Before you start
Lottery pool agreement template
Every pool starts from this text. The admin's choices fill the blanks; each member accepts the exact version, and that version is stored with its fingerprint. Under each part, one line on why it is there.
Download the agreement (PDF, 8 KB)US Letter, with blanks for the pool name, members, game, state, admin, signatures and dates.
1. What this is
[Pool name] is a private [Game] pool operating in [State]. ShareTheWinning records what the pool does. It does not sell tickets, hold money, or take any share of a prize. The official ticket is the only real lottery play.
Why it is here: Everyone should know up front that the paper ticket is the real play and that we only keep the record.
2. Shares and the pot
One share costs [Share price]. You own the number of shares you paid for before the lock, and only those. Your share of any prize equals your shares divided by all shares in the locked snapshot for that drawing.
Why it is here: A share is the unit of everything that follows: what you pay, what you own and what you get back.
3. Paying in
You pay the Pool Admin directly (cash, Venmo, Zelle or similar) and mark it paid in the pool. The Pool Admin confirms it. A share that is not confirmed when the pool locks is not part of that drawing and is not owed anything from it.
Why it is here: Money moves between people, never through us, so a payment counts only when the person who got it confirms it.
4. The lock
At the lock time shown on the pool, the members, shares and confirmed payments for that drawing are frozen into a snapshot that cannot be edited. Corrections after the lock are recorded as new events everyone can see.
Why it is here: A pool argues most about who was in; a snapshot nobody can edit settles that before the numbers are drawn.
5. Buying and recording tickets
The Pool Admin buys the official tickets at a licensed retailer in [State] and records every ticket and every line of numbers in the pool, with photos, before the drawing. Every member can see every ticket.
Why it is here: Every member can check every line that was bought for them, before the drawing, not after.
6. Prizes
Prizes are checked against the official results. Small prizes are split by share and paid by the Pool Admin to each member. Every prize is paid out to members; nothing rolls over. If the Pool Admin paid for more plays than the pot covered, that extra is a gift to the pool and does not change anyone's share.
Why it is here: Small prizes are where pools quietly fall apart; the rule for paying them out is agreed before anyone wins.
7. Large prizes
If a prize must be claimed at a lottery office, the Pool Admin ([name]) claims it as the person holding the ticket, on behalf of the members in the snapshot, and the pool goes on hold until the official amount is known. No successor admin has been named yet. The members may name one at any time; until then the platform can act for the pool if the Pool Admin cannot be reached for 72 hours. Taxes are each member's own responsibility.
Why it is here: A big prize has one person at the lottery counter, so the pool agrees in advance who claims and for whom.
8. Leaving, disputes and the record
You may leave the pool at any time; shares already locked for a drawing stay yours for that drawing. If anyone disagrees about a payment, either side can tap "Something's wrong" on it; the affected drawing goes on hold until it is resolved. A ticket or contribution problem is raised in pool chat. Before the drawing, the Pool Admin can replace a wrong ticket entry, and the replacement is on the record. After the drawing, the official paper ticket decides, and the Pool Admin can contact ShareTheWinning. The full record, including every change, stays available to every member.
Why it is here: People leave and disagree; the agreement says what happens then, and the record stays for everyone.
9. Age and law
You confirm you are at least [legal age in the state] years old and that playing the lottery is legal where you are. This pool is not available where group lottery pools are restricted.
Why it is here: Lottery age and pooling rules differ by state, and every member confirms they meet them.
Questions about the agreement
Is a lottery pool agreement legally binding?
It is a written record of what the members agreed, and that record is what settles most pool disagreements. Whether it holds up in court depends on your state and the facts. This is a plain-English template, not legal advice; for a large prize, show it to your own lawyer.
What should an office lottery pool agreement include?
Who is in and how many shares each person holds, what a share costs and when it is paid, when the pool locks, who buys and holds the tickets, how small and large prizes are split, who claims a big prize and for whom, and what happens when someone leaves or disagrees. This template covers each of those in nine short parts.
Who signs the agreement?
Every member and the Pool Admin, before the drawing. The PDF has a table with each member's name, shares, amount paid, signature and date. On ShareTheWinning each member accepts the exact version online instead, and that version is stored with its fingerprint.
Does the agreement help with taxes on a big prize?
It names the members and their shares, which is what the person claiming needs to file IRS Form 5754 at the lottery office, so each member is taxed only on their own share.
See it in a pool
The example pool runs on this agreement: the lock, the tickets, the split and every payment, on the real screens. Made up, start to finish.
