Friday, January 8, 2016

My Experience Coordinating a PowerBall Lottery Jackpot Pool


With the $800 million Powerball lottery jackpot drawing on Saturday, I decided I need to get a piece of this action! So, I asked people at work if they were interested in pooling our funds together to purchase the tickets in order to increase our already minuscule odds at winning.


Hot Dough: Hollywood: Take Notes From The Walking Dead

Basically, the game plan goes like this. Say, 50 people chip in $2 apiece for a total of $100, which gets us 50 entries (1 entry is $2). So, instead of going solo and having my chance at 1 out of 200,000,000, it's now 50 out of 200,000,000. Yeah, I  know. Like that extra 49 entries are going to help.

I get it. But, I am a half-full kind of guy, so having 50 chances is better than just having one chance. And who knows, if we get that winning ticket, I'll be the last one laughing.

So, anyway, back to the original point (sorry, I got a little sidetracked).

I got a few coworkers to participate, whom got excited and reached out to other coworkers, whom were mostly white. We gathered a good number of participants (don't even ask me how many, 'cause I lost count). A brief while later, I bumped into one of my coworkers, a Black woman, in the break room, and asked if she was participating in the Team Lotto pooling.

Her: What?! I wasn't notified of the lotto pooling.

Me: Really?! (How did nobody not include her on this grand opportunity?! I mean, the other coworkers who I told first who went to tell others happen to reach people who were basically sitting all around her. I mean, left, right, up, and down the aisles. I was so surprised.)

Me: Well, I'm glad I reached you, 'cause it's not too late. (Then I described to her how we're going about this.)

If we were to win the $800 million lotto and had not reached out to our Black coworker that day, she wouldn't have been able to cash in on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I'm glad I reached out to her, and that she's in Team Lotto.

At the end of our conversation, I couldn't help but wonder if, during the course of our recruitment process, we somehow reached out to white people in preference to Black people to join in on Team Lotto.

And more importantly, on the larger scale, how often are Black people overlooked for opportunities that they could have obtained? Team Lotto? Job opportunities? Promotions? Pay raises? Apartment rental approvals? Offer being accepted for a home? Dating? Modeling contracts? 

What can we do, as a society, to be more inclusive of  Black people, so that they too, can join in on the fun of a pooled lotto, even if we don't hit it big? 

As an Igbo proverb says: 
"If I am in heaven, then my brother has no business in hell."

P.S. - If you win the lotto, what are the top 3 things you would do?  

8 comments:

  1. If I win the lottery the first three things that I would do:
    1. Place all the winnings money to the bank on deposit
    2. If the profit will exceeds my salary I will invest in a profitable business
    3. In this way I will be able to provide not only my future, but the future of my children and grandchildren
    It should be noted that I am taking part in the Australian lotteries where trying to guess Saturday Lotto Results. In which lotteries you participate?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I like your approach! Mine is quite similar to yours! In America, we play the Powerball Lottery.

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  2. 1. I would hire a professional finance advisor,
    2. remain anonymous if possible,
    3. meet all my and my relatives debts
    ... and will never buy Powerball tickets or gamble again.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Great idea! I would verify the integrity of the financial advisor. And if you get that BIG check, hide your face behind it to stay somewhat anonymous!

    ReplyDelete
  4. If I were lucky to hit the pot (which is highly improbable), I guess I would first faint or sh#t myself (which is consequently highly improbable too), pardon my French, and then everything listed above. I bought the tickets and played it online Icelotto review numerous times and no luck yet.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hahaha! I never considered that, but yeah, I might faint too! Or, the bowel thing. Who knows, maybe you'll hit it one day!

      Delete
  5. Wow!!!! This is really a fascinating blog,lots of stuff that I can Get into.One thing I just want to say is that your Lottery Pools Merchant Account blog is so perfect! Extremely useful information.

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