Fourteen people, including 12 civil servants currently working at the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD), have filed a lawsuit against a colleague over an office lottery dispute involving a HK$33 million Mark Six jackpot.

A betting branch of Hong Kong Jockey Club in 2023. File photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.

Ling Chun-ting, an FEHD health inspector, is accused of pocketing all the Mark Six winnings after he and 14 coworkers jointly purchased lottery tickets for the September 5 draw which won HK$33 million, local media reported.

The 14 plaintiffs filed the lawsuit last week, arguing that Ling should only have been allocated around HK$4.21 million based on his contribution, The Collective reported on Monday, citing the writ of summons.

They have requested that the court grant an injunction restraining Ling from handling the lottery winnings, declare that around HK$28.91 million in the defendant’s account belongs to the plaintiffs, and order the defendant to return the funds.

According to the writ of summons, the plaintiffs include 12 civil servants in the Market Development Division at the FEHD. Among them are Senior Superintendent Pau Chung-on and deputy coordinators Andrew Chan and Au Wai-ha.

Between April and May, Pau, the most senior plaintiff, started a group purchase of Mark Six lottery tickets among colleagues to boost team morale.

It was their mutual understanding that each person would select lottery numbers and contribute to purchase lottery tickets, and if they won, any winnings would be distributed in proportion to each person’s contribution.

Ling volunteered to purchase the tickets on behalf of the team from the beginning, and colleagues would pay him back for their contributions. The group won HK$1,760 on their first bet, and the team agreed to keep the prize money to fund future ticket purchases.

The High Court. File photo: Tom Grundy/HKFP.

In early September, Pau initiated the fifth group purchase of Mark Six tickets. The plaintiffs contributed amounts ranging from HK$20 to HK$300 and the defendant claimed to have contributed HK$210, bringing the total sum to HK$1,650.

After collecting the funds, the defendant purchased two tickets. On the evening of September 5, prior to the draw, Ling sent screenshots of the purchased tickets to some of the plaintiffs via WhatsApp.

However, after results of the draw showed the tickets had won around HK$33 million, Ling indicated in the workplace that he would not share the winnings with his colleagues. He later took leave and did not respond to messages from colleagues.

Arrest and police investigation

On September 9, one of the colleagues involved in the dispute reported the case to the police.

Two days later, police arrested a 36-year-old man on suspicion of theft, local media reported.

Commissioner of Police Joe Chow told the press that police had frozen the suspect’s bank accounts and were investigating the case. The suspect was released on bail.

HKFP has reached out to the police to enquire about the progress of the investigation.