One way to increase the odds of winning Wednesday night's Powerball drawing is by participating in an office pool.

Pools are not only legal in Pennsylvania, they are encouraged as a way to play the lottery and have fun with co-workers.But officials do have some tips to avoid potential conflict in case of victory.While the odds for Wednesday's $1.4 billion drawing, roughly 292 million to 1, make that unlikely, Pennsylvania Lottery officials have several suggestions to help ensure that the pool doesn't become mired in a legal mess if they win."There are hard questions that pool members should address in advance," said Gary Miller, lottery spokesman.The lottery has no limit on the number of winners that can be included on a single ticket. Group claim forms are available on the lottery website.One of the Pennsylvania Lottery's biggest jackpots of all time was won by a pool of 48 transit workers in the Philadelphia area in 2012.According to Miller, pools should select a single captain responsible for handling all money and purchasing all tickets.Many co-workers have been playing the lottery for years and already have set up a person to purchase the tickets.Once the tickets are purchased the captain should make copies and distribute them to each of the members of the pool.Miller said sending copies of the tickets shows the pool members exactly which tickets were purchased, so there is no confusion.The captain should ensure that each player understands explicitly how the money is being divided in case of a jackpot.It's also important to set rules if the group regularly participates in the lottery.For example, what if a long-standing pool member skips a drawing and the pool wins?In addition to deciding how they would divide up a big jackpot, players should also be clear on what they should do if they win a smaller amount. Do they disburse it, or buy more tickets?Miller cited an example where a group of co-workers won about $4 in a drawing. The person who cashed in the tickets decide to buy $4 worth, and won $1 million. In that case, the winning ticket buyer agreed to split the winnings with her co-workers."You could very easily see someone saying 'that's my personal ticket,' but this woman did it by the book," Miller said.Miller couldn't say exactly how often pools win the lottery in Pennsylvania, but that it is significant.He said the lottery sales have entered unprecedented territory, with Saturday being the single largest day of sales ever at $26 million. In all, $48 million worth of tickets were purchased in Pennsylvania alone for Saturday's drawing.Although his position with the lottery prevents him from playing in any drawing, Miller said he is watching along with the rest of the country."I have encouraged my friends to play," Miller said.