The West Australian<\/em>. The individual the group selected to routinely purchase the tickets decided to keep the money for himself after the group finally hit the big time.<\/p>\nNo Love in Lottery Win<\/h2>\n Trent Bowden bought a lottery ticket for his 10-member group using the same set of numbers they always used. On October 29, after repeated misses, the numbers finally delivered a reward of AUD2,200 (US$1,496).<\/p>\n
Bowden then used that money to purchase tickets for the Oz Lotto draw on November 1, which produced a prize worth AUD$2,802 (US$1,905). Once again, he rolled the winnings into another draw. This time, it was the Oz Lotto draw on November 12.<\/strong><\/p>\nThe group won the AUD1.5 million (US$1.02 million) prize. However, if it were up to the man who bought the ticket, they were never going to see a penny of it.<\/p>\n
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Bowden went to claim the prize as himself, an individual, not as the representative of the group. Therefore, he collected the winnings and, in theory, wouldn\u2019t have to share with his lottery circle.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The other 10 members of the group aren\u2019t taking the issue lying down. They’ve already launched a lawsuit against Bowden, as well as Western Australia lottery operator Lotterywest. The latter\u2019s involvement is due to its inability to recognize or deny lottery winners.<\/p>\n
Settlement Likely<\/h2>\n There\u2019s little chance that the case will make it to a courtroom \u2013 the financial loss would be too great. However, there is already a precedent for arbitration in cases like this, and a settlement will likely be reached.<\/p>\n
The plaintiffs have brought in an experienced lottery attorney, Cally Hannah, to represent them. Hanna represented a couple who found themselves in a similar predicament a few months ago.<\/strong><\/p>\nThat case involved over AUD63 million (US$42.81 million) and involved accusations of one member of the group running off with more than his share. The parties decided to settle their differences, but no information on the final arrangement was ever released.<\/p>\n
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When it comes to money, there\u2019s no such thing as a gentlemen\u2019s agreement. It\u2019s important to get everything in writing from the start. This is especially true in the US, where gambling laws are convoluted and vary from state to state.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Also in the US, some states don\u2019t allow contracts for gambling<\/a>, which makes it even more important to verify the legalities. There may be zero recourse in the event a lottery pool wins and someone decides to run off with the money.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When it comes to money, it\u2019s never good to make assumptions. For example, if you\u2019re playing the lottery with a group of friends, don\u2019t assume that everyone will remain honest if you win. A group of lottery winners in Australia is learning that lesson the hard way. A group of lottery players in Perth, Western […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":64,"featured_media":245832,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[62,13699],"tags":[81985,82103,13701],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Australian Lottery Players Sue After Friend Skips Out with Winnings - Casino.org<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n