Includes video report
Man could have been 8th winner; decided not to play because he didn't feel lucky
The group of seven lottery pool players that won last week's $319 million Mega Millions jackpot could have had an eighth member, but one unlucky man made a choice that cost him millions.
The New York co-worker who regularly played in the office pool opted out on the night they had the winning ticket, according to an Albany, N.Y., deli owner who knows the winners.
"They asked him a couple of times, and he didn't feel lucky," said Jill Cook, owner of Cook's Deli, where the group often comes for lunch.
She said she heard the news through buzz from the nearby office, adding that she felt "terrible" for the man.
The winners, apparently a group of New York state government IT professionals, have yet to come forward publicly to claim the prize. But lottery officials say they'll attend a news conference Thursday.
So far, the officials said, the winners have been huddling with lawyers and financial advisers as they prepare to split a jackpot worth $202.9 million after taxes, if they take the lump sum.
The group of seven includes a mix of older and younger employees who often bought lottery tickets together, Cook said.
The group didn't turn up for work Monday, Cook said, adding that she heard they have already quit their jobs. Many people who know them say the winning ticket couldn't have gone to better folks.
"It was a blessing to hear that they won. They're great, down-to-earth people," Cook said, adding that she didn't expect the group to squabble over the money.
Lottery isn't always lucky
If there's any solace for the unlucky man who opted out, it may be the knowledge that big lottery jackpots sometimes come with big problems. All too often, winners can't handle the changes that come with an outsize check.
Take, for example, Jack Whittaker, who won the largest individual payout in lottery history, worth $315 million. After accepting the prize, Whittaker was sued, divorced and arrested for a DUI, among other wrenching family problems.
"It has certainly been a curse to me," Whittaker told ABC News.
Lottery money can't buy you everything
Big jackpot winners can also face family problems and kidnap threats, not to mention a parade of people who come out of the woodwork expecting help.
And even for those who can handle the money, there's also the simple truth that money can't buy you everything.
In Albany, Cook said she's happy for the winners. But if they come back to her deli for lunch, she said, they won't necessarily get special treatment.
"Just because you're millionaires," she said, "doesn't mean we're not going to screw up your food."
He said he wasn't feeling lucky, well he was right.
HA! Exactly right, sully.
Wonder if his attorneys can make him feel more lucky? Or if, perhaps, the other seven will do the right thing and share with him??
"In Albany, Cook said she's happy for the winners. But if they come back to her deli for lunch, she said, they won't necessarily get special treatment.
"Just because you're millionaires," she said, "doesn't mean we're not going to screw up your food."
If I was in a lottery group and one person opted out that one week (but played normally) I would give that person some of the winnings. I would create a contract/agreement that even though they opted out that one week, if the pool each gave that person a certain amount, they can not sue for future money.
Better yet, the BEST thing to do is have a contract from the very beginning, stating that in the lotto pool, a player is only able to recieve winnings if they played in that days pool. Also the contract would state that if they choose to "opt out" of any future pools, they can not demand/sue for any winnings of a drawings they "opted out of"...
lol I was wondering about that statement... Not sure how to take it though =)
He is an unlucky fool...apparently he doesn't believe in the saying, "You can't win if you don't play!" Well, now he knows that first hand to be true. Also, I think people will say the PC thing when put on the spot with a TV camera and mike thrust in front of them. As for me if I did (but I don't) participate in an office lottery pool, it would be clearly stated in our pool by-laws that if anyone opts out (non-contributor) for any drawing that nets a win of any size, that person is not entitled to any of the winnings. But since I don't subscribe to lottery pools, I will never have that problem.
