NJ Office Workers Hit the $216 Mega Millions Jackpot

Photographs of the winning ticket and nine of the ten employees who pooled their money for the ticket by Mike Derer/AP

When the winning numbers of the $216 million Mega Millions lottery were announced, it turned out the winning ticket was purchased at a Toms River, NJ gas station. And the purchaser of the winning ticket? Bob Space, a Chubb Insurance employee, who bought $50 of tickets on behalf of the office pool—and who was filling in for the co-worker usually in charge of the lottery run (because that co-worker was on a business trip).

The Star-Ledger reports that when Space told his co-workers (by email, phone or in person) that they won, "Hardly anyone believed him." Joanne Ruth emailed back to him, "Ha ha," while "Linda Harrington stalked away, finding little humor in the joke." But soon they realized he wasn't joking—and held a press conference.

Space bought 50 quick pick tickets—opting for the cash option—at the Singin Oil gas station on Monday (yes, he made it through the snow) and returned on Wednesday to get the printout of winning numbers. He said, "I jokingly asked him (the attendant) if anyone had won and if it was sold here, but he didn't know," so Space just put the numbers in his pocket. Then he checked them at work—shocked to see that his tickets held the winning combination. While the lottery commission hasn't validated the ticket yet, the co-workers will get a payout of $105.5 million after taxes—about $10.5 million each.

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By Jen Chung in News on March 5, 2009 10:34 AM

Comments [rss]

Guest

So the government gets more than half of the winnings? How is that ethical?

Past Taliban

Now they can finally afford to get the hell out of Jersey.

JacqueMehoff

nine new republican voters, right there.

if not already.

Dirk

I guess there will be some job opening at that Chubb office soon...

SikBug

The guy in my office who does this sometimes always scans all the tickets and gives everyone who chipped in a copy.

Wza

Of course I'm jealous, but happy for them at the same time. I'm not a hater.

FranklinBluth

All the money ends up going to lawyers in a litigation.

donner

When groups win, I always wonder what would happen if the actual ticket purchaser denied that it was an office pool. What if they claimed they were the sole winner?

NannyState

That's happened. One guy said "Oh, I bought the winning ticket separately with my own money" and got sued to the point where he relented and busted up. Congrats to the lucky winners and everyone else keep playing: this is the only wealth creation in the New America.

al_fredo

Actually, it did happen...and it went in favor of the ticket buyer. She actually did make two different transactions, so there was little the group could prove.

NannyState

The one I'm thinking about happened in Arlington VA. Where did yours happen?

Ed

that's why when we do office pools, I scan the tickets which are part of the pool and distribute them through email. i guess my coworkers don't trust me.

Jen Chung

Yeah, me too, but I think there'd be a big fight! Like how can you decisively say "these were bought with office money, these tickets weren't" (unless it was a different time or day).

JRod5417

Good for them, but I guess as an employee of another insurance company located in NJ, the odds are against my little lotto pool having any luck of winning. Lightning doesn't strike twice. Sigh...