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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:
GP75 · 05/05/2023 21:15

If you bought the tickets and they didn't pay then the money is yours. You don't put in a stake you don't win 🤷‍♀️

ExhaustedPigwidgeon · 05/05/2023 21:15

ask for the money again without telling them about the win. If they pay up then share it with whoever pays by your deadline

Newestname002 · 05/05/2023 21:16

BarkyMatherson · 05/05/2023 20:03

No pay, no play. Those that paid that week split the winnings.

Yep this! You paid all the money to play, so They get what they put in, which was fresh air. 🌹

ICouldHaveCheckedFirst · 05/05/2023 21:17

What CrystalCoco said. But give them all the same deadline, and only own up after the deadline has passed (and they've all paid up, hopefully). Wouldn't that be a better outcome all round?

allrightclucky · 05/05/2023 21:19

If you would have accepted their cash in arrears for losing tickets, surely morally you have to accept it in arrears for winning ones?

Would you even have bought the same number of lucky dips you bought, if you weren't in the family syndicate?

If you know in your heart of hearts that you bought that number of lucky dips only because it was the syndicate, and you knew you'd be repaid, then I think morally you have to accept you bought those lines for the whole family and the prize is for all of you.

Otherwise anyone might as well run a syndicate and deliberately encourage people to pay in arrears, so that any time there's a win they can argue that it's all theirs as the money hasn't arrived yet.

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 05/05/2023 21:20

You could always ask them what they want you to do!

Say you're thinking of stopping the syndicate plan, if others aren't interested, as it could potentially get awkward if you're not all in it every time.

Ask if the ones who haven't been in it can do so for the next two weeks, say you won't buy a ticket yourself then, but you'll be in the syndicate and in for your share of any winnings - to make up for the two weeks when you played and nobody else did.

If they agree, give them a share of your winnings. If they say 'no, you've got to be in it to win it', ask what would have happened supposing you had won in one of those two weeks - would they have expected a share, even though they weren't in it?

If they say that they wouldn't have expected a share (likely, I'd say, after the event), say "Fair enough" and suggest you stop the syndicate, to avoid any potential difficulties in future - then keep your money!

They can't really say that they would have expected a share, if they've just talked themselves out of an identical scenario the other way around!

FacebookFun · 05/05/2023 21:24

This reply has been withdrawn

The OP has privacy concerns and so we've agreed to take this down.

allrightclucky · 05/05/2023 21:24

Otherwise anyone might as well run a syndicate and deliberately encourage people to pay in arrears, so that any time there's a win they can argue that it's all theirs as the money hasn't arrived yet.

While still accepting the payments in arrears for all the other weeks with losing tickets, I mean.

Oneandonly22 · 05/05/2023 21:24

allrightclucky · 05/05/2023 21:19

If you would have accepted their cash in arrears for losing tickets, surely morally you have to accept it in arrears for winning ones?

Would you even have bought the same number of lucky dips you bought, if you weren't in the family syndicate?

If you know in your heart of hearts that you bought that number of lucky dips only because it was the syndicate, and you knew you'd be repaid, then I think morally you have to accept you bought those lines for the whole family and the prize is for all of you.

Otherwise anyone might as well run a syndicate and deliberately encourage people to pay in arrears, so that any time there's a win they can argue that it's all theirs as the money hasn't arrived yet.

I agree with this 100%

Sleeplessnights2 · 05/05/2023 21:24

allrightclucky · 05/05/2023 21:19

If you would have accepted their cash in arrears for losing tickets, surely morally you have to accept it in arrears for winning ones?

Would you even have bought the same number of lucky dips you bought, if you weren't in the family syndicate?

If you know in your heart of hearts that you bought that number of lucky dips only because it was the syndicate, and you knew you'd be repaid, then I think morally you have to accept you bought those lines for the whole family and the prize is for all of you.

Otherwise anyone might as well run a syndicate and deliberately encourage people to pay in arrears, so that any time there's a win they can argue that it's all theirs as the money hasn't arrived yet.

