In our new weekly series, readers can email in with any financial dilemma and enter the Money Moral Maze.
Are your friends racking up big drinks tabs and then trying to split the bill equally, is your partner spending overspending on your joint account? No matter your dilemma, email in anonymously, and i‘s money and business team will do our best to answer.
This week’s dilemma can be found below – email us at money@inews.co.uk with yours.
The Dilemma
My friends and I have a lottery syndicate. Every month, the other five send me £10, and I add my own £10 to this.
I then use the £60 and buy a series of lottery tickets and scratch cards for the month. It’s a bit of fun, but of course, usually we never get anything out of it – so much so that they’ve started to question whether I’m using the money to enter (which of course I am!)
This month though, we did finally win. The full amount was just under £3,000 which between the six of, would be more approaching £500 each.
However, on checking my bank account, I haven’t received payments for the last five months from one of the group. I’ve still been entering with £60 on the assumption that everyone was chipping in, but in effect, I’ve been subbing his £10 each month with my own money.
This isn’t entirely isolated. He’s terrible at paying people back, whether it be for drinks, booked holidays, or anything else, even after you chase him.
So should he receive his share of the money, or should we split it between the five of us?
Callum Mason, i money and business reporter argues the case for ‘No – they shouldn’t get their cut’
This is tricky dilemma, slightly sweetened by the fact that it is over something positive – winning money – rather than something negative.
Thinking logically, then really, your friend’s money has not actually paid for the ticket that resulted in you winning the money £3,000. Purely on that basis, it immediately seems to me like they shouldn’t receive their split.
There are a couple of extra factors that push me towards this as well. Firstly, you say this has happened for several months, and isn’t unusual. If they had forgotten to pay their share once or twice, or were late with it, this would be a different matter. But the truth is, if you hadn’t won the cash, would you have noticed that they hadn’t paid? Would they have owned up of their own accord? From what we’ve heard, it sounds like the answer is no.
The amount you have won is a large amount, but it isn’t life-changing. Cutting your friend out from receiving their share would be very harsh if you’d won a million pounds or a similarly high figure, where the original £50 or so that they had missed out on paying was small fry in the context of the prize. But in this instance, it’s a fairly large chunk of the pay out.
I’m inclined to say they at least don’t get an even split. Could you perhaps reduce the portion they receive of the winnings? Maybe this is the kick they need to start paying people back in the future.
Grace Gausden, i deputy money editor, argues the case for ‘Yes – they should get their cut’
Lottery syndicates are meant to be fun way to connect with workmates or friends – along with the chance of winning some serious cash.
However, it seems in this case you’re considering not extending that community spirit to those who don’t follow the rules to the letter.
I can understand why it might be a little frustrating to chase someone for money but we all have our quirks and it sounds like your friend’s might just be forgetfulness and perhaps a lack of organisation.
This may be irritating but as a supposed mate, I think it can be forgiven, especially when it comes to this situation.
Imagine you had forgotten to pay a couple of times and then a “friend” refused to hand over the cash after winning the syndicate? Not much of a friend, I would say.
You’ve said this is a “bit of fun” so if that really is the case I would dock the £50 off the £500 and give him the £450. It’s only fair and worth it for the sake of maintaining a friendship.
Going forwards, your mate is more likely to transfer the funds in a timely manner, and you can keep the peace for the group. Withholding the funds will only cause trouble and you have to ask yourself is it worth making things awkward for the sake of a few forgotten payments? Probably not.
