Beware of Office Lottery Pool Sharks: Powerball Jackpot Is $500 Million

Article by:  Mark Vanderhoof, The Louisville Courier-Journal  USAToday

November 28, 2012 - LOUISVILLE — Linda Sebastian enjoys her job , but she knows exactly what would happen if the members of her office lottery pool hit their numbers and won Wednesday's record $500 million Powerball jackpot.

"My group, we'd wipe our whole floor out," she laughed. "There'd be nobody left in the office."
Even her boss is a member of the pool. "I tease him all the time," she said. "I say, 'I'll meet you at the lottery headquarters.'"

But if you join an office lottery pool, you may want to consult a lawyer first. Some workers who had thought they struck it rich have wound up in bitter litigation over who was really in the pool and who wasn't.

Lawsuits involving lottery pool winnings have been common enough to create a new set of case law, said Russ Weaver, a University of Louisville law professor. A cursory Google search shows some "Lotto lawyers" across the country who specialize in such disputes.

Read full article here:  http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2012/11/28/office-lottery-pool-dangers/1731263/