One last thing....I think I would love to have any jackpot winners' problem than the problem of scrapping to get ahead. For starters, I have no addiction to drugs so that will not be my downfall. Additionally, I don't like strip clubs (I don't mind women who strip but I don't like the public venue and the "rules and expectations" that go along with those places), so I won't have good ol' Jack Whitaker's problems. I also will not hold myself out there as the family relative or friend to go to for a "loan" which most people will automatically convert into a gift (never to be repaid). My philosophy is unless you are my closest brother (and I only have one) or my mother (again, I only have one), then if you need money, by all means get in your car and go down to the bank or credit union you do business with and apply for a loan there. I also will not be the money man for any business ideas (again, translation: gift) and I will only give to certain non-profit organizations I personally select from MY OWN research and volition (translation: don't waste your money soliciting me for donations to your charity).
I think they should all offer him some type of money, especially to take the burdon off their backs so they are not always wondering "man, is this dude going to try and sue us later?"
These situations in the past are known for holding up the winnings for a very long time. Sometimes even years before the pool gets their winnings. Just setup some type of agreement and get on with it
Oh, and the 7 lucky winners did the right thing in quitting. Now I think their next move after setting up their affairs to receive the mega dough would be to move the hell out of NY...preferably somewhere south. That way, they would not have to worry about unlucky NUMBER 8 coming by unanounced to cause problems and get away from that deli where they might have to worry about what was done to their food. NY sucks...it is only good for being lucky in winning the jackpot but otherwise NY sucks.
I agree with sully16.....we have choices in this life...and on this particular day...he chose not to play because he said he did not feel lucky......therefore....life goes on...!!!
That is hilarious,
Nothing ventured nothing Gained!
Wonder how hard it was for him to come into the office Monday....No way I coulda got out of bed!!!!!!!!
If you read the article, it said they asked him several times if he wanted to get in for the draw that night, he kept saying No he didn't feel lucky. So I don't Say no to any part of the Pot.
We had a pool in our Maintenance Dept. on 3rd shift I would go to Illinois at the time for tickets, it was made clear money had to be paid before I went for the tickets, everyone put in the same amount, we made up copies for everyone with the tickets front and backs after everyone signed the tickets that bought into the pot. Not one person signed the tickets. If you missed and the tickets would win it was your bad luck, any winnings we would decide what to do with the money depending on how much we won, which was never a lot. But when you have a group playing you have to make it clear the rules, stick by them. Now I don't work, so I play on my own, it's easier that way, don't have to worry about someone saying you screwed them out of some money.
I agree with your points...however no matter how much one tries to dot the i's and cross the t's, there will always be that someone who gets greedy enough to go find an attorney who is also greedy enough to push the issue and hope for, at the very least, a quick and easy settlement.
Anyone else getting sick of hearing Jack Whittaker's story in regards to the downside of winning money? He's the one who screwed himself over not some curse and people need to get over that.
I don't think he deserve any of that money because I wouldn't feel sorry for people like that. what's the worst that can happen if you put 5 dollar in a lottery pool? either you win or you lose, I bet he feel stupid now that he still have to wake up everyday and go to work, while his buddies are in the bahamas or tahiti enjoying the nice warm 80 degrees weather. He said it himself "I dont feel lucky you guys go ahead I just want to keep working for the rest of my life".
Ding Cuckoo, Ding Cuckoo, Ding Cuckoo, Ding Cuckoo ..............................
The unlucky 8th non player legally would not win a lawsuit and any lawyer who convice him other wise is a shark. His own statements prior to purchasing the tickets and not paying his share of monies is hard evidence. But, if I was amoung the lucky 7 I would offer to pay for his kids college tuitions on contract of course, that's it.
Th unlucky 8th player sealed his own fate, by his words and deeds. I feel for the guy. I wouldnt want to live with that cloud over my head. "Life and death is in the power of the tongue."
He has no legal footing to anything; however, if he has been a good guy, and signs a legal binding document not to harass the lucky 7, I would personally give him something. Maybe his years salary, because he is going to have a tough time mentally at work. (No pun intended)
This would be a perfect plot twist for a Twilight Zone episode, one that Rod Serling might have written.
