Pizza Delivery Man Sues 16 Friends after They Won R15.6m in Lottery but Didn't Share

• Philip Tsotsos has sued his 16 friends for winning R15.7 million and refusing to share the proceeds with him
• The pizza delivery driver from Ontario, Canada, explained that he is a member of the group and merits a share even though he did not contribute to the ticket
• What makes Tsotsos even more annoyed is the fact that none of the pals informed him they had won, until he saw it on social media

A pizza delivery driver from Ontario, Canada, is suing his friends because he believes they should have shared with him the $1 million (R15.7 million) lottery prize they won recently.

Daily Mail reports that Philip Tsotsos has accused his friends of "stealing his dreams" and wants to be given $70,000 from the winnings.

Wants to be added as 17th beneficiary

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Details indicate that the group of 16 was lucky to emerge winners of the Maxmillion prize after purchasing a Lotto Max ticket from the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation.

As much as Tsotsos believes that he merits part of the windfall, his friends dispute because he did not contribute towards the lotto entry ticket.

"Why wouldn't they tell me they won? These guys are like family to me. Their dreams came true. Why should they steal mine?" he complained.

In the lawsuit, the disgruntled Tsotsos has named each of the 16 friends as he seeks to compel them to add him as the 17th beneficiary.

Did not pay to enter

According to lawyer David Robins who is representing the group of 16, Tsotsos did not pay to play which denies him any entitlement to the money.

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"We'll be vigorously defending the claim. In this instance, he did not play and he was not included," he stated.

In his defence, Tsotsos maintains that for the last six years they have always played together but he never paid immediately for the tickets as they had agreed on a credit system.

He added that there have been instances he owed his friends money as much as $100 (R1577) but he always pays back.

Joked about the winning

As of the time of winning, Tsotsos owed the group $30 and had been told by the group's head that he needs to pay it with a top-up of $10 (R157) for him to remain in the group.

Unaware that there was a windfall ahead, he joked that he would pay it in a few days and urged them to take it out of the cash they would win, to which the organiser replied that he would charge interest.

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The next time Totsos heard about the entry was when he learned on social media that his friends had won the lottery.

Still a member of the group

Coincidentally, the day he learned about the win, he had just bought the group pizzas.

"I got online and I was just going through social media and what comes up. The same guy that's eating my pizza is holding a million-dollar cheque, and that's how I found out," he said.

He maintains that he is still a member of the group because it operates on an opt-out system or disqualification, which has never been communicated to him.

When the money is divided among 16, each group member received $62,500 (R980k), a figure that would go down to $58,000 (R914 000) if he was included.

Source: Briefly News