A dispute has erupted after an employee of a company in China won US$820,000 in a lottery run by the firm and was then asked to share the jackpot with colleagues. -- Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock/Douyin
BEIJING: An employee in China won more than six million yuan (US$820,000) in a lottery at a year-end company party only to then be asked by the firm to return the prize so that the jackpot could be divided among all the participants.
The story from March 2019 recently resurfaced and caused a stir on mainland social media because the Spring Festival approaches, when many companies host parties.
Some people speculated that the news had resurfaced to boost lagging lottery ticket sales.
On March 2, 2019, an unnamed company in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, in southeastern China, held its annual party, where, to create a festive atmosphere, it bought more than 500 lottery tickets from a local lottery station and gave one ticket to each employee.
One of the tickets won the first prize of six million yuan, causing a buzz among the employees.
Many of them took to social media to share their excitement, attracting significant attention.
“Come join our company, six million lottery wins are just a regular perk! Message me for job openings,” one person joked.
“Our annual party handed out lottery tickets, and someone won the jackpot! This is probably the closest I will ever get to such a huge prize,” said another.
However, the situation turned dramatically when the company discovered the win and demanded that the employee return the ticket, arguing that the jackpot should be shared among all the people at the party.
When the employee refused to comply, the dispute escalated and had to be sorted out at the local police station.
Police from Yinzhou district of Ningbo confirmed they had addressed the matter: “It was a civil dispute, and we advised the parties to resolve it through legal channels.”
Adding to the drama, insiders revealed that the lottery draw actually took place on February 28, two days before the tickets were distributed at the annual party on March 2.
Also, the company had reportedly instructed its finance staff to ensure none of the tickets they bought were winning ones before they distributed them to staff.
However, an oversight is thought to have allowed the winning ticket to slip through.
It is unclear if the dispute ended up in court.
Tang Caizong, a lawyer from Ningbo Justice Bureau, said that the company’s action constituted a gifting contract because once the tickets were distributed to employees, the rights to those tickets transferred to the recipients.
“Even though the winning numbers had already been drawn and the company was unaware of the results, contract law does not allow for such gifts to be rescinded under these circumstances.
“Therefore, the company’s demand to reclaim the ticket and share the prize among all attendees lacks a legal basis,” Tang told Ningbo Daily Group.
The incident provoked outrage online.
One person said: “Once a gift is given, there is no taking it back. That is common sense.”
“The boss pretends to be generous by distributing tickets and then tries to cash in when someone wins. So shameless,” said another.
A third online observer said: “This is unethical behaviour by the company. Treating employees this way? Bankruptcy must be just around the corner.” - SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST