There are benefits to playing in office Powerball pools. But there are also a few tips to consider to ensure everyone plays and wins fairly.
The thrill of the office Powerball pool makes work-life a little more exciting. And there are plenty of examples of coworkers winning Powerball jackpots. But before you start collecting money and buying tickets, keep reading. You'll want to lay some groundwork for fair play ahead of time.
1. Create a Contract or Rule Book
A contract or rule book for an office Powerball pool can be a helpful tool to keep everyone on the same page. This agreement can clarify the expectations of everyone in the pool and make playing Powerball an even more exciting experience. Some important aspects to include in a Powerball pool contract or rule book include:
- How money will be collected for the pool to purchase tickets
- Who will purchase tickets on the pool's behalf
- Whether tickets will include Double Play or any other Powerball additions
- How pool participants will be notified of any wins or losses
- An outline of what procedure to take if a ticket wins, including seeking out legal advice
- Making it clear how the winnings will be split
2. Confirm Participants Before Purchase
It’s best to create a process to confirm Powerball playing participants for each drawing. Sure, you might have coworkers who say they want to play, but may elect to sit out and not contribute for some weeks. Fellow employees might be out sick the day you confirm players and collect money, and vacationing staff means people who might normally play aren’t around for some drawings. Create a master list of all who said they want to be included in the Powerball pool. Then, for each drawing, segment your list into a smaller list of those who actually pay in to contribute to the ticket purchase. Consider informing the entire group of who is “in” for this upcoming drawing as a method of transparent communication. This segmented list of participants will be your guide should your Powerball ticket be a winner.
3. Collect Money Electronically
Collecting money electronically creates a paper trail that helps keep track of who contributes to the Powerball pool. That way, both parties (the pool and the pool participants) can have a record of what they’ve contributed and when. It helps those running the Powerball pool know who to count in each draw, as well. You can elect to accept cash opt-ins, but remember that cash is hard to track and can be misplaced.
4. Send a Picture of Tickets to Participants
The designated Powerball ticket purchaser for your pool should provide clear pictures of the tickets purchased before the official drawing. Depending on how much money your pool collects, this could be a few cell phone images of three, five, or ten tickets. But for larger office pools, be sure to create clear pictures of all the purchased tickets. Make sure the numbers are visible, and email or make copies for disbursement to the week’s group of pool players.
5. Secure the Original Tickets
Take care of the purchased Powerball tickets. In an office pool-playing scenario, the last thing you want to do is lose the winning ticket. Create a process upfront about who purchases the tickets and where those tickets are kept prior to the drawing. Your copies won’t help you collect Powerball prize money. So, treat the originals like gold and keep them in a secure place.
6. Create a ‘What We Do If We Win’ Plan
There are plenty of Powerball winner stories of office pools who won non-jackpot prizes. If your coworkers are banding together to play every week, it’s a good idea to also plan for how you’ll proceed as a group should you win. Meet with your participants and create a “how we’ll handle the win” plan that everyone can agree to before playing. For smaller prizes, the group might agree to put the winnings into the next week’s Powerball drawing. For larger prizes, you’ll want an agreed-to commitment to how you’ll fairly split the winnings.
Get your coworkers excited about playing Powerball. Just be sure you take the right steps before you play to lay the foundation for fair play.