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Can You Refuse to Let Some of Your Co-Workers Participate in an Office Gambling Pool

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  • 03-09-2015, 01:00 AM
    bitz
    Can You Refuse to Let Some of Your Co-Workers Participate in an Office Gambling Pool
    I am the organizer of an office lottery pool. All 5 players plus myself(6 of us total), pay into the pool several months in advance. Collections are done before we punch the time clock, during lunchtime, or after work. Then I take all player's cash home, write a receipt to each player, then I buy tickets weekly, email ticket scans to players every week and also list the current players in all emails. The current players are not "friends", but we get along professionally. All current players are like myself, steady workers, not temps. There are some steady coworkers who have bullied me, spread false gossip, or are disrespectful in general. I'd prefer not to invite these difficult coworkers to play in my pool when I re-open it for my current players to pay me and play for another few months. I view some coworkers as potential trouble makers if they joined my pool. My question is, if my pool wins big, can the coworkers who I have not asked to contribute to my pool, successfully sue me/sue the pool for 'a jackpot share', because I did not ask them to join nor inform them when I was collecting for the period that my pool won? Or as the pool organizer, am I legally entitled to decide which coworkers I want to play my office lottery pool? There are 3 black players and 3 white players in my pool; no one could claim race discrimination.
  • 03-10-2015, 06:57 AM
    Mr. Knowitall
    Re: Can You Refuse to Let Some of Your Co-Workers Particpated in an Office Gambling P
    The first thing you'll need to investigate is whether the pool is legal under the laws of your undisclosed state.

    If it is, the question of who may or may not participate is up to you as the organizer, but your employer can (a) ban pools from work or (b) require that pools conducted at work be inclusive of all who want to participate.
  • 03-10-2015, 07:10 AM
    flyingron
    Re: Can You Refuse to Let Some of Your Co-Workers Particpated in an Office Gambling P
    Further, pissing off your coworkers is a sure way to get your activities brought to the attention of management.
  • 03-22-2015, 01:36 AM
    bitz
    Re: Can You Refuse to Let Some of Your Co-Workers Particpated in an Office Gambling P
    Undisclosed state? NY. My Supervisor and Management gave me the OK to organize my pool years ago. Also, other coworkers have run lottery pools in the past where I was not told about it until their pools disbanded. In organizing and running this pool, I'm not doing anything illegal. I had a sign prominently up on the bulletin board announcing my lottery pool for the first 3 years. Its not as though my pool a secret. I do money collections before we punch the time clock or after work.

    Again, my question is, as the organizer, can I legally decide who's in and who's out of my pool, or could a coworker successfully sue me or the pool if we won a jackpot, by claiming they were not asked to participate?
  • 03-22-2015, 06:42 AM
    cbg
    Re: Can You Refuse to Let Some of Your Co-Workers Particpated in an Office Gambling P
    And again, your answer is that as the organizer you are able to decide who may participate. Mr. K already told you that.
  • 03-22-2015, 08:21 AM
    adjusterjack
    Re: Can You Refuse to Let Some of Your Co-Workers Particpated in an Office Gambling P
    Quote:

    Quoting bitz
    View Post
    can I legally decide who's in and who's out of my pool,

    Yes.

    Quote:

    Quoting bitz
    View Post
    could a coworker successfully sue me or the pool if we won a jackpot, by claiming they were not asked to participate?

    No.
  • 03-29-2015, 10:11 PM
    bitz
    Re: Can You Refuse to Let Some of Your Co-Workers Particpated in an Office Gambling P
    One more question, please. What if I no longer want someone in my pool, due to her constant rudeness on the job. She is paid up for several months, but after that time, if the pool does not win and I collect from the players for the next 4 months, I won't accept her payment. She has been participating in my pool for at least 2 years, straight. My question is, due to her participating in my pool for as long as she has, if I do not accept payment from her in the future, (do not include her in the office lottery pool in the future), does she have legal grounds to sue me and/or the pool and/or could she successfully sue me should the pool win a substantial sum of money in the lottery? Or is the answer the same as the above questions, that legally I can pick who's in and who's out of the lottery pool I organize?
    (Sorry if this was redundant).
    And thank you all for your time.
  • 03-30-2015, 06:30 AM
    eerelations
    Re: Can You Refuse to Let Some of Your Co-Workers Particpated in an Office Gambling P
    I'm still not so sure what you're doing (running a pool) is legal in the first place. Just because you've been doing it for three years, have a big sign posted about it, and with management's approval, does not in any way whatsoever mean running a pool like this is legal.

    So while it's legal to cut this woman out of the pool, it may not be smart to piss her off. She wouldn't be able to sue you for anything, but she sure could report you to the gaming authorities - and if running a pool is illegal, then you'll be up to your neck in legal doo-doo.
  • 03-30-2015, 08:10 AM
    Mr. Knowitall
    Re: Can You Refuse to Let Some of Your Co-Workers Particpated in an Office Gambling P
    I don't see any law against lottery pools in New York, and if there are any laws it doesn't look like they're enforced.
  • 03-30-2015, 08:56 AM
    eerelations
    Re: Can You Refuse to Let Some of Your Co-Workers Particpated in an Office Gambling P
    OK that's good then. I was just saying the legality should be established before OP starts pissing off his coworkers.
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