Put your rules in writing and have the pool members sign them. I run a few pools but the rules are pretty much the same for all of them. When I catch up with technoloy, I will scan the tickets into the emails. If you want a copy of the spreadsheet, send me a message.
Here are my basic rules:
"Pool Name" Pool Buy-In Receipt
The 20 people below have paid $5.00 to join the "Pool Name" Lottery Pool run by YOU. Each person has read and understands the rules of the pool and agrees to abide by them.
The $5.00 grants membership in the pool for drawings from 12-30-08 up to and including 12-11-09. This is referred to as a rotation and this one will last for ALMOST one year. Each new set of numbers in a rotation is referred to as a round.
MEMBERS (signatures): Member Name Member Name Member Name Member NameThe rules:
1) Membership in this pool: a) is totally independent of any other pools YOUR NAME runs and b) does not guarantee an invitation to join those other pools.
2) All official communication related to the pool is done by email. If a member does not have email, they must check with the person they paid their money to for updates. YOUR NAME's lotto email address is: ?????@???.com.
3) Each person pays $5.00 in advance and signs the receipt or has the person she/he paid their money to sign for them with their initials (e.g., Jane Doe /lpp).
4) The pool plays $1.00 per drawing without the megaplier. This creates a rotation of X (#people x 5.00) drawings. The pool cannot be reopened for new members until a new rotation begins.
5) YOUR NAME holds the money and purchases CASH OPTION tickets for the drawings. She will play quick picks for one or multiple drawings; it's usually multiple.
6) Before the drawing is held, YOUR NAME will provide our numbers to the rest of the pool by email.
7) The email will also include the unique identifier number located at the bottom of each ticket, which is used by state lottery associations to confirm winning tickets.
8) Pool members will equally share funds won only on the set of numbers provided.
9) Everyone in the pool, including YOUR NAME, is free to purchase tickets outside the pool. No one in the pool will have a claim on another's winnings from tickets purchased individually or as part of another pool. YOUR NAME is protected by this rule only when numbers purchased for new rounds are provided to at least one other member before the drawing by email, or cell phone text. Sometimes, this may require her to phone the numbers in to another member and have that member send the numbers out.
10) If small amounts (less than $150.00) are won, they are used to purchase tickets until the funds run out; this also extends the length of the rotation.
11) When we win, we will not claim the prize immediately. We will need time to set up the corporation that TX requires when payment is to be made to a group of people. Also, we want to avoid as much press coverage as possible. NAME NAME has agreed to be our spokesperson but anyone is welcome to join her for the press coverage.
12) The following items must be communicated by email: Someone joining or leaving the pool, new rotation buy-in deadlines, and the amount of small wins with the new date for the end of the rotation.
13) It is each pool member's responsibility to check their email for the numbers and to update YOUR NAME on any changes to email addresses.
14) If we do not win on this rotation and a new one is opened, for any member wishing to remain in the pool, it is THEIR responsibility to make sure they buy into the next rotation by paying their money before the deadline of November 24, 2009 (this deadline may be extended if there are small wins or if a day to buy tickets is missed). If the member does not take verifiable steps to make sure they buy into the next rotation, they will have no claims on any winnings from that new rotation (i.e., they cannot sue for a portion of a winning ticket).
15) All of these rules are in place because of past lottery pool lawsuits, especially 1, 8, 9, and 14.END