Expert Says Powerball Office Pools Good For Workplace Camaraderie
(CBS) -- Many of the people buying Powerball tickets for the record $1.5 billion jackpot are taking part in office pools. CBS 2's Marissa Bailey reports they are hoping today was their last day of work.
The line in the lobby of 33 North Dearborn was long with people buying their Powerball tickets ahead of tonight's record-setting drawing.
The employees upstairs at Creative Content provider 123RF bought their office pool tickets at the very same convenience counter and Jean Metelleus is the keeper of the tickets.
"Everyone signs a piece of paper with the amount that they paid and copies of the tickets so everything is above board," Metelleus said.
He says the office Powerball pool builds camaraderie and gives people a reason to dream as a team.
"Everybody can imagine themselves winning 1.5 billion dollars," Metelleus said. "So we come in, we talk about it. It's in the elevators -- everyone is like really excited so in that sense, it's just another thing that kind of builds the morale and just another thing we could all talk about and have in common."
Metelleus bought fifty-six dollars' worth of quick picks. It's the third time he's organized the workplace buy, where everyone pays what they want and signs for it.
"We're all talking about taking trips together if we all won, you know who's yacht are we going to go on first?" said Jamie Wheeler.
And according to an employment expert, Powerball office pools aren't as bad for productivity as you may think.
"It's a way for companies to get together around something," said John Challenger of Challenger Gray and Christmas. "So often people don't talk to each other enough, they don't know each other, there's more temporary and short term people in the work place, so if there is something they can gather around and all do together, that's not all bad."