There's a good chance someone in the United States will win the massive Mega Millions drawing that is worth in excess of $1 billion.
With that kind of cash at stake, it’s natural to form an office pool and try to increase your chances of garnering at least a share of the cash.
But that tactic carries some risks.
Action News Jax Law and Safety Expert Dale Carson says you better have a contract — or you could spend years in court.
Why? Because that feeling of joy can turn into anger if there is nothing in writing when playing in a Mega Millions office pool.
Carson says all bets are off when one person cashes that winning ticket — you could be in for a long legal fight.
“[What if] the one person presents the ticket and leaves the country. What do you do?” Carson said.
Some ways to protect yourself:
— Play a lottery pool with only people you trust
— Make sure there's a spreadsheet of all tickets purchased
— Photograph the front and back of tickets
Action News Jax talked to two players who took it a step further in their office, not leaving this game of chance to chance. They wrote up a contract for people to sign.
And if you do win, you can look forward to making some big decisions — like hiring an attorney, shutting down social media accounts and (possibly) taking out kidnapping insurance.
One more thing: If you win the jackpot in Florida, you can not remain anonymous.
The good news? Florida is one of the only states in the country where you do not have to pay state tax on the big win.