Hong Kong Civil Servant Arrested After Refusing to Share $5.1 Million Lottery ‘Jackpot’ with 14 Colleagues, Claiming “My Share Is Greater”

Won in Special Drawing for 50th Anniversary of Hong Kong Lottery

Notified Colleagues: "I Will Take HK$51 Billion Share First"

Under Investigation for Theft... Account Funds Frozen

A Hong Kong civil servant who did not report to work after winning a large lottery prize purchased together with 15 colleagues has been arrested on suspicion of theft.

Photo of lottery tickets to aid understanding of the article. Pixabay

According to local media outlets such as the South China Morning Post (SCMP) and The Qingdao Daily on September 15, 15 members of the Market Activation Team at Hong Kong's Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) jointly purchased tickets for the "Mark Six" lottery, drawn on September 5. The group regularly pooled money via a group messenger chat to buy snacks or lottery tickets. Each of the 15 people picked a number, and Mr. Ling, 36, purchased two combination lottery tickets using his personal Hong Kong Jockey Club account.

The drawing that day was a special event commemorating the 50th anniversary of Hong Kong's "Mark Six" lottery. HK$185 million (about 31.7 billion won) was rolled over into the prize pool, bringing the first prize to a record-high HK$228 million (about 39.1 billion won). The total lottery sales for the day amounted to about HK$365 million (about 62.6 billion won). There were 3.5 first-prize shares, with each share receiving HK$63.37 million (about 10.86 billion won). Among them, the employees matched half a share of the first prize and several secondary prizes, winning a total of about HK$30 million (about 5.1 billion won). Police identified this amount as the subject of the dispute.

"My contribution to buying the ticket is the greatest"—demanded a larger share and took leave

Mr. Ling, who did not come to work after taking a vacation following the lottery win he purchased together with his colleagues. The Qingdao Daily

The prize money was deposited into Mr. Ling's personal account. Ling, a health inspector, immediately went on vacation after the win and, three days later, informed his colleagues that he would take HK$10 million (about 1.7 billion won) for himself first, and suggested the remaining amount be divided among the other 14 people. He insisted that, since he purchased the lottery tickets using the combination method, his contribution was the largest. However, his colleagues protested, saying this violated their prior agreement to split the prize equally, with each person receiving about HK$2 million (about 340 million won). After news of the win spread, former group chat members who had left the team also claimed shares, insisting they had previously contributed money, further complicating the situation.

Mr. Ling claimed he had placed the entire prize in a time deposit and refused to distribute the money thereafter. Both sides met again to negotiate on September 9, but talks broke down. From the time of the win, Ling continued his vacation and was absent from work for more than five days. Concerned that Ling might abscond with the prize money, a 53-year-old colleague reported the incident to the police that evening. The police classified the case as theft and arrested Mr. Ling on September 11. The Hong Kong Police Force announced on September 12 that they had frozen the relevant funds in Ling's account. After being questioned, Ling was released on bail and must report to the police in mid-October.

The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department stated, "We are aware that the police are investigating the matter and will cooperate as necessary."

Although arrested, colleagues must file a civil lawsuit to reclaim their share

However, it is expected to be difficult for the colleagues to recover their share of the money. Vitus Leung, an attorney, told SCMP that the other 14 colleagues would need to file a civil lawsuit to reclaim their portions. Even if Ling returns the money, criminal charges could still proceed. Attorney Leung explained, "Even if he is found guilty, the bank account is not automatically deemed to be the property of the other 14 people," and said, "The bank will not release the funds immediately."

Under local law, unlawfully taking someone else's lottery winnings can result in charges of theft or embezzlement, punishable by up to 10 years in prison. In a precedent from 2007, a man who ran off with third-prize winnings from a ticket purchased at a friend's request was sentenced to six weeks in jail. He never repaid the winnings. Local lawyers advise that even verbal agreements carry legal binding force, and recommend leaving written records, signatures, and copies of lottery tickets when conducting joint lottery purchases.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.