Lottery Players File Legal Action After Their Friend Got Away with Their Winnings

By Jessica Whitehouse,
Editor at online-gambling.com

Jessica Whitehouse Editor at online-gambling.com

Jessica Whitehouse is a content expert and editor from Santa Monica, California. At online-gambling.com, she focuses on roulette, blackjack reviews, lottery, and casino payments. Whitehouse is also our leading go-to expert in online gambling in South Africa. In addition, she provides the photo materials for most articles on the site.

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Last updated: December 14, 2022

Making assumptions about money is never a good idea. Don’t assume, for instance, that if you win the jackpot with a bunch of friends, everyone will be loyal and share the winnings. This is a lesson that a group of friends in Australia has learned the hard way.

A group of friends in Perth, Western Australia, made a habit of contributing to buy lottery tickets in the hope that luck would smile on them one day. Week after week, they had no issues because there were no significant winnings.

According to The West Australian, the narrative changed last month. The individual appointed to usually purchase the lottery tickets chose to keep all the money to himself after the group eventually hit the big time.

No Love Shared in Lottery

Trent Bowden purchased a lottery ticket for his group consisting of 10 friends using a similar set of numbers that have always been used. After missing the lottery repeatedly, the numbers finally rewarded the group with US$1,496 (AUD 2,200). Trent Bowden went ahead to purchase another set of tickets with the money they won. These new tickets produce a reward of US$1,905 (AUD 2,802).

He once again rolled the winnings into an Oz Lotto draw on Nov. 12. This draw rewarded them with US$1.02 million (AUD 1.5 million). However, Bowden claimed the lottery as an individual and not a representative of a group. In theory, he would not have to share the winnings with his lottery friends.

The other 10 group members are not ready to back down. They have already filed a lawsuit against Trent Bowden, and Lotterywest, which is a state government-owned lottery operator in Western Australia. They involved Lotterywest because of its inability to deny or recognize lottery winners.

Settlement is More Likely

The chances that the case will make it to the courtroom are slim, as the financial loss would be too much. However, given the precedence for arbitration in such cases, a settlement is more likely to be reached. The plaintiffs have hired Cally Hannah, a lottery attorney with experience, to represent them. A few months ago, Cally Hannah represented a couple in a similar predicament.

The case involved over US$42.81 million (AUD 63 million). It had to do with accusations that a member of the group took off with an amount above his share. The parties chose to find a resolution, but no further information was released about the final arrangement.

There is no such thing as a gentleman’s agreement when it comes to money, as one UK couple found out this year. It’s critical to document everything from the beginning. This is particularly true in the United States, where there are complicated and inconsistent gambling laws from state to state.

It’s important to note, that some states in the US don’t permit gambling contracts, which makes it more important to confirm the legalities. If a lottery pool wins and a group member decides to take off with the money, there might be no recourse.