With a Mega Jackpot This Big, Take Precaution

Joseph Gagnon of the Houston office was quoted in The Houston Chronicle article "With a Mega Jackpot This Big, Take Precaution." The article noted that with the Mega Millions jackpot at $540 million, many people are pooling resources to buy many tickets. With a jackpot that high, there's plenty of money to go around. Joe said, "Money can make people do some really funny things." He noted that there's nothing illegal about office pools to buy lottery tickets because lotteries are sanctioned by the government. He did recommend that anyone pooling resources for tickets should use common sense and caution. He suggested making copies of tickets and distributing them to pool participants before the drawing. Then, everyone knows what the numbers are. People also can sign a written agreement naming the pool participants, the amount contributed by each, and how the proceeds will be divided if they win. There have been cases where pool participants have sued a colleague who took the money without sharing with the group. "You never think about these things until after you won," Joe said. "That's the problem, and that's what makes the litigation necessary."