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NCAA Office Pools

DebbieWDebbieW 13 Posts
in HR & Employment Law Vote Up0Vote Down
We have a strict no gambling policy. However, we would like to possibly revise our policy where we could allow employees to get involved in NCAA office pools, etc. We are a huge basketball state and everyone is working on bracket sheets. What do your company's allow and what type of policy do you have?
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  • 10 Comments sorted by Votes Date Added
  • HRCalicoHRCalico 582 Posts
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    You're a bit beyond my scope with a "no gambling" policy. However, if there is no $$ involved and it's solely for glory, would that count as gambling? Of course, if everybody wants to put $5 in the pot with proceeds going to the winner, you may be out of luck.

    PS - I picked UNC to win . . . I can't seem to do well going with my gut so this year I let my math geek side out and calculated average points per game and went that way straight across the board.
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  • National GuardNational Guard 475 Posts
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    So, how's it working for you? For a couple of years my husband would make me pick his work's basketball pool. I like basketball but don't necessarily watch it or follow it. SO I would just pick on intuition and try to pick the upsets because that's usually the deciding factor. He would laugh hysterically like year year I picked Gonzaga! but he was constantly in the top 3 by the end of the pool. He also thought I was dumb for picking Maryland to go all the way the year they did win. After that I stopped picking for him. He was on his own. Basically, I'm saying that I would pick based on gut feelings and it worked for me.
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  • Don DDon D 9,834 Posts
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    Debbie: You seem to be looking for some level of comfort in ignoring your company policy. Would knowing that others allow illegal office pools somehow validate your decision to ignore your policy? And if you ignore it because you are 'a huge basketball state', what's to keep your employees to expect you to ignore it during next football season? Think about it. The last place I worked was really big time into sports pools. This one, as far as I know, doesn't have them, but they could and I wouldn't know it. The last place plastered them all over the boards with software that tracked teams and office pool participants by graphs and extremely complicated stuff. I think we were paying one engineer to do nothing but manage the pools. Feel better?
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  • ShadowfaxShadowfax 910 Posts
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    Is there no state law prohibiting what you suggest? Is 'basketball' betting ok in Ky Ks NC and In (ok not In this year). Will your policy of letting the ees bet on basketball change the statutory prohibition? If it's agin the law, you should absolutely not have a policy that even suggest you might look the other way. As Don says, they will do it - and so far as I know we have no obligation to go off looking for it, but giving it our blessing - as a matter of policy - is just plain irresponsible.
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  • deniseEdeniseE 902 Posts
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    We handle it pretty much as Don suggested...as long as we don't SEE it...and there's not obvious use of company equipment and no one is complaining about work not getting done...

    we have enough to manage without going out and looking for it. EE's know that if they want to keep this going that they have to keep it pretty well underground..but if we get a complaint it must be investigated.

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  • jmcaajmcaa 224 Posts
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    We are in KY and it is definitely something our employees look forward to every year! Go Cats!
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  • Balloonman1Balloonman1 253 Posts
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    Most importantly, I am in second place in the one of the two pools I am in, and the one person in front of me has two brackets that are dead. I should with just 3 or 4 more wins have it locked up!!!!!!!
    My $0.02 worth,
    THe Balloonman
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  • Dutch2Dutch2 1,590 Posts
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    Same here. But when you see the Chairman of the Board and the CEO with their names listed in a square or two on the page, "what ya gonna do?"
    So far we have been lucky and have not had a problem with the sports pools getting out of hand.

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  • Don DDon D 9,834 Posts
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    Dutch, what does 'getting out of hand' mean? Does it mean getting approached by the law? A loser shooting a winner? A suicide? HR being asked to handle the pools?
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  • Balloonman1Balloonman1 253 Posts
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    Hey Don,
    What century are you exsisting in? Just curious. At my old employer, two years ago, my 10 year old son WON the NCAA pool, I took third, and a lot of grief from him. This year, though it is not the same pool I am winning, I am pretty pumped about be in position to win it.

    Typically the authorities do not give a damn about the betting pools UNLESS the person running it takes a cut off the top, then they view it differently.

    Not aware of any suicides from office pools, or murders. Now some teams have choked. :-)

    My $0.02 worth,
    THe Balloonman
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