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

[swimmingforCB]

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? 😬

I would think of it as winning £5k which is amazing rather than losing £15k. But that's me and strangers on the Internet can't know your intention at the point of buying the ticket etc etc

But the last person to buy the ticket hasnt missed any payments same as OP. So they'd be entitled to full amount.

Agreed

Totally agree!
One person is 100% legally entitled to their 25%. Morals and ethics don't come into it.

You’ve decided to keep it and have your reasons. Then why don’t you share your news? It’s not you’ve done anything dodgy is it? so why not be open? I don’t understand why you would feel the need to hide the win when you said you played an extra ticket. Simple here’s the 4 Syndicate tickets and here’s my extra one that I won on.

So if there is one ticket with 4 lines on and a separate one with 1 line on which won then I don't think there would be this dilemma. If not, which line was the extra line not part of the syndicate?

When you bought the tickets were you buying them for yourself or the syndicate?
If you think you are right (you aren’t) then you need to own up to the others in the syndicate. Either way this syndicate needs to end.
The money has went to your head and knocked your morals out of it. It’s happens, but doesn’t make it any less wrong.

I run a syndicate and I have a rule in our syndicate agreement that if we win, anyone in arrears isn't entitled to any of the winnings.

I'd leave it a few months then the next time someone stiffs you on their stake, tell everyone there's a new rule - no money, no winnings

And definitely keep the money from this win!

I would tell them of your win so they can congratulate you, it will also give you the opportunity to explain your reasons in not sharing it.

So you did buy the tickets on their behalf assuming they would pay you?

If you knew you were 100% in the right here you would just tell them you had won.

The whole point of a syndicate though is they all contribute to payment for the lottery tickets. Much the same as if you play independently. If your not in then you can't win. There's no excuse when you can do it online in second's. Don't even have to leave the sofa.

It's not clear whether they buy the tickets AND expect a reimbursement. Or do the former, instead of the latter.
OP said if someone bought and won... she'd have 'paid her £2.50 as usual' so it seems to imply the first method.

if im wrong though and it's take turns for tickets then I change my stance - OP should split with the person who bought 3 weeks ago

Exactly.

If this thread shows one thing it is that the answer isn't cut and dried.
There are layers and layers of aspects to this decision which will divide and divide again.

I think if I loved my family I would split it and view it as a nice bonus that I had anything at all.

But also tell the recipient's that given they weren't in that week would they like to take the view that those who didn't need them money stepped back and let you and the single mum have it between you. If they don't want to do that don't argue and just count it as 5k you didn't have yesterday.

TBF neither should those that don't pay the weekly subs.

You either pay and play or don't and don't.
In all fairness there really is no other option you can't expect someone else to cover your cost, even when reminded the one's that didn't pay never bothered to reimburse OP the funds she'd paid out for the tickets.

OP The details you are giving are making you more and more identifiable. You may want to consider getting this thread deleted my MNHQ. 🌹

This.

In fact, this HAS happened to someone recently. Their account was empty and they didn't pay in the week their numbers came up! Lottery officials didn't give two hoots; they didn't pay, they didn't play, they didn't get paid. End of.

The money is OP's.

The lottery administrators don't love the DH though do they, and even if they did they can't bend the rules because it would never end with millions of participants wanting an exception every week.
The situation is different.

People keep using this as some kind of comparison. Of course the National Lottery don’t give a shit about some random stranger. But this is the OP’s family.

Isn’t there a bit of irony in replies saying “It’s yours” yet quickly followed by “But don’t say a word” or “Get MN to take this thread down ASAP”? If it’s all above aboard, tell them and don’t worry about the Daily Mail getting hold of this and your family seeing it. 😂

While I understand what you're saying about it being family surely that must work both ways.

OP's family, even after having been reminded that they owe OP money still didn't pay the arrears and no matter it was by only a few pounds they were ok with leaving OP out of pocket.

Not caught the whole thread, but the biggest driver of setting up a formal syndicate in my experience has been to solve the tax problem. With no formal paperwork any winnings shared out to the people who didn't buy the ticket are subject to tax.

That's more advice to anyone else who doesn't have a proper agreement.