Oregon man keeps childhood promise, splits $1M Powerball with brother

Oct 15, 2014, 2:27 pm (26 comments)

Powerball

Best Brother Ever?

A Bend, Oregon, man who won $1 million with a Powerball ticket last month decided to share the wealth in a gesture of brotherly love.

Eric Hale, 45, split the spoils 50-50 with his younger brother, Quinn Hale, of Yakima, Washington, on Thursday in Salem.

Eric and Quinn each took home about $335,000 after taxes, according to the Oregon Lottery. Eric had picked the five numbers — 7, 14, 21, 24 and 41 — correctly but missed the Powerball itself, according to the Oregon Lottery. He played the same numbers he has played for the past 20 years.

Eric said he and Quinn have been close since childhood. The brothers grew up in Bend and lived together during their 20s and 30s. Despite Quinn's stint in the Navy and the geographic distance between them, they maintained a promise to share any winnings, said Eric.

"At some point in there, if we won something, we decided to split it," he said.

Eric just completed a bachelor's degree in psychology and will use some of his lottery spoils to pursue a master's degree in clinical counseling. He's also planning to take a 20-day trip to China and to invest some of the winnings.

Quinn, 43, who is pursuing a doctorate, also will use the money to pay off student loans, said his brother. Quinn works in admissions at Yakima Valley Community College and will put some of the winnings toward a down payment on a motor home, according to Eric.

When Eric called his brother to tell him the good news, Quinn was in disbelief.

"I still am in shock even though we have the checks," the younger brother said. "This is beyond cool. I never believed he would actually do it."

The brothers beamed as they held on to the prize check they collected on Oct. 9 at Oregon Lottery headquarters in Salem.

Eric purchased the winning ticket Sept. 22 at the Quickway Market off Butler Market Road in Northeast Bend. The total Powerball jackpot was $228.5 million.

He has played Powerball, and sometimes Megabucks, fairly regularly in an effort to win big, according to a news release from the Oregon Lottery.

"I just walked in and was gonna get a new ticket and check my ticket," Eric said of the day he found out, Sept. 24. "I put it in the little blue machine and was like, 'Oh, that's crazy.'"

The Quickway also had a lucky day: Lottery retailers receive a 1 percent commission on all winning tickets over $10,000.

Store manager Jennefer Seidel didn't know how the money was going to be spent, though.

"There's no real plan for it yet," Seidel said Monday. "We just found out ourselves last Friday."

Although the store has seen winners before, "This is