What's a poker player to do when not busy at the tables? Most often, sports betting fits the bill, but on rare occasions other gambling opportunities rise. Such was the case in recent days when the Mega Millions lottery pool, available in 45 out of the 50 U.S. states, ballooned well over $1 billion after having rolled over without a winner for the 29th consecutive draw. Four-time WSOP bracelet winner and that series' 2021 POY, Josh Arieh, saw a fun sweat at hand.
Arieh, as so many other occasional lottery players do, decided to create a pool of Mega Millions entries, inviting his friends and fellow gamblers to join. Such lottery pools proliferate when a jackpot grows enormous, and Friday's Mega Millions draw ended up awarding the second largest payout in U.S. lottery history. But whereas most such lottery pools typically find their participants pitching in nominal amounts, usually between $1 and $20 each, Arieh went upscale:
It's not the first time Arieh has put together a major lottery pool for his friends. Last December, he pooled $35,000 for a similar lottery draw. That group hit one $10,000 winner and numerous smaller payouts for about another $3,000 total. This time, Arieh announced that it would be an all-or-nothing affair, choosing the "jackpot" option, where one purchases two sets of numbers for $3 instead of paying $2 per chance for the full spectrum of prizes.
Given the reduced price of $1.50 per set of numbers, Arieh planned to cap the pool at $25,000, but ended up accidentally printing $27,000 worth of tickets at the pool hall that he owns. Arieh originally claimed to have 31 gamblers in the pool, though that may have swelled as high as 35 after he allowed a few extra people to claim the added tickets. Arieh offered only those two choices for buying in, at $500 or $1,000, and most participants went for the full $1,000 buy-in.
