Setting Up an Office Betting Pool

Day in and day out people trudge to their nine-to-five jobs so they can survive the work week and earn their weekly paycheck. And while companies may try to provide things that can make the workplace more exciting like company picnics and dress-down days, this stuff just doesn’t cut it. But one thing that can make your workplace much more exciting, and help you make a lot of friends at your job is an office betting pool. Here are some tips for how you can set up the perfect office pool that everyone will enjoy.

Stick to the sports that you know

What’s cool about an office pool is that you can set one up for just about any sport or major event. The Super Bowl, college bowl games, NCAA tournament, World Cup, and World Series are all popular events which a good percentage of the world knows. However, the key is to make sure that you know the sport which you will be setting up the office pool for. The better you know the sport you’re running a pool for, the better everything will turn out. 

Pick something that your workplace will get into

Along with making sure you know the sport, make sure that the rest of your colleagues will be interested in the sport you make a pool for. For instance, if you live in Peru then don’t try to set up an office pool for ice hockey. Pay attention to what sports people in your place of work talk about frequently and aim for that.  If you’re unsure of what sport to go with, just pick a major event that the general population is into.

Let everyone know about the pool

The easiest way to let everyone in your office know about a sports betting pool is to send out a mass e-mail. But there are a couple of things you must keep in mind when doing this as well. One thing is that some companies may frown on you using the company e-mail system to set up an office pool. Another thing is that you may work somewhere where not everyone has access to a computer and/or doesn’t have a company e-mail address. In this case, you’ll need to spread the word by approaching people individually, and asking them if they want in the pool.

No matter what sport you’re doing you will need to set up some kind of sheet so your pool is official, and so people can make their picks on it. The easiest way to do this is by going on the Internet, and looking for betting sheets that match the sport or event you’re doing. There are actually websites dedicated to providing betting sheets for office pools, and all you need to do is search for them. Once you’ve found the appropriate sheets, print off enough for all of the participants and deliver them.

Set up the prize structure

Most office pools will use money to pay the winners so you’ll need to let people know in advance what’s at stake. In fact, you might even want to make up a separate sheet showing what each place will get in terms of cash. But you don’t even need to use money as the prize since there are a number of creative things you can do with your office pool. Some pools just make the losers buy lunch or drinks for the winners.

Always confer your picks with one or two others

It always seems that whenever the person who sets up an office pool wins then they’re accused of cheating (either directly or behind their back). But there’s an easy way to avoid this unpleasantness, and that’s by conferring your picks with a couple of other people in your workplace. After you’ve made your picks, simply show another co-worker or two what you’ve picked so as to avoid this problem.

Make sure an office pool is okay with your company

While office pools are normally just meant to be fun, some companies will consider them to be gambling – even if you’re just playing for lunch or drinks. If you’d rather not ask management about holding your pool then just check with co-workers to see if there have been office pools run at your workplace in the past.