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Original poster

Small(ish) lottery win - Do I keep it since they didn’t pay?

449 replies

swimmingforCB · 05/05/2023 20:02

We’ve had a family syndicate going for 6 months or so now. Few £10 wins etc but nothing big.

For the past 2 weeks, nobody has bothered paying in. They kept saying they’d do it next week, and then next week came and they said they’d do it that week. But everyone forgot again!

I won on Tuesday. Nothing OTT but a sizeable sum

If I keep it to myself, it’ll change my life. If I share it between the 4 of us, it’ll pay for a fancy holiday and that’s it.

What do I do? 😬

OP posts:
dottiedodah · 06/05/2023 07:11

TBH as its family ,I would share it with them .You will be worried they will find out,and it would play on your mind .Also wouldnt they wonder where your money came from?

loislovesstewie · 06/05/2023 07:15

No, I would not share it. You bought the tickets with your own money, not theirs.

Dolphinnoises · 06/05/2023 07:16

I know it’s tempting but do the honourable thing. Why not just be honest? Message the group and say “there was a 5-figure win in last night’s tickets. Are you all in the syndicate still?” If so let me know.

This is not worth losing your family over.

msisfine · 06/05/2023 07:19

Definitely share it. I would feel guilty forever if I didn't. Particularly if they're family and you know they're skint too.

Whenharrymetsmelly · 06/05/2023 07:20

mainsfed · 06/05/2023 06:50

What a load of crap.

Show quote history

🤣 you know some people actually love their family and would do anything for them? I'd give my siblings money if they needed it even if I was stretched (let alone a lotto win when they were part of a syndicate!)

NutellaEllaElla · 06/05/2023 07:22

This is an interesting dilemma.

Is there a history of them paying for previous weeks?

I'd be annoyed if I was the only one shelling out for the cost of the tickets and wouldn't expect to share winnings in the same way they don't seem to mind you conceding the losses.

Pralineandcoffee · 06/05/2023 07:24

I'd just say no one paid in so you just bought yourself 1 lucky dip that week, thats all you could afford and you won. You didn't do all the lines because they didn't all pay in, so money is yours

Whenharrymetsmelly · 06/05/2023 07:29

NutellaEllaElla · 06/05/2023 07:22

This is an interesting dilemma.

Is there a history of them paying for previous weeks?

I'd be annoyed if I was the only one shelling out for the cost of the tickets and wouldn't expect to share winnings in the same way they don't seem to mind you conceding the losses.

I agree, and wish OP would answer some of the questions. If she covers the losses, then it's different. And if she's only buying because of the syndicate it's different. Actually OP has it great this way, if she wins she keeps it, and if she loses she asks for the money? Great way to play the lottery really 😆

user1492757084 · 06/05/2023 07:31

Ask your family if they want out.
Remind them that they are in arears with their payments and set a 24 hour deadline.
Wait to definitely hear back from each one
Record answers and date.
After that time - inform those who won with you (having paid up their share) about the win.
Celebrate. Either way -celebrate!
You lucky ducks.

Fleetheart · 06/05/2023 07:32

I think morally this will eat away at you if you don’t share the good fortune. It’s your family and they trust you even if they forgot to pay for a couple of weeks. you won’t benefit so much from the good fortune if you keep that guilt.

shakeitoffsis · 06/05/2023 07:33

I would be telling no one. It's their fault they didn't pay up. Enjoy!

CeriB82 · 06/05/2023 07:34

Nothing in writing?
lucky dio?
they didn’t pay?

there us no issue here. Its yours.

PurpleFlower1983 · 06/05/2023 07:34

swimmingforCB · 06/05/2023 03:59

No, they never paid

Show quote history

Then they weren’t in it that week and they weren’t in it this week either. It’s a difficult one but as you paid for the ticket alone then it’s your winnings. It would be better if everyone paid a larger amount into a pot ahead of time to stop this happening.

custardcreme77 · 06/05/2023 07:36

You can’t have lottery tickets ‘on tick’ you pay in full to purchase. It’s not your job to chase the others to pay up - no investment, no share of the profits. Strict but necessary.

