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Fourteen Ohio City workers won last Friday’s $207 million dollar Mega Millions jackpot. The group has been pooling money twice per week for the past five years to buy Mega Millions Lottery tickets and their perseverance has paid off in a big way.

Here’s a tip, next time there’s a big lotto jackpot, pool your resources with a group of people. Better yet, don’t wait until there’s a big jackpot. Start a pool with your friends, co-workers or family now. You never know. You’ve probably been playing the lottery for decades and losing so even if your pool takes five years before you win a big jackpot it’s better than going 20 years playing and never winning a dime.

With the number of big jackpot wins by lotto pools over the years it’s tempting to dismiss suggestions that pooling your money to buy more tickets doesn’t increase your chances. You know how they like to say only one set of numbers can win? Well that’s true, but if you have 100 sets of numbers thats 100 chances at matching the winning set which, obviously is a lot better than 1 chance of matching the winning set.

If you can get 10 people to put $10 to buy $100 in tickets give it a shot. Of course 100 tickets isn’t much and you can end up not winning anything; but at least that’s only $10 each of you is throwing down the drain as opposed to you taking a chance on your own spending $100 in lotto tickets.

Must feel pretty damn good to be one of those Ohio city workers right about now.

If anyone wants to start a lotto pool get a hold of me.

Don’t bother trying to figure out how some people get to be so lucky to win a $126 million dollar lotto jackpot. Just know that in all likelihood you’re never going to be that lucky yourself. Not only are you unlikely to ever win a big lotto jackpot, you’re also unlikely to ever be friends with anyone who will ever be that lucky. That’s just the way life works for the rest of us.

Clelia Lopes and her husband Mario Lopes won a $126 million lotto jackpot back in July; but they only came forward to claim their prize money on Monday. They spent the four months since winning the jackpot consulting with financial advisors, lawyers and other experts to make sure they won’t become another lottery winning family who end up blowing all the money they won.

Clelia and Mario, originally from Portugal, say they have no plans to buy expensive cars and big houses or change their lives dramatically. Their winning lotto numbers: 2, 16, 23, 29, 32 with a Gold Mega Ball number 46.