"NY sucks...it is only good for being lucky in winning the jackpot but otherwise NY sucks."
I don't think that's entirely true.
I've heard they have excellent corned beef sandwiches there.
You can't get that in Tennessee.
It's soup beans and cornbread here.
And biscuits. We eat a lot of biscuits.
How'd ya like to eat that kinda crap everyday?
Also, I wonder how hard it is for him to get up each day! I hope he loves his job and that he isn't a part of the layoffs....now that would really be a double whammy.....out of work but could have been a multi-millionaire!!! Ouch!!! Why? All because he wanted to save two bucks?!!!
Some people will never learn...I mean I don't participate in lottery pools because our company culture doesn't advocate that, but if I were at a company that had a pool, I would throw whatever the joiner/participant fee per week is just because you never know. I would also have my own numbers on the side and I would clearly communicate what I was doing (firstly I would not be the one designated to buy the group tickets and if I were, I would purchase the group tickets at a store and do my own playing via the subscription service....that way if my numbers hit, NO ONE could say I stole the winning ticket.
I don't like corned beef sandwiches or NY style pizza....so yeah, NY sucks IMHO. Perhaps voicing my displeasure with NY, the lottery fairies might see fit to curse me with mondo Powerball or Mega Millions jackpot win. And no one need congratulate me on the win....
I've never heard the Jack Whittaker's story but I've read it and other stories about jackpot winners several times by choice when I've googled "lottery jackpot winners".
OFFTOPIC: Having grown up there, I think the food in NY is by far the best. The pizza, pastrami, corned beef, heroes, dirty water dogs, knishes, deli's, etc and on and on.
Outside of the food, the upstate mountains and country is gorgeious, but NYC itself is the definition of 'sucks'.
He lived this long without winning a share of a lottery jackpot and there's no reason his life shouldn't go on as usual. Besides, New York sells MegaMillions, PowerBall and their own lottery so there's always a big jackpot to be won if he's willing to buy a ticket.
Maybe he will start up an Office Pool for the Lottery and we will see if Lightning Strikes a second time in that Office.....he may also
get a raise too......he can use the extra money from the raise for Lottery Tickets......and form a second group called the "Second
Chance Gang" and say "Well it happened for them....maybe it will happen to me (again)"....beaudad
LottoLin, not asked "several times." The article reads: ""They asked him a COUPLE of times, and he didn't feel lucky," said Jill Cook, owner of Cook's Deli, where the group often comes for lunch."
Regardless, fellow LotteryPost members, I noticed that NOBODY writing believed that this '8th' jackpot team member player's hunch was CORRECT. Perhaps he was correct in saying that he wasn't feeling lucky enough to join the team's lottery line #s gathering that day -- perhaps, had he joined, they wouldn't have won. Maybe the 8th player had a TRULY STRONG feeling/emotion about that.
Anyhow, I hope that the 7, double-digit multi-million lottery jackpot winners (and spouses) will think back to those two moments of asking him and then EACH decide what to do (in a couple of months, once each of the 7 jackpot recipients receives their multi-millions net share, that each could "gift" him ($13K if single tax filer; $26K if married jointly filer). It's possible that several of those 7 jackpot winners are married ... "gift" without even having to make note or declare it on their taxes (the 8th doesn't declare the monies received EITHER of $92K+.
Yet, if he's angry and seeks out a lawyer or news employee, then that wouldn't be an appropriate choice of behavior either before receiving 1 or more "gifts" or having received no gifts. Either way, it's tough and lonely for the '8th' now, both knowing that all or most of your colleagues aren't returning to the department, AND knowing that they are retired from a daily working for life and you aren't.
I hope that the press doesn't write any more news articles about this '8th' person on their own ... it's probably painful enough at present. Don't want the person to fall into a deep depression and possibly take it further, that wouldn't be responsible news reporting, that would be hitting a person, repeatedly, when they're already down! Compassion via silence is the best approach from here on out.
