feel sooooooooooooooooo good right now!
I do have one questions:
It took 13 rolls for MM to reach $216 Millions ( I love the "jump" from $145m to $171m....that was cool)
If it had rolled 5 more times....Do you think it would have reached the much anticipated $400 million?
(It was so close...LOL!)
I know it is going to happen....its only a matter of time....
Ironically...I think the best way to get a roll to 400M is with less tickets played per drawing..it would take a long time to GET there but the more play per drawing the more different numbers are in play and more coverage and thus more likely a winner at the higher amount. 145 to 171 meant what, 60 million sets of #s or so that drawing? 12 to 18 adds about 16 million # sets. The other way is to add more balls to "keep up with the Powerballers" but nobody likes that. How many did it take when it got to 390? 400 million $ means about 800M to 1 BILLION sets played but with some degree of overlap but it stands to reason that by 400 or before, someone won by then. Would be an interesting "Science Project" to figure this out.
Huge congratulations to all the winners!!!!!!!
One regular buyer, Oscar Oviedo, had asked Space to count him in and promised $5 for his share. Space rushed over to him early Wednesday morning and demanded the money.
"I thought: 'How rude!'" Oviedo said with a laugh, recalling how he handed over $5, unsure why Space was being so insistent. "Then he said, 'OK, thanks — you're a millionaire.'"
Love this part.
Congratulations to the LUCKY winners!
I think it's really great when there's more winners. The more the better.
i agree
If it works for them its cool.
Personaly,I'm not crazy about sharing so I don't join pools.
"Their usual ticket buyer, Alan Mooney, always stops by colleagues' desks to collect ticket money, asking "Are ya in?"
When I first read that I figured they had a 100% chance of being sued if anybody wasn't included in this one. I'll presume that Space had already bought the tickets that Oviedo owed the money for, but it's also possible that he figured they woul dbe sued otherwise. Whatever the reason, tthat he took care of Oviedo could make it harder for anyone else who wants to claim that they had wanted to be in the pool but were unfairly excluded.
Yes, it's a great story. However, it might also open up the door for other coworkers to say they also wanted to play and would have given Space the money on Wednesday.
Edit: Coincidentally, KY Floyd & I commented at the same time, quoting the same post. Anyway, please explain what you mean that it makes it harder for others to sue. Couldn't they say "I said I wanted in, but he forgot to write down my name." If I were in a pool, I'd want the rules to state that anyone participating in the pool has to pay before the drawing.
I agree. It gives more people to chance to experience a big win. Congrats to the winners!
Awesome wins by many!
Congrats to the winners...Now lets start filling the pot once again.
Justxploring........if you go back to the beginning of this Story/Thread..I was Actually the FIRST PERSON to suggest that the other co-workers who usually play and contribute to the "office pool" may challenge SPACE regarding not being included this time around....re-read my post/thread.....
"Space said there were some colleagues who had opted out of this ticket buy"
Now thats the sticky part.......I hope those who opted out of this ticket buy, don't become insensed or jealous and challenge the group and the "kitty".....this is what causes "wars" among co-workers and colleagues.....when members of the "usual players' are alleging refraining fron contributing to the "office pool".......then the office pool wins......lets just wait and see......I hope they do not end up in Court over this......hope they had an "office contract" that can protect who played from those who didn't this time around.
Justxploring........if you go back to the beginning of this Story/Thread..I was Actually the FIRST PERSON to suggest that the other co-workers who usually play and contribute to the "office pool" may challenge SPACE regarding not being included this time around....re-read my post/thread.....
"Space said there were some colleagues who had opted out of this ticket buy"
Now thats the sticky part.......I hope those who opted out of this ticket buy, don't become insensed or jealous and challenge the group and the "kitty".....this is what causes "wars" among co-workers and colleagues.....when members of the "usual players' are alleging refraining fron contributing to the "office pool".......then the office pool wins......lets just wait and see......I hope they do not end up in Court over this......hope they had an "office contract" that can protect who played from those who didn't this time around.
Wow, another lottery pool wins a large jackpot. Been a lot of these the last few years. Especially the very large jackpots. So I guess "quantity" is important. But they have played for "years," so that is a lot of losing as well. But that does not matter now. I can't believe they actually collected $5 from a guy and then said he was a millionaire. I guess he knew there was plenty to go around and did not want to deal with potential lawsuits and hard feelings.
A big congratulations to the winners of the $212 Mega Millions draw! I'm always happy when other people win. I guess it's gets me into practice for the moment I win. I just hope I don't get to old to enjoy it! Oh well, I'll be at it again Friday
...
If the O guy had said nah im not in. then he would have only split it with 9 im guessing, shessh he gave the guy a chance to buy in after knowing it won. sounded like O was oblivious. nice to give the guy the option
The article actually implies that the worker did not know, and was "unsure" why he was being rushed for $5.00. He was then told he was a milionaire afterwards.
Congrats for winning the BIG one. Just don't go back to broke please.
