Syndicates are a great way to make participating in Lotto fun and affordable. Although you do share any winnings with other members, a Lotto Syndicate can also increase your chances of winning by purchasing higher value, or a larger number of tickets than you would on your own. It is a great idea, but when it goes wrong, it can lead to destroyed relationships and lengthy court battles.
In recent years, three cases highlight what can go wrong when a Syndicate does win big…
Worker taken to court over 40m Powerball Win
A group of colleagues in Sydney are continuing a court battle over the share of $40million (NZ$43 million).
Although the first to admit his process was not flawless, Adams’ regular procedure was to track payments from a core group of contributors in an exercise book while the one-off syndicates he ran were recorded on a piece of cardboard from his Liverpool workplace.
But there was one notable exception to the ordinary procedure – the time one of the syndicates he organised won the $A40 million ($NZ43 million) Powerball jackpot.
A change in process and the fact Adams managed multiple Syndicates made it hard to prove who was the winning Syndicate and who was entitled to a share of the winnings.
Syndicate sues for a share of 16 million
Mr Baron made international headlines last year when it was revealed he quit his job at North Geelong’s Toll Holdings just days after the major draw and began cashing in with a luxury BMW and new home.
When it became clear he had won big in Lotto, questions began to be asked by syndicate members for whom Mr Baron had previously volunteered to become a syndicate organiser, and for which he regularly bought tickets online.
When questioned Baron had claimed he bought the winning ticket using A$46.60 of his own money and then three days later spent A$520 on tickets on behalf of the syndicate. There was, however, no way to prove this, and Baron ended up settling with the syndicate members out of court.
Claims winning ticket did not belong to Syndicate
A woman being sued over a one-sixth share of a €3.38m Lotto win by her stepson has told the High Court the winning ticket was hers and did not belong to a syndicate.
Mary Walsh said she was the “sole winner” and the first she heard about David Walsh claiming a €560,000 share of the January 22, 2011, win was in a solicitor’s letter sent on her stepson’s behalf in mid 2013.
Giving evidence before Mr Justice Richard Humphreys on the fifth day of the action, Mrs Walsh said she played the Lotto regularly. She bought tickets on behalf of a four-person syndicate at the barber she and her late husband Peter Walsh operated, a ticket for her husband and her own ticket.
Again, there was no way of proving who the winning ticket belonged to.
These cases would not have happened if these Syndicates had used My Lotto Syndicate Manager!
All cases stem from bad recording of payments, memberships and tickets. With My Lotto Syndicate a clear record is kept of Syndicate memberships, who participated in a draw as well as an image of the ticket itself. There would have been no question over who the winning ticket belonged to!
To ensure complete transparency and no arguments, why not start setting up your Syndicate now?