YORK, Pa. -- When it comes to playing the Powerball some say it takes a little bit of strategy. "I try my kid's birthday, my grandmother's, my mother's, and the store pick," said Lawrence Wilson Sr. who believe it takes a whole lot of luck too. "One of these is going to be the winner," he assured FOX43. He bought $30 worth of tickets all for himself. He said he would of course share with his family, friends, and charities, but he wasn't taking any chances playing in a pool. "We ain't going to argue about no money. It's all mine. I'm going to sign the back of it, it ain't going nowhere."
It's common with a big jackpot to join an office pool. But, with millions at stake they can and have gone horribly wrong. "There have been a ton of lawsuits over lottery winning pools over the years," said Dave Pollick, Attorney with Dale E Anstine. He said there are steps you can take to make sure you don't lose out on any money. "Treat it like a contract. An oral contract isn't worth much. A written contract is worth a lot more, so start by putting it in writing," said Pollick. He said it's also a good idea to designate the ticket buyer to keep track of who paid into the pool, and have them send a picture of the tickets to the group before the drawing.
"What happens if the person who is the ring leader decides, I think I might buy my own. So now there's a question of, wait a minute, was that yours, or one of the groups? So you want to have photocopies, share it with everybody. and make sure they know," he said.
And no matter how you play, always have a plan. "I'm going to take me a year's vacation, and sit back and find out who going to be my financial advisor," laughed Wilson.