On all those "Lottery Changed My Life" shows the person has to prove that he was a regular participant in the lottery pool and he is able to receive a portion of the winnings. I think he has a case if they've kept meticulous records.
My day is coming I don't care if it's in an office pool or alone!!!
I am also tired of hearing the Jack Whittaker story...
Regarding "Jack Whittaker" ... I think he is probably a net multi-millionaire currently. However, I think that he has been staying away from the press, bars, gambling places, and clubs in order to keep out of the news; so that additional people don't also get the novel idea about sueing him for something frivilous. I hope his plan works.
It is possible that Jack will get married to the woman that he was married to for so many decades in the past. If this reunion would bring both joy. It sounded as though they had been good to each other during most of those decades of marriage. A return to loving goodness for each. Alas, that would be a good ending, as I believe that BOTH are a lot stronger now and could probably have several more joyful successes together during their possible remaining decades here.
Lot of NY sucks in this post..Let's hope a resident of New York like jrosina don't read this..That would be awful just awful...
If I were one of the Magnificent Seven, I would duke the dude.
Because after all:
Everyone is helpful, everyone is kind
On the road to Shambala
Everyone is lucky, everyone is so kind
On the road to Shambala
How does your light shine
In the halls of Shambala
How does your light shine
In the halls of Shambala
Tell me how, how does your light shine
In the halls of Shambala
Tell me how, how does your light shine
In the halls of Shambala
Seems pretty simple to me.
That guy who didnt feel lucky will need millions of dollars worth of therapy, too bad he cant afford.
He will be the one telling tales of a group of people who came together to do something good.
He will go on to tell the part of the uncooperative one refusing to join them. This part will hurt him bad.
Then he will conclude by saying that the fool realized he would want to eat after all the preparation and cooking was done.
What a moron.
Why do they keep calling this guy a loser? It's really rude and inappropriate. Yeah we get it he optted out, why beat the drum of the issue? They will probably share a small portion with him anyway. There is a 10 min + long vide on Youtube interview the winners.
Well, I hope the winner takes his loss in stride and won't live off his regrets: 'the what if's' or the 'if only I would have....' Posters, there's a lesson to be learned in this tragedy: go with your intuition. Yes, men have intuition, too, and it is not geared toward women. How many people have we read about or known who didn't take that risk -- and at the end -- lost out on a major jackpot win?
Finally, it is -- what it is! I had an aunt who used to say to me, "whatever you do, take care of business!"
Oh come on. Chicago is the best. Deep dish pizza, spicy hot dogs, extra juicy roast beef sandwiches...I could go on and on...
Yeah the lottery ruined Jack's life so much that even after how awful winning was he still played.... And won a $10,000 prize a few years back. The lottery and the winnings didn't screw Jack, Jack screwed Jack. He was a "good ol'boy" who set up pretty much everything that happened to him and those around him through his stupidity. Some people feel bad for him, mainly due to what happened to his grand daughter but that too was his own <snip>ed fault.
Odd that the guy would have been the 8th player, that number 8 and all that.
I wonder if someone had said, "We need 8" if he would have bought in.
(Of course, actually they didn't need 8!)
Do the right thing, yeah kiss his (Blank) goodbye. He was asked twice to get in and he declined.
I ran office pools so I can talk on this, he did'nt feel lucky, out of his own mouth, and so be it.
He made his choice, now he has to live with it, nobody owes him a darn thing, pure plain and simple.
End of story, or is it, lol.
>Michael
I'll bet there is long list of people hoping "the other seven will do the right thing". How about the waitress at the Deli or other co-workers that were in the pool in the past? What about the guy that said pooling is a better way to play large jackpot; I'm sure he deserves some compensation too.
Number 8 was asked many times if he wanted to play and didn't feel lucky and now he can spend the rest of life telling people how unlucky he really is.
