Know Company Rules Before Playing Super Bowl Squares At Work
ARLINGTON (CBSDFW.COM) – With so much excitement about the Super Bowl, the ever popular workplace pools or square bets are once again popping up; generating a lot of buzz for those playing.
The bets are known to be fun and engaging but experts warn they could get you into trouble if you're not aware of company rules and local laws.
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Dallas attorney Rogge Dunn says in Texas the square bets are legal as long as there is a full payout of the winnings, and no money goes to an administrator or a service charge.
He added, "Office pool bets are legal as long as no one is taking a percentage or cut of the bet."
The pool or square bets are a game of chance where you place your money on a random square that could correspond to the final score of the game.
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Dr. James Quick from UT Arlington is a workplace ethicist and warns even though the game is legal in Texas your company may have strict rules about it.
He said you should ask, "What rules if any has the workplace established for these."
If it's ok to play he advises to make sure it's for fun and not to fuel any kind of serious gambling addiction.
He added, "Twenty dollars a square is one thing, but $1,000 a square is another. So, really calibrating and understanding the consequences of what you are getting into is important."
He also suggested a great way to ethically play the game is to do it and reserve a small portion of the overall winnings to donate to a charity of the employees choice.