Fourteen government employees are preparing to pursue civil legal action to recover their shares of a HK$30 million lottery prize after a colleague allegedly withheld the winnings, according to legal experts. The group, all working at Hong Kong’s Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, had collectively purchased tickets for the September 5 Mark Six draw, which featured a record HK$228 million jackpot celebrating the lottery’s 50th anniversary.
The dispute arose when one member of the syndicate, a 36-year-old man, claimed entitlement to a larger portion of the prize, asserting that he bought the tickets and planned the betting strategy, despite all 15 members contributing to the pooled funds. After failing to reach an agreement during a meeting on how to split the winnings, the man reportedly disappeared from work for five days.
Concerned colleagues, including a 53-year-old coworker, filed a police report, leading to the man’s arrest on Friday on suspicion of theft. Authorities subsequently froze his bank account along with the HK$30 million prize pending further investigation.
Legal counsel Vitus Leung Wing-hang, a principal partner at Vitus Lawyers, emphasized that retrieving the funds would not be straightforward for the other 14 syndicate members. Because the frozen account is registered solely to the arrested individual and may contain a mix of prize money and his personal funds, banks cannot immediately release the money, even if criminal charges are upheld.
Leung explained that the 14 employees would need to initiate civil court proceedings to recover their shares, as ownership rights require separate legal action beyond the criminal case. He likened the process to online fraud disputes, where victims must rely on court orders to retrieve money transferred into third-party accounts. In this case, the beneficial ownership of the prize belongs to all contributors, despite the ticket and funds being held by a single person.
The lawyer also noted the potential complexity if the bank account holds amounts exceeding the prize money, which would necessitate additional legal steps to distinguish and reimburse the rightful owners.
To prevent similar conflicts in the future, Leung recommended that lottery syndicates establish clear agreements prior to purchasing tickets. Even a simple written record, such as a message in a shared WhatsApp group, could help clarify ownership and reduce the risk of disputes.