How Office Pools Won Massive Jackpots
The office lottery pool is a tradition almost as old as the lottery itself, and it has produced some of the biggest group wins ever recorded. Here is a round-up of the most notable office pool jackpots we could find, from a $543 million Mega Millions win in California to a Canadian bank floor that took home $49.8 million, plus a few cautionary tales about what happens when an office pool goes wrong.
Much of this comes from a compiled ranking by LottoAnalyst plus news coverage. Details such as dates, headcounts and per-person amounts vary between sources, and we've noted the ones that conflict. Where we have our own full article, we link to it.
The United States' Biggest Office Wins
The Santa Clara office pool: $543 million Mega Millions (2018)
Eleven coworkers in the financial industry chipped in $2 each on a whim and won the July 24, 2018 Mega Millions jackpot. The cash option was $320.5 million, about $29 million each before taxes. They claimed the prize the next day and many said they would keep working. Full story: How an 11-person office pool won $543 million.
"Ocean's 16": a share of $448 million Powerball (2013)
Sixteen Ocean County, New Jersey vehicle maintenance workers shared one of three winning tickets in the August 2013 drawing. Their share, $86 million as a lump sum, came to about $3.8 million each after taxes, and several members had suffered Hurricane Sandy damage. Full story: "Ocean's 16".
The "Long Island Long Shot": $437 million Mega Millions (2019)
Twenty-three coworkers at a retail business on Long Island, New York, won a $437 million Mega Millions jackpot drawn on New Year's Day 2019. Reports say each member had put in about $1 a week, and the group claimed anonymously through a trust. Each share came to about $7.66 million after taxes in the lump sum.
The Tennessee 20: $420.9 million Powerball (2016)
Twenty auto-parts coworkers in Portland, Tennessee, won on November 26, 2016, about $12.7 million each before taxes. Full story: The Tennessee 20.
Missouri social-services colleagues: $224.2 million Powerball (2016)
Thirteen colleagues at a Missouri state department won an April 2016 Powerball jackpot. Reports describe eleven members receiving about $8.5 million each and two receiving about $4.25 million each before taxes, suggesting a few members held half-shares. (One compiled source says the group split the prize "12 ways," which doesn't match that count, so treat the details with caution.)
The "Bargain Team": $201.9 million Powerball (2011)
Twenty Costco employees, aged 24 to 73, won a June 2011 Powerball jackpot. Reports say each took home about $3.51 million after taxes.
The SEPTA 48: $172.7 million Powerball (2012)
Forty-eight Philadelphia transit workers, from janitors to managers, won the April 25, 2012 Powerball jackpot. Their pool only played when the jackpot passed $100 million, and the ticket arrived at the lottery office with documentation for all 48 members. The cash value came to about $2.24 million per share before federal withholding. Full story: The SEPTA 48.
US office wins at a glance
| Pool | Year | Jackpot | Members |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Clara office | 2018 | $543M Mega Millions | 11 |
| "Ocean's 16" | 2013 | Share of $448M Powerball | 16 |
| "Long Island Long Shot" | 2019 | $437M Mega Millions | 23 |
| Tennessee 20 | 2016 | $420.9M Powerball | 20 |
| Missouri state colleagues | 2016 | $224.2M Powerball | 13 |
| "Bargain Team" | 2011 | $201.9M Powerball | 20 |
| SEPTA 48 | 2012 | $172.7M Powerball | 48 |
Canada's Office Winners
Canada has produced a remarkable number of office wins, partly because lottery prizes there are not taxed and partly because Lotto Max's regular $50 and $60 million jackpots are shared by many pools.
- Boilermakers' Local 203, Newfoundland: 31 refinery workers in Come By Chance shared a CA$60 million Lotto Max jackpot in February 2018, about $1.8 million each. Some retired.
- The Guelph plant workers, Ontario: nine auto-plant coworkers, eight of them foreign nationals, won CA$60 million on December 21, 2019, about $6.66 million each, as the only winning ticket holders.
- Canadian Black Book, Markham: coworkers shared CA$60 million in February 2015, about $5 million each. Their manager kept the win secret until the following Monday.
- The six women, 2019: six women who had never played together before won CA$50 million on November 26, 2019, about CA$8.3 million each. One bought the tickets on a whim.
