New London Coast Guard Academy instructor Andrew Norberg wins $1 million. Winning is one thing - splitting it is another story.

Have you sat down with your partner or family and discussed what would happen if you won the lottery?

Your partner needn't be a family member either, as this following case shows. 

A 53-year-old California woman won $1 million, but faced a lawsuit by the liquor store owner who sold her the winning ticket.

Eva Reyes signed an agreement before she won a $1 million scratch-off prize.

The owner of the lotto store where she bought the ticket claimed he had a signed note guaranteeing him half the $1M winnings.

The California SuperLotto Plus winner said she had made the deal for a $50,000 share.

Why the woman signed the note in the first place we'll never know - it should never have happened.

But it does show that you need to be careful with your promises, even if they are verbal.

Here's another interesting case from Reddit:

"I'm a 29 year-old guy and I won the lottery. And it's enough that I don't have to work ever again if I don't want too (over $15m). My plans are to take some finance/business courses over a period of time so I can be smart about investments and be responsible with the money."

"My problem? My family, mainly my parents, feel they are entitled to 1/4 of the amount. I offered to pay off their mortgages and give them a little sum but that's not good enough once they found the total amount."

There's no real answer here, but it does show how complicated the issue can become when you don't agree.

So how should you treat partners?

#1. Have a discussion first to make sure you're on the same page. Agree on fulfilling a shared wishlist as well as investments.

#2. Remember that each country and even state often has different laws dealing with lottery winnings, so make sure you have a lawyer on your list of advisors when you win.

#3. When you make an agreement remember that lottery winnings are generally recognised as community property in a marriage and will be split equally.

It gets more complicated if partners are new together, or recently divorced. A lawyer is essential here.

So the first step is to make sure you're not too far apart in what you both want to do with your win.

That can lead to many interesting ideas and discussions.

You can gift the money to family or charity and organisations you believe in.

If you do this, get the recipients of your gifts to sign confidentiality agreements too. 

This will keep them from revealing the disclosure of your gift for a term you specify. I recommend at least five years.

Got a plan for your win?

Make sure you include your partner and that will make it even more enjoyable!