HK man, 36, gets arrested after allegedly refusing to share S$4.84M lottery jackpot winnings with colleagues who chipped in to buy ticket

Summary

• A 36-year-old Hong Kong man was arrested after allegedly refusing to split a lottery prize worth about S$4.84 million with 14 colleagues.

• The 15 colleagues reportedly pooled money for a Mark Six ticket, with the proceeds from the win paid into the 36-year-old’s account.

• Police arrested the man on suspicion of theft after a colleague reported the dispute following an unsuccessful meeting.

HONG KONG: A HK$30 million (S$4.84 million) Mark Six win has turned into a police case after one colleague allegedly refused to share it.

The 36-year-old Hong Kong man was arrested on suspicion of theft after allegedly keeping the winnings instead of dividing them among 14 colleagues.

The group had reportedly pooled money to buy the ticket for the Sept 5 draw. The ticket buyer held the account where the winnings were paid.

After the ticket won, the man allegedly refused to divide the prize equally among the 15 colleagues. The reported prize works out to about S$4.84 million, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported (Sep 12), citing sources familiar with the dispute.

A meeting failed to settle the money dispute

A 53-year-old colleague reported the matter to police on Wednesday evening.

Before making that report, the group reportedly met in Aberdeen for about 30 minutes to settle the disagreement. The ticket buyer allegedly maintained that he wouldn’t split the winnings.

The colleague then contacted police at 10:06 pm, fearing the man might keep the money and disappear. The 36-year-old ticket buyer had reportedly been absent from work for five days.

Some members of the group were reportedly staff from Hong Kong’s Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD). The department said it was aware of the police investigation and would cooperate.

The draw carried a record jackpot

The dispute came from the Mark Six 50th Anniversary Snowball draw held on Sep 5.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club had set a record jackpot of HK$228 million (S$36.88 million) for the draw. The first-prize pool had 3.5 winning units, with each unit paying about HK$63.3 million (S$10.24 million).

The reported workplace group was therefore dealing with a sizeable sum, even after splitting their share of the winnings.

Police said the 36-year-old was arrested on suspicion of theft and remained in custody. Officers from the Western police district are handling the investigation.

A lottery pool can start with nothing more complicated than colleagues chipping in money together. Once millions are involved, trust alone can become a very expensive arrangement.

Whenever money is pooled, it’s always best to write down who contributed and how winnings will be divided. A few minutes of paperwork can save years of arguments.