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A winning lottery pool in Blumenau won R$ 117.5 million on May 31, 2022, but one of the shares ended up in court. Messages, witnesses, audio, police report, and even payments made after the draw weighed on the TJSC to recognize the division of the prize between ex-partners
A millionaire Mega-Sena prize drawn in Santa Catarina gained a new development in court and turned a lottery pool bet into a dispute of more than R$ 1.2 million. The case involves a man from Blumenau and his ex-partner, who claimed to have made joint bets with him and demanded half of the winning share.
The decision went through the Court of Justice of Santa Catarina, which recognized the existence of a verbal agreement between the two to share the amounts of bets made together. The central point was not just the winning ticket, but the set of evidence gathered after the draw.
According to ND Mais, the winner’s behavior after the result, including the phone being turned off, the initial denial about the prize, and the version that he had received only R$ 300,000, was used in the process as part of the evidence against him.
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The investigation also mentions the subsequent delivery of R$ 200,000 and an apartment valued at around R$ 200,000.
The lottery pool of 42 shares came out in Blumenau and put a common bet at the center of a millionaire dispute
The draw that opened this story was Mega-Sena contest 2,486, held on May 31, 2022. The winning bet hit the numbers 08, 09, 17, 19, 33, and 56 and took home the main prize of R$ 117,557,270.98 alone.
As reported by UOL at the time, the ticket was registered in Blumenau, in a lottery pool format, with 42 bettors. There were also 231 winning bets in the quina, with a prize of R$ 27,876.31 for each, and 15,582 winners in the quadra, with R$ 590.37.
The share discussed in the process was around R$ 2.78 million. The woman claimed that she and her then-partner had the habit of betting together and that there was an agreement to share any winnings.
The man denied that such an agreement existed. The discussion then moved from a he-said-she-said situation to relying on messages, witnesses, audio, police reports, and payments made after the prize.
The version of a smaller prize did not convince after the official result appeared
According to the elements narrated in the process, the woman tried to contact her partner after the result was announced. The phone was reportedly off for hours, precisely when she was trying to confirm if the bet had won.
When she managed to speak with him, the first version was that the ticket had not been selected. Later, according to the account presented in court, the man changed his explanation and stated that he had received only R$ 300,000, a value far below the actual share of the pool.
The difference between the reported amount and the official result increased suspicion. The contest check showed that the total prize was R$ 117.5 million, divided among 42 shares, which placed the disputed participation in the millions.
For the court, this sequence helped to form the context of the case. The issue was not isolated to the lie about the amount but in the sum of actions recorded after the draw.
Messages, audio, and witnesses supported the joint bet thesis
The Court of Justice of Santa Catarina reported that the 1st Civil Chamber partially reformed the sentence and recognized that the body of evidence pointed to the existence of a joint bet and a verbal agreement for prize division. The TJSC cited app messages, police reports, notarial audio records, and testimonial evidence as elements considered in the judgment.
The absence of a signed contract did not prevent the analysis. In such disputes, the court can evaluate other means of proof when they form a consistent narrative about the agreement between the parties.
One of the messages cited by media following the case showed the man asking for calm when being charged. A recording was also considered in which he did not explicitly recognize the woman’s participation in the winning bet but used phrases interpreted as incompatible with an absolute denial.
Witnesses also entered the process. One of them reported that the couple used to bet together, while another stated they heard conversations about the prize and the supposedly received amount.
The transfer of R$ 400,000 weighed against the winner’s defense
Another point that drew attention was the delivery of R$ 200,000 in cash and a furnished apartment valued at approximately R$ 200,000. The man’s defense argued that the amounts were financial assistance to his ex-partner.
The judicial interpretation was different. In the context of the case, the payment of about R$ 400,000 was seen as an indication that there was a prior obligation, even if partially fulfilled.
According to InfoMoney, the fixed conviction was R$ 1,294,491.32, the amount requested by the plaintiff, and the man’s defense informed that they filed an appeal against the decision. The report also pointed out that the decision was unanimous and published after a trial held on June 5, 2026.
The amounts already transferred did not disappear from the account. They should be deducted during the enforcement phase when the actual balance due is calculated.
How the Mega-Sena pool works and why the receipt makes a difference
The Mega-Sena allows group bets through the Bolão Caixa. According to Caixa’s current rules, the pool can have from 2 to 100 shares, with up to 10 bets per pool, and the shares sold by lottery outlets may have an additional service fee of up to 35%.
The Blumenau case shows a practical point for those who bet in groups. When there is an individual receipt, formal division of shares, or clear receipts, the chance of conflict decreases. When everything is based on a verbal agreement, the dispute may depend on conversations, witnesses, and the behavior of the parties after the result.
In the Santa Catarina case, what weighed was precisely the reconstruction of what happened before and after the draw. The court did not only analyze who had the ticket but whether there was a practice of joint betting and a prior agreement.
The decision also serves as a warning for couples, friends, and family who enter pools without recording each person’s participation. In small prizes, informality usually goes unnoticed. In million-dollar prizes, every message and every transfer can become evidence.
Do you think a verbal agreement should be enough to divide a lottery prize when there are messages and witnesses, or should only the receipt count? Leave your comment and tell us how you would avoid this type of dispute in a pool.
