# Shocking!: woman claims winning lotto ticket not part of office pool **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 3, 2012, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shocking-woman-claims-winning-lotto-ticket-not-part-of-office-pool/617697 "2012-04-03T15:41:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Vicullum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/6de8d8/32.png) [@Vicullum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vicullum)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2012, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shocking-woman-claims-winning-lotto-ticket-not-part-of-office-pool/617697/1 "2012-04-03T15:41:12Z")
[Linky.](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2123904/105million-MINE-McDonald-s-worker-scoops-Megamillions-jackpot-refuses-share-colleagues.html?ICO=most_read_module) > [@](#): > > Employees at a McDonald’s in Maryland are outraged at a co-worker who claims she won a $105million Mega Millions jackpot which she is not planning on sharing - despite the fact they had pooled their money for tickets. > > Workers at the fast food outlet bought a number of tickets together for the biggest lottery in world history but Mirlande Wilson, 37, claims she separately bought one of the three tickets nationwide that will split a record $656 million payout. Once again human greed and stupidity knows no bounds. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2012, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shocking-woman-claims-winning-lotto-ticket-not-part-of-office-pool/617697/2 "2012-04-03T15:43:57Z")
The way to prevent this is to photocopy all the pool tickets and distribute to participants before buying your own. ---
**Author:** ![Sally\_Mander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e56c9b/32.png) [@Sally\_Mander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sally_Mander)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2012, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shocking-woman-claims-winning-lotto-ticket-not-part-of-office-pool/617697/3 "2012-04-03T15:48:18Z")
This is all over the news here in Baltimore. Her story is full of holes. She claims to have the winning ticket, but can’t prove it, and at one point even said she “thought” she had picked the winning numbers, but wasn’t sure how to check to be sure. There’s also some question as to whether she’s a legal citizen. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2012, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shocking-woman-claims-winning-lotto-ticket-not-part-of-office-pool/617697/4 "2012-04-03T15:48:33Z")
And now there is legal precedent against her. No way she gets to keep all of it, the bitch. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2012, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shocking-woman-claims-winning-lotto-ticket-not-part-of-office-pool/617697/5 "2012-04-03T15:54:00Z")
It’s such a jerkwad thing to do. It’s $105 MILLION dollars. She could throw them each a couple millions and they’d have no reason to complain, and she’d still have so much money left over. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2012, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shocking-woman-claims-winning-lotto-ticket-not-part-of-office-pool/617697/6 "2012-04-03T16:08:47Z")
I’m not understanding this story. How does a lottery pool work? Does one person collect all the money and then buy a bunch of tickets? Or is everyone buying tickets for the pool? I can easily see someone buying lottery tickets at work in a pool. Then buying some privately at home. A lot of people buy a lotto ticket anytime they are in a convenience store for gas or milk. Somebody at the office pool should have a record of the tickets bought in the pool. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2012, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shocking-woman-claims-winning-lotto-ticket-not-part-of-office-pool/617697/7 "2012-04-03T16:11:56Z")
When we did office pools, everyone would kick in a set amount, then one person would take that money and buy the tickets, photocopy them, and give everyone a copy. Those were the pool numbers. Anything you bought apart from those were yours. ---
**Author:** ![gwendee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/35a633/32.png) [@gwendee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gwendee)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2012, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shocking-woman-claims-winning-lotto-ticket-not-part-of-office-pool/617697/8 "2012-04-03T16:22:06Z")
Stories like this make me think of something my mom was fond of saying: “God shows his contempt for money by the people he gives it to” Petty selfishness in the face of a scrillion dollar windfall is just unseemly. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2012, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shocking-woman-claims-winning-lotto-ticket-not-part-of-office-pool/617697/9 "2012-04-03T16:25:11Z")
> [@Sally\_Mander](#): > > There’s also some question as to whether she’s a legal citizen. Why is this even an issue? ---
**Author:** ![myrnajean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@myrnajean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/myrnajean)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2012, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shocking-woman-claims-winning-lotto-ticket-not-part-of-office-pool/617697/10 "2012-04-03T16:26:05Z")
“God shows his contempt for money by the people he gives it to” I love that!! ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2012, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shocking-woman-claims-winning-lotto-ticket-not-part-of-office-pool/617697/11 "2012-04-03T16:31:07Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Why is this even an issue? Dude, this is the SDMB… it’s what we do! ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2012, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shocking-woman-claims-winning-lotto-ticket-not-part-of-office-pool/617697/12 "2012-04-03T16:31:35Z")
