In a small real estate office, a group of coworkers pooled their money to play Saturday night’s $338 million Powerball drawing.
Jennifer Maldonado, Keller Williams Partners Realty's administrative assistant who had only been working there for a little over two weeks, declined to enter the office pool because she was saving her money, according to The Miami Herald.
The group leader, Laurie Finkelstein Reader, insisted she join, but Maldonado said no.
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Each of the other 12 coworkers put in $20, buying 120 tickets at a Mobil gas station in Pembroke Pines – and one of the tickets had the five matching numbers. They won $1 million.
As Maldonado arrived at work on he day after the drawing, she found her coworkers celebrating. They cried and hugged, telling her they had just won the Powerball.
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Maldonado didn’t believe it. She figured her coworkers were going out of their way to mess with her.
“I knew I was the only one who hadn’t put in the money, so I thought they were pranking me,” Maldonado told the newspaper.
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But it was very real. After taxes, the group will get an estimated $83,000 each.
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Luckily, the group plans to share their winnings, and they will each pitch in some money to share with Maldonado.
"It’s about sharing the happiness," Finkelstein Reader said.