"Do ya feel lucky, Punk; well do ya? Go ahead and make my day"
Maybe the guy just didn't have the money to play that week..whether it was $2 or $10. Maybe he put
it as he's not feeling lucky to avoid having to say he was broke that week. Then in that case someone
might have said, Okay Ralph/Jim/Tom...I'll put you in for this week..pay me back next time. He would
have been sitting right there with the happy millionaires dreaming and beaming. I would have gladly
done it and never reminded him of how he got there. Obviously he played often and was a regular pool
player...just not that week. It's too bad that many of the opinions here reflect a tuff sh*t attitude. Money
and talk of having a lot of it usually brings out the worst in people.
Dittoes.
Some folks handle it differently.
https://www.lotterypost.com/news/190102
We discussed the butterfly effect in the other thread. The guy who bought the ticket said someone cut in front of him. This is just one of the infinite number of variations that could have occured leading up to the numbers being drawn. Who knows what would have happened had he opted in. Everything would have changed. Lottery winners are not predestined to be lottery winners. They just are.
Well there are a lot of variables at work here. Maybe had he played their numbers wouldnt have been QPed, Maybe if the guy didnt cut in line their numbers wouldnt have been QPed. Maybe number eight bought his own ticket and thought that had he joined the group and he had won on his ticket that he'd be expected to share with the group and that made him feel guilty (yes he said he felt unlucky so this scenario may not fit but still its a possible variable without knowing)
Edit: I agree with Guru here.
Yeah, I like the way that one worked out better.
Yep and I am a Twilight Zone fan!
It would be entitled "The Man Who Felt Unlucky"
It sounds to me like the 'Law of Attraction' at work, he kept feeling unlucky and he manifested it by missing out on his chance at winning! Sad!
He opted in many times before and didn't win so statistically he should have saved a couple of dollars. Just goes to show you statistics aren't always right.
That's one of the pit falls of buying QPs, when you win you don't know why. On the other hand I always pick my own numbers so when I lose I know it's because I didn't pick all the winning numbers on the same line.
I like that one a lot time*treat. Thank you!
yep,
Wow..I just found this on yahoo...
Michael Kosko works in the same office in Albany, and was hit up for a $2 contribution to the pooled lottery funds his coworkers were pulling together. After all, he'd always agreed to join in the office ritual in the past.
This time, though, he balked. Checking his cash reserves, Kosko discovered that he didn't have any singles on him, and even though one of his co-workers offered to spot him a couple of bucks, he chose not to participate. Besides, as he told the New York Post, they never won anything anyway.
"I didn't have two singles," Kosko told the paper. "We had played over the past few months, we never hit anything. And I just decided that on that particular day, I wasn't going to play."
And the rest, as they say, is history. ABC News tracked Kosko down as he was walking to work and asked the "colossally unlucky guy" about his misfortunate decision. He insisted he's "not upset" and that he feels "very happy for the seven who won. I'm very happy for them."
I didnt have two singles he said......well he just missed his change.....lol...
while your post was somewhat on point 1) lottery post winners are the most compassionate out there 2) we would all say 'get a lawyer and fight' if he indeed had a case and 3) understand that THEY DID INDEED OFFER TO PUT IT UP FOR HIM [TWICE] AND HE SAID NO .. - remember, there was a case back when another group was collecting the win and one of the members didn't have the $5 and was spotted - and before telling the guy about the winning ticket, they insisted he pay back the $5 [which he did] and he then got a copy of their winning ticket .. it seems that he said no to a couple and then the no money excuse to yet others ... so ... don't think that we are being hard .. we are actually trying to find loop holes for him to jump and his attitude on that day was not a good one and remember, there were five others that sometimes played with them but we don't hear about their complaints ..
If I decided not to pool in my money for lottery tickets and then found out that the ticket was a jackpot winner, I'd be disappointed too, probably very much so, but a lot of people who win mismanage their money, so it could turn out that that eighth worker could be better off not having played.
I didnt have two singles he said......