- Bell 19: nineteen Bell Canada call-centre employees won CA$50 million in 2011. A separate group of coworkers sued, and the court froze $18.4 million. After two years, each member received an additional $968,421 on top of their initial CA$1.7 million.
- The Lucky 13, Edmonton: thirteen bank employees on the 13th floor won CA$49.8 million on Lotto 6/49 in 2009, about $3.8 million each. One member chose the ticket at the last minute.
- Alberta oil-rig workers: fifteen workers shared one of two winning tickets for a CA$50 million Lotto Max jackpot on November 2, 2012, about $1.67 million each.
Smaller Wins Worth Knowing
- Forestry coworkers, Quebec: 45 coworkers shared a CA$9 million jackpot in December 2019, about $200,000 each.
- The Winnipeg nurses: six nursing-home workers who had played together almost ten years won CA$5 million on Lotto 6/49 in July 2020, about $833,000 each.
- The Lucky 10: ten coworkers led by Debra Allen won a $3.238 million Mega Millions jackpot in March 2018, about $320,000 each before taxes.
- Union County, North Carolina: 22 Department of Social Services workers bought 11 tickets for $1 each in 2018 and won a $1 million Mega Millions prize, about $32,000 each after taxes.
- Carpet Discount Warehouse, Charlotte: ten employees paying $12 a week won a $1 million Powerball prize, about $69,250 each after taxes.
- A Florida office: a team that won a $1 million Powerball prize in a $20 pool chose to give a share to a coworker who had declined to join, so she would "feel part of the family."
When Office Pools Go Wrong
Not every office pool story is a happy one. Several famous cases ended in court:
- New Jersey, $38.5 million Mega Millions: Americo Lopes ran a pool at a construction firm for two years. After a Mega Millions win, he claimed the ticket was his personally. A jury found he had defrauded his coworkers and ordered him to pay what they were owed, a share of about $6.41 million each.
- Toronto, CA$5.7 million Lotto 6/49: four coworkers were told by a convenience store owner that their ticket had won only CA$10. He claimed the prize himself. After an investigation he was sentenced to one year in prison and the prize was paid in 2007.
- Bell 19: a rival group of coworkers sued, and the court froze $18.4 million until it was resolved.
What the Winning Office Pools Have in Common
- Small, regular contributions, from $1 a week to $12 a week.
- A pool leader who collects the money and buys the tickets.
- A mix of seniority. Janitors, managers, interns and executives all in one pool.
- Calm after the win. Many kept working, at least for a while, and many claimed through a trust or kept quiet.
- Documentation. Winning pools could show who was in. The ones that ended in lawsuits couldn't.
Lessons for Your Office Pool
Write down who is in, and when
The disputes above all revolve around who was and wasn't in the pool. A dated member list settles it. See our group agreement guide.
Never leave the ticket with one person unseen
Photograph it and share it with everyone. Transparency makes cases like the New Jersey fraud nearly impossible.
Decide the late-payment rule
Read what happens when a member misses a payment.
Plan the tax paperwork
Claim so that each member is taxed on their own share. See IRS Form 5754 and our jackpot checklist.
Keep it voluntary and off company systems
Check your employer's policy on money collection, and run the pool on personal time with private tools.
FutureEdges keeps a dated record of members, contributions and tickets that every member can see. It is the difference between a pool that wins together and one that ends up in court.
"The pools that win are the ones that could prove who was in. The ones that end in court usually couldn't."
Frequently Asked Questions
Are office lottery pools legal?
Buying lottery tickets as a group is generally legal in US states with a lottery, but your employer may restrict collecting money or gambling at work. Check the policy, and keep the pool voluntary and off company systems.
Should the boss be in the office pool?
If they want to be, on exactly the same terms as everyone else. Several pools above included managers and executives alongside junior staff, with equal shares.
What's the most common cause of office pool lawsuits?
Disputes over who was in the pool for the winning draw, and whether the ticket belonged to the pool or to one person. A roster and ticket photos shared before every drawing prevent both.
For a broader look at why pools are so popular at work, read the psychology of lottery pools. For teacher and school staff pools, see famous teacher lottery pools.
Remember that the lottery is entertainment, and the odds of any one ticket winning are tiny. Play only what you can comfortably spare.
Sources: LottoAnalyst: 20 Biggest Office Lottery Pool Winners, CBS News (Florida), KSL (Santa Clara) and ABC News. Compiled-list details were not independently confirmed for every entry.