Charlotte man has knack for winning office lotto pools

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — These lotto tickets are making history as the Powerball jackpot grows to $1.4 billion.

Some people are trying to boost their odds by chipping in on the office pool, now that there's a record-breaking amount of money in the pot.

Eyewitness News anchor John Paul met a man with a knack for picking the numbers.

Charles Rush, a man in his 80s, runs Carpet Discount Warehouse in east Charlotte and runs the office lottery pool.

They’ve won several times, one for $10,000 and another for $1 million.

“These all match except for one number,” Rush said. “That one and that's only one number off.”

There are 10 people who throw in $12 every week while Rush spends about two to three hours picking the numbers.

“I took them and put them together. I always put the Powerball in myself. I got a system,” he said.

He sticks with the same numbers every week until they win, and his employees have been happy so far.

They’ve won $70,251 each after taxes were withheld.

Rush said he learned his secret number-picking strategy from his father.

Powerball: Dos, don’ts of joining the office pool

Will you be joining the office pool now that the Powerball jackpot has surpassed $1 billion? ABC News offered four dos and four don'ts on how to run an office pool.

CLICK HERE for the latest on the Powerball jackpot

Dos

• Write a contract. It doesn't need to be a formal, notarized document, according to ABC News. It can be a simple paper with the terms of the pool and everyone's signature. Store the document in a safe place.
• Make sure everyone contributes an equal amount.
• Photocopy the tickets for all participants.
• Make a list of people who opted out of the pool.

CLICK HERE for more from ABC News

Don'ts

• Do not rely on a verbal contract. Words will not hold up in court, ABC News reports.
• Do not let anyone contribute money on behalf of someone else.
• Do not trust the tickets to interns.
• Do not run multiple pools at once.

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