My favourite argument of the thread.

Miscellaneousme · 05/05/2023 21:26

Keep the money and don’t say anything.

Also get this thread deleted ASAP!!

BeeCucumber · 05/05/2023 21:27

Keep the money. You paid for the tickets with your money - therefore the winnings are yours - if you hadn’t won - the loss will be yours. I doubt that your family will pay for the last two weeks anytime soon and so you if you hadn’t won, you would be out of pocket.

I would put the money where no one can see it and spend it slowly - leave it a couple of weeks or so and ask everyone if they want to carry on with the syndicate. I bet the answer will be no.

Sleeplessnights2 · 05/05/2023 21:28

OP, I reckon chasing up payments is part and parcel of a syndicate too. I often hear “How many weeks do I owe you?” before the collector checks their notes in work.

raincamepouringdown · 05/05/2023 21:29

It's your ticket; they couldn't be arsed to pay towards it. They can't retrospectively claim they would have, so say nothing and quietly bank it.

edwinbear · 05/05/2023 21:29

Honestly, the fact it’s £20k (not £2m) and your husband is complicit in you keeping it (and it sounds like it’s his family as in laws, not your mum/sister etc involved), I’d keep it.

ArrrMeHearties · 05/05/2023 21:30

Any weeks not paid and numbers come up then non paying person doesn't get a share

ShowUs · 05/05/2023 21:30

10k I’d keep quiet.

100k I’d say I won but less than the actual amount so I’d give them a couple K each as it would make me feel good.

£1mill I’d share it even though they didn’t pay.

ArrrMeHearties · 05/05/2023 21:30

It's like if your numbers come up and you hadn't nipped to the shop to put your numbers on or done it online, you wouldn't get any money

Sallyh87 · 05/05/2023 21:31

Keep it, they didn’t pay. Then ask MN to delete this thread in case one of them see and think they should ask about the lottery syndicate.

Congratulations, I hope you enjoy it.

Puzzledandpissedoff · 05/05/2023 21:32

Say nothing. Stop doing the syndicate and have a small win in a months time so you can share something with your sister in law

This ^^

allrightclucky · 05/05/2023 21:32

BeeCucumber · 05/05/2023 21:27

Keep the money. You paid for the tickets with your money - therefore the winnings are yours - if you hadn’t won - the loss will be yours. I doubt that your family will pay for the last two weeks anytime soon and so you if you hadn’t won, you would be out of pocket.

I would put the money where no one can see it and spend it slowly - leave it a couple of weeks or so and ask everyone if they want to carry on with the syndicate. I bet the answer will be no.

If she hadn't won, the loss wouldn't have been hers, though, would it? If she hadn't won, she'd have accepted the payments in arrears whenever they arrived - just like she did the time before when people missed paying on time.

Accepting payments in arrears for losing tickets but not for winning ones just turns the family syndicate into a scam in favour of the OP.

BanjoKnickers · 05/05/2023 21:33

They didn't contribute any money. It was a lucky-dip ticket, so they didn't choose any numbers. In other words it's got nothing to do with them.

You bought a ticket and it won. Money is yours.

MandyMotherOfBrian · 05/05/2023 21:34

I don't think this is a moral issue or an AIBU, it's a precedented legal issue. And your saving grace is probably that you don't play the same numbers every week, rather a lucky dip. I imagine, should you decide to keep this to yourself, legally, you're totally safe. How that plays out in your personal relationships with these people is obviously a different matter...

Tangelablue · 05/05/2023 21:34

Congratulations on your win. It gives me faith that people do win.
You bought the ticket, noone else contributed, the ticket solely belongs to you.
I would keep quiet about it I think to avoid any fallouts, or tell them you won a smaller amount if you want to give them some.

Strawberrydelight78 · 05/05/2023 21:35

I used to be in a work syndicate. The rules were if you're not in then you can't win. We also used to do a bonus ball syndicate as well. So each person had a number every week paid £1 whatever the bonus ball was won the £49. The same rules applied. Just don't mention it.

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