$786 Million and a Lesson in Fraternity Economics

If you've been following along, you know I've somehow become the unofficial Commissioner of the Fraternity Lottery Pool.

With the Powerball jackpot sitting at $786 million, it seemed like the responsible thing to do. (That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.)

Over the past few weeks, I've been collecting money, organizing who is in and who is out, driving to the local Harris Teeter, standing in line, buying stacks of South Carolina Lottery tickets, photographing them, keeping track of everything, and sending the group updates.

At one point, I walked up to the counter and bought $200 worth of lottery tickets.

The cashier gave me that look.

You know the one.

The look that says, "Sir... are we okay?"

Yes, we're okay.

No, gambling isn't one of my problems.

If anything, my problem is volunteering for too many projects.

The funny part is that after all the work that goes into organizing this little adventure, a few of the fraternity brothers have started sounding a bit... ungrateful.

Who knew that trying to make everyone a millionaire could become a thankless job?

Maybe I should charge a convenience fee.

Or a ticket-handling fee.

Or an emotional support fee.

We'll see where this goes. The Lottery Commissioner may be considering early retirement before anyone actually wins enough to retire.

Stay tuned.

There may be more to come.

Until then, if our numbers hit tonight, I promise not to hold a grudge.

Probably.