i'd have agreed about your mates, you each hold onto your ticket, or write your name on the back of one each. If one of you (but not YOU) wins, then you get 2k, but if you win, you get the lot. Mates helping mates, but still when it comes down to it you should be the one deciding what to do with it. Lesson learned is never go into this shit with mates unless you hack out some sort of agreement beforehand, it's bound to cause headaches (as you soon found out).
and fark, if i just got 1k, i'd be drinking a hundred bucks worth up at Dave's i think (it's a promise!!!)

, and dropping the rest on the credit card.
if i won the rest of it? phwoar, half my financial problems would be gone and i'd take a week off and go on an extended holiday