That Oviedo guy is lucky a different kind of person wasn't over the pool; the kind who would have said "you snoozed, you lose."
Still, my favorite way is the "collect and play long in advance" method used by the California people.
i agree. more chances for a lawsuit. I sure wouldn't have done press until forced to, either.
MaddMike51, I like and totally agree with your signature. Here's hoping WE all hit a lotter jackpot this year as if we don't, we are going to be struggling under the pending taxation tsunami...a few million under the belt will at least keep many heads above water!
If the O guy had said nah im not in. Then he would have owned an extra share since he bought $50 worth of tickets and the other contributers only gave him $5.
According to the article the O guy did tell Space before the drawing to count him in. So Space did the right thing going to O after the win to give him the chance to pay up.
If the others opted out before the drawing, tough luck. REAL tough luck. LOL.
Well, to be fair, Bunky wasn't the sole winner of that jackpot, he was one of four. We never did hear much from those other winners, they should be glad Bunky hogged the spotlight.
"One regular buyer, Oscar Oviedo, had asked Space to count him in and promised $5 for his share. Space rushed over to him early Wednesday morning and demanded the money.
"I thought: 'How rude!'" Oviedo said with a laugh, recalling how he handed over $5, unsure why Space was being so insistent. "Then he said, 'OK, thanks — you're a millionaire.'"
Hi!
The way I read this was that Oviedo "owed" the ticket buyer the $5 dollars because he "covered" him due to the fact that he (Oviedo)was working from home and not in the office the day the money was collected.
He wanted Oviedo to physically give him back the $5 dollars that was covered for him to be in the pool.
Remember it was $50 worth of ticket purchased...10 people at $5 per person with the purchaser putting in $10...to cover Oviedo and himself.
Also there was one winner, the 10th person (the guy who usually buys the ticket) who was on a business trip for Chubbs in Florida at the time of the purchase/win....if he did not leave $5 of his own money to be used, then someone had to cover for him as well......... and apparently they did!
Yes, I totally agree!!!!!!
And those that opted out could have just as easily said "Yes" instead of "No"........
You ask the people if they want to be in and leave the choice to them.
It nice to hear about a lottery pool that players can go out on the limb and cover other players not around or a little short when the money is collected and know win or lose they will get their money back.
There are too many lottery pools with players who don't pay but want to be covered if they win but have the option of not being in if they lose.
This is not rocket science.10 players times $5.00 =$50.00.End of story.
- The Big "O" I was referring to is not the person from Chubb, but THAT ONE who wants to put higher taxes on high incomes... meaning "Take the money and run" vs. an annuity that might be a much higher tax rate in a few yrs.
- With all the hype about HDTV, I prepared for Feb. 17th (now June) by getting a HD antenna and USB tuner. When the man waved the ticket at the camera, I clicked Freeze Frame. The winning set was on line E. They were all QP, but the other numbers look good so guess what, I'm playing them! Would be funny if someone else (me?) won off the other 4!
- Every time I watch the News they show stacks of money being printed. I figure in a few yrs. we will all have 8 million dollars, with the only catch being a Happy Meal costing 5 million.
One regular buyer, Oscar Oviedo, had asked Space to count him in and promised $5 for his share. Space rushed over to him early Wednesday morning and demanded the money.
Space is one helluva guy and I'm really happy to see many people splitting the loot instead of just one guy. This way, the group will help keep each other grounded.
I'm betting that at least 1/2 of the winners tell their boss to take this job and shove it and move to warmer climates.
I'm betting that before moving they got to fight a bunch of claims from those who wanted to participate in a pool but somehow missed the opportunity.
By including the player who didn't pay, but asked to be included, he demonstrated that he was willing to take care of the people whom he thought had a legitimate claim. That would make me think that if anybody else came forward, the guy charged with finding out who wanted to be in it for that draw truly didn't believe that person had intended to participate. It's certainly isn't proof that somebody else wasn't unfairly or accidentally excluded, but in a case that is likely to turn on claims that are hard to prove, Space has (IMHO) established a level of honesty and integrity that is likely to make his testimony more believable and more important to the outcome.
It amazes me that so many pools have trouble over the small amounts that are normally involved. If they're collecting $10 per person, the administrator would only have to kick in $20 if 2 players aren't at work or don't have the money that day. If they're normally in the pool, then you've already agreed that you're okay with the number of people who will share any prizes you win. That means you really don't have much to lose. If you front the money for somebody for the first time and you win, you aren't losing anything by sharing with them, and by buying their share of the tickets you've also agreed to split the prize into so many shares. OTOH, if you front money for somebody and don't win, and they don't pay promptly, you've found out who they really are for a cheap price, and it was worth the few bucks.
As long as the people in the pool all get along the real reason to have a written agreement and collect ahead of time is to avoid problems with anybody who's not a regular player. If a pool is ever sued by somebody with a legitimate claim it's almost certainly going to be because they excluded a regular player because somebody was afraid they might have trouble collecting a few bucks.
