Fifteen colleagues pooled their money for lottery tickets and won more than HK$30 million. It should have been a shared celebration—but ended with police getting involved! The Hong Kong Mark Six lottery dispute centres on a health inspector who bought the tickets and allegedly refused to split the winnings equally with his colleagues. Talks broke down, and the matter was reported to police.
The prize was worth approximately RM15.63 million, according to the conversion quoted in the report. What should have been a life-changing windfall for the group instead sparked an argument over who would receive the money. The 36-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of theft and later released on bail pending further investigation.
15 Colleagues Win a Half-Unit First Prize in Mark Six
According to Hong Kong media reports, the group consisted of 15 employees from the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department’s market revitalisation team. A 36-year-old health inspector surnamed Ling was responsible for buying the tickets.
They entered the Mark Six 50th anniversary snowball draw held on September 5, 2026. The draw offered a first-prize pool of HK$228 million, approximately RM119 million. The colleagues won a half-unit first prize worth more than HK$30 million, or approximately RM15.63 million.
However, excitement over the win quickly turned into a dispute. The man who bought the tickets allegedly refused to share the prize equally under the group’s original arrangement, leading to a falling-out among the colleagues. Source: HK01
Talks Break Down, Ticket Buyer Becomes Unreachable
Reports said the man met his colleagues on the evening of September 9 to discuss how to divide the winnings, but they failed to reach an agreement. He reportedly became unreachable for a time afterwards, leaving the other members worried that they would not receive their agreed shares.
Putting money together had been straightforward. Once the group hit the jackpot, dividing it became the biggest problem. The question was no longer “How much did we win?” but “How much does each person get?”
Police confirmed receiving a report on September 9. The complainant said he and the colleague responsible for buying the tickets could not agree on the distribution of lottery winnings involving approximately HK$30 million. Source: Hong Kong Commercial Daily
36-Year-Old Health Inspector Arrested and Released on Bail
Following an investigation, police arrested a 36-year-old local man on September 11 on suspicion of theft. A September 12 follow-up report confirmed that he had been released on bail pending further investigation and must report back to police in mid-October.
The case is being handled by Team 5 of the Western District Crime Squad. The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department said it was aware of the investigation and would cooperate as needed, but declined to comment on the details at this stage. Source: HK01 follow-up report
There is still no confirmed outcome on how the winnings will be divided. His release on bail does not mean the dispute has been settled.
Pooling Money Was Easy. Sharing the Jackpot Was Harder.
The most striking part of this Mark Six lottery dispute is that the colleagues had already received the news they had been hoping for—yet were unable to share the winnings smoothly.
Pooling money and asking one person to buy tickets may seem simple. But after a major win, different views about the original agreement, individual shares or the ticket buyer’s role can quickly turn into a serious conflict.
The case remains under investigation, and the dispute does not establish that anyone has pocketed the entire prize. Still, the contrast is clear: they hoped to win together, but ended up turning to police over how to share the money.
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