Apparently, he didn't trust his buddies to make change for him or didn't want to lose a couple of dollars again.
He's an IT guy, right? I am sure intelligent people like IT folks know how to do cost-benefit analysis. Let's see here....we have a $312M (later increased to $319M) jackpot; more people are playing so it is likely to get hit that drawing; the cost (in his case) would have been $2; the benefit would have been a split of $319M(annuitized)/$200M(cash value). WOW!!! I think I would wager $2 any day even with the astronomical odds of winning...because now he knows how it feels to not benefit from such a low cost venture. That is a lesson to all of you out there who get fixated on the odds of winning...just keep playing a dollar a draw....I am sure most people blow more than that any given day.
Look at it this way regarding that potential 8th lottery player that decided not to play $Mega Millions game.He knew the $Mega millions was at least $312 million,when he opted out.And it's not too often the jackpot gets that high.He made his grave and now he must live with that. (DEAD BROKE).I'll give him a consolation prize, a two dollar $Mega Millions lottery ticket.
Yup, I had a relative buy me a MM ticket in CA two days before the draw to mail to me. It was two lines with 5 advance plays incase it continued to roll. It was postmarked 3 days after the draw. They waited to see if it won. Fvckers.
i woulda said " can you cover for me "
Surprising what qualifies as news. 7 people got together and bought tickets as part of a group. Everyone else in New York didn't buy tickets as part of the group, including this one who could have.
He says he's glad for them.
The man sounds as though he's okay with it. No reason for anyone else to care, one way or another. Millions of people in New York joined him in not buying tickets as part of that group.
yeah but what makes stories great, and appeal to people is when people associate the hero with themselves,. either the protagonist is a winner or loser doesnt matter its that he faces real problems people can see themselves facing and how he deals with theose problems.
so its a human interest story because its a human saga that any of us could be lving thru one day.
A spokes woman for the group that won said on the news there was no 8th man..There was more then him that was asked if they wanted in on the draw..So if they gave him money they'd have to give all the people they asked money..Tough luck..
Yeah but at least he's in New York and can put that $2 towards a good corned beef sandwich.
I'm sure they just misplaced it for a day or three. Surely you don't think a relative would keep it if it won?
Maybe the "unlucky" guy was the reason they hadn't won before.
4/2/2011..............
HAPPY SATURDAY EVERYONE..........
I have been reading your POSTS......YOU GUYS ARE SOOOOOO FUNNY......I AM FALLING OVER LAUGHING.........TOOO FUNNY.....and I agree w/most of what I have read....Some Very Valid Points......especially pertaining to the "Unlucky #8"
I don't know and no one can as to what his future plans are regarding this siuation, but I hope he can move on, however, yes, I think they should attempt to make a deal under the table with him. They should try to placate him, to avoid any problems later on. Then everyone can get on with their lives. Learn from other Office Groups Legal Battles.
Please ignore the second part of this post ... since it doesn't apply to one person, but rather to about 5 people who declined to play the lottery with their on-going, time-to-time $2 each quick-pick group.
So true
What problems later on????? He has already told the news media that they asked him more than once and he declined each time.....
There are 3 powerful active forces in our lives:
1. Fate - Something that unavoidably befalls a person.The universal principle or ultimate agency by which the order of thingsis presumablyprescribed. The decreed cause of events.That which is inevitably predetermined.A prophetic declaration of what must be.
2. Destiny - Something that is to happen or has happened to a particular person or thing. The predetermined, usually inevitable or irresistible, course of events.The power or agency that determines the course of events. This power personified or represented as a goddess.
Pitfalls? You've won because you matched a certain number of the necessary numbers.
OH MY GOSH, if that were me, I'd be sick to my stomach. LITERALLY. Of course, that wouldn't have been me because I ALWAYS play the lottery...Dang, that poor poor man.
My job is doing a lottery pool this week for $1 a person. I put my dollar in even though I already bought the winning ticket for tonight's 218 million jackpot.