Yes, I just love this part myself, it is what I would have done. As a matter of fact, it is what I did when I ran an office pool in New Jersey for an Insurance Company. We did'nt win the "Big" one, but we did hit for smaller prizes several times. As far as I was concerned, if you did'nt pay up, you had no claim on the winnings.
Great story, I am very happy for this group.
A side note, NO STATE INCOME TAX on Lottery winnings, so they do get a break there on taxes.
>Michael
I totally agree, congratulations to all of you, I am so glad it was a group of people that is so cool, and I also play in Upstate New York with 36 people, so I guess you all give me hope. And the story on the person who had someone float him 5.00 - was a riot, my group does that all the time, I certainly don't want anyone left out. I wish you Health and Happiness.
Enjoy and have fun, we are so happy for all of you.
Another Pool winning. It's on the Trend.
I personally admired the poster who said Thank you to all who contributed to help the lottery winners. Sometime in my life I sincerely hope a person from Lottery Post wins and does the gracious thing by Thanking the contributors. We are the reason the jackpot got so high and Lady luck was simply there to open the gates of good fortune.
It neednt be a lottery pool to make the odds of winning. It takes but one line and one dollar.
THe folks do seem nieve in annoucing it before officially claiming it. My opinion is...it is not theirs' til the ink is placed and the state offically announces it as the winning ticket.
yeah my point i ws trying ot make is that it sounds like the sort of pool you wanto be in. not one where you say you'll be in and because you whern't there you lose out. thats old school honour. the sort you read about in books because you dont see it in real life. :|
story cheered me up no end.
There is no WAY IN THE WORLD that someone with that name [Space], will win MegaMIllion or Powerball jackpot...There is no way...I say that guy won it on purpose...If the name was "Spacey" i wouldn't have said anything but "Space".....There is no way....
do not tell me he won it by quick pick....
They are not lucky winners. The lottery official chose New Jersey in advance to win the jackpot. I purpose tried $100 quick pick and I didn't get <snip>. As a matter of fact, I won back only $3. This is clearly seen that the lottery officials knows what they are doing. Why don't they choose NY state, which never have a megamillion jackpot winner for such a longtime. I think the lottery just want to take people money with the hope that they will win the jackpot. The truth is clear
seems to me if it was fixed as you say they would want a Florida winner so as to encourage more states to join in as Florida just recently joined. Why New Jersey???
$100 worth of tickets only gives you 100 plays out of millions of choices. It shouldn't be a shock that you didn't win.
ALSO $500 worth of ticket's only gives you 500 plays outta MILLION'$$$$$$$$
DAT's how many ticket's D MADAWG's buy per
MONTH>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>!!!!!
BUT<<<<<our BUTT's R hanging in DARE$$$$
wish us LUCK all U LUVLY^
Lottery Post member's!!!!!!
WOW congrat's U-Chubb's
PSYKOMO
ricky p, I as well as the majority of the folks on this forum want to win the jackpot just as badly as you do, but I must say that one thing is very clear from your post...U DON'T GET IT!!!! The lottery doesn't have a stake in "CHOOSING" who or what state wins the jackpot...only the luck, or as some would say, blessing of the balls and the ticket you happen to have bought that matches those numbers. Now you are right that the lottery does want to take our money...hell that is the design and purpose of the lottery. Just like companies were not and are not created for the SOLE purpose of providing a job for employees (that is merely a side benefit), the lottery was not created to "give back" MOST of the money to players. The underlying reason lotteries exist is to fund some designated program or programs like education scholarships or senior citizen programs (of course, the legislators have the option to funnel some of those monies to other areas). Sure, the lotteries play on our hope of winning the jackpot, but let me ask you something. Why do you still keep getting up each day? I would hope that it is to achieve something that you weren't able to achieve the day, week, month, or even year before. We should all live our lives "HOPING" for something good to happen each day. It just so happens that I hope to win the jackpot any day there is a drawing for which I have purchased a ticket.
KEEP HOPE ALIVE!!!
Just because you spent $100 and only won $3 does not mean the lottery is rigged.
If it makes you feel any better, our lottery pool has purchased 2633 tickets over the past 6 months and the most we've won on a ticket is $7.
Do you know how many people would be glad to figure out the lottery is rigged? I sure would. If you could prove how the lottery was rigged, you could use that to your advantage to get an edge on the house and win some $.
there are computers right now somwehere in the world, running constant "pattern detection" against world lottery games (search is similar to SETI in its methodolology) similarly there are massive data centers packed with supercomputers doing the same thing against currency/commodity and stock exchange systems (very few of them like to be vocal about what they do, occasionally one is caught beeing featured on national TV, rare event...), utilizing anything from game theory to Markov random walks, all looking for even slightest of deviation from statistical norm, at worst they can detect if a seed used in an RNG algorithm to select lottery numbers was suddenly reset.