That’s what I thought would be done. So is this lady in the story the one person that bought the tickets? If so, I can understand the rage if she tried to claim the winning one. But photocopies of the pool tickets would make this scheme impossible. > [@FairyChatMom](#): > > When we did office pools, everyone would kick in a set amount, then one person would take that money and buy the tickets, photocopy them, and give everyone a copy. Those were the pool numbers. Anything you bought apart from those were yours. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2012, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shocking-woman-claims-winning-lotto-ticket-not-part-of-office-pool/617697/13 "2012-04-03T16:42:14Z")
Yet another reason that I hate it when offices I work in do ticket pools. Either you don’t put money in and they win and you’re a chump, or you do put money in and they win and you’re a chump. Just leave me out of all the drama. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2012, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shocking-woman-claims-winning-lotto-ticket-not-part-of-office-pool/617697/14 "2012-04-03T16:48:45Z")
If you don’t make copies of the pool tickets, you are out of luck. This sort of thing has been litigated before. One time, as I recall, it was a mother cutting out her daughter (or the other way around.) ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2012, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shocking-woman-claims-winning-lotto-ticket-not-part-of-office-pool/617697/15 "2012-04-03T16:52:06Z")
Based on this, I’d say its a legal mess. They have to figure out which tickets she bought for the office with that last $5. Then see if the winning ticket is in that list. Taking office pool tickets home was just… stupid. > [@](#): > > The group’s tickets — along with a list of those who contributed to the pool — were left in an office safe at the fast food outlet, said the man, who gave only his first name, Allen, > [@](#): > > Then, late Friday, before the night’s drawing, the owner of the McDonald’s, Birul Desai, gave Wilson $5 to buy more tickets for the pool on her way home from work, and she went back to the 7-Eleven and bought them, Allen said. > > Wilson took those tickets home with her, Allen said. ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2012, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shocking-woman-claims-winning-lotto-ticket-not-part-of-office-pool/617697/16 "2012-04-03T16:52:41Z")
Yeah, but if you don’t put money in and they win, you’re an even bigger chump when you’re stuck doing all the work and training the new employees after all the winners quit! ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2012, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shocking-woman-claims-winning-lotto-ticket-not-part-of-office-pool/617697/17 "2012-04-03T16:54:58Z")
[According to MSNBC,](http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/04/03/10999000-woman-who-claims-winning-mega-millions-ticket-refuses-to-produce-it)the woman is claiming that her coworkers all received copies of the tickets that were purchased as part of the pool: > [@MSNBC](#): > > The woman told WPTV her co-workers have copies of all the tickets bought with the pool money, adding she had asked a friend to buy a separate ticket for her. If this is accurate, then her coworkers are idiots. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2012, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shocking-woman-claims-winning-lotto-ticket-not-part-of-office-pool/617697/18 "2012-04-03T16:58:23Z")
They interviewed this woman on the news last night. The reported asked “How do you know your ticket was separate?” and she said “caus e’ebody hus dey phouto-copy.” She showed a bunch of photocopies, but the reporter said he “couldn’t make out” the numbers. That shouldn’t work against her, though, as it’s not on her to prove the coworkers _don’t_ have the ticket; it’s on them to prove they _do_. Of course, I think the woman is lying, period. I don’t think she’s the winner at all, let alone splitting it with anyone. ---
**Author:** ![Sally\_Mander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e56c9b/32.png) [@Sally\_Mander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sally_Mander)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2012, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shocking-woman-claims-winning-lotto-ticket-not-part-of-office-pool/617697/19 "2012-04-03T17:05:16Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Why is this even an issue? The local talking heads have said you have to be a citizen to claim the prize. I don’t know if this is true or not. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2012, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shocking-woman-claims-winning-lotto-ticket-not-part-of-office-pool/617697/20 "2012-04-03T17:12:20Z")
Stories like this will eventually lead to a informal ban of office lotto pools. If I was a manager of a store or company I wouldn’t want my name dragged through the mud. “McDonalds Lotto winner steals winning ticket” isn’t a great headline for McDonalds. I can already see the memos going out within the entire McDonalds organization banning this in the future. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shocking-woman-claims-winning-lotto-ticket-not-part-of-office-pool/617697.md?page=2)