It will be interesting to see if or when anyone at all ‘remembers’ they are in a syndicate and spontaneously pays their debts and / or attempts to pay anything prior to purchase of future tickets, with or without acknowledging their debt.

If anyone does come round to pay their debts or offer payment of any kind, just decline and say you are no longer doing it as there’s been a lack of commitment from everyone and it’s embarrassing chasing people up for money they owe. That’s not a lie, is it?

winkybean · 06/05/2023 07:40

That money is for you and you alone. You paid with your own money and, please don't take this this wrong way, it's not a huge-huge amount. Enjoy it. Change your life your way.

If they want to pay into syndicate again then keep playing. Fingers crossed you win again x

ZombieMumEB · 06/05/2023 07:44

Was there any money or winnings left over from previous weeks that they'd played?

If so, then I think they could possibly argue that you used those funds to buy the next ticket - especially as it sounds like you followed the same format from previous weeks.

If there was no money left over - then you definitely bought your own ticket. There is no way I'd share or tell them.

Many years ago I organised the purchase of tickets for my workplace as a once off. I sent out an email to invite people to join and went to collect the money the next day - with a sheet for them to sign that they had paid. A manager in one department told their underlings not to pay, because if we won - the rest of us would have to share with EVERYONE, so they should save themselves money. Those in their small department that wanted to play, paid up and signed my sheet.
I made sure I got photocopies of all tickets and emailed them before the drawer. As the manager didn't pay up - I only sent the email out to those that were part of it. We kept the tickets locked in the safe.

We won a small amount - just enough to purchase tickets again, but I gave people the option to cash in their winnings (ie get a few dollars back), or go in the next round. I didn't organise it again after that as the manager in that department really put me off.

Soontobe60 · 06/05/2023 07:48

Legally this is quite a grey area. This is a syndicate even though there may be nothing in writing. By the very fact that there’s nothing in writing to say what happens to a win when no one pays up front, one could argue that you should still pay winnings to all players.
But morally, it’s simple - pay out the winnings to everyone who usually participates.

FrauleinElsaMars · 06/05/2023 07:50

I would keep the money and just be open about it.

"Oh no one paid for the syndicate for a few weeks so I assumed we weren't doing it anymore. I got lucky on a lucky dip."

Doingmybest12 · 06/05/2023 07:52

Howmanysleepsnow · 05/05/2023 20:09

I’d say that anyone who wants to stay in the syndicate needs to pay money owed and this week/ months by tomorrow/ Sunday/ whenever. Then announce the win after the next draw

This seems fair enough, how many tickets did everyone think you'd bought ?

MimiSunshine · 06/05/2023 07:58

No pay, no play. Keep it, don’t tell anyone and just be a bit generous with those you want to help out a bit more.

Scaredtobegin · 06/05/2023 07:59

Syndicate rules actually state that they have no right to it.

Had you not won, would they have paid up?

KEEP IT!!!!

monkeysmum21 · 06/05/2023 08:10

What do you think they would do? Would they share it with you if you didn’t pay?

GnomeDePlume · 06/05/2023 08:10

@ZombieMumEB how on earth did the manager come to that conclusion!

I ran a work syndicate for a few years. As you did with a signed form etc. At the start it did lead to some interesting conversations with colleagues who assumed we would share a big win with people outside the syndicate.

One colleague was quite shocked when I told him a flat 'no'. I pointed out that if we ever won really big chances are he would never see us again. He joined the syndicate after that!

tiggergoesbounce · 06/05/2023 08:11

I would split it. I couldn't leave another skint family member skint in this situation. If they are a single parent, this would make it even worse for me. I just couldn't do it.

If you are going to keep the money, you need to own it and tell them straight. If you didn't tell them, To me, i would see this as a lie. I hate liars and would have to distance myself from you. Telling lies to your family over 20k or so is just not worth it. This is why families fall out over money.

TheHandbag · 06/05/2023 08:16

I would keep it and do one of the following:

  1. use the most of the amount (75%) towards a mortgage over payment. I would then disband the syndicate, have a lucky dips win around Sept and share the 25% with my sister.

  2. set up monthly dd for the lowest amount on premium bonds which is £25. Then invest the whole amount in bonds, sit on it for a bit & say you've won on bonds. Give your sister her share of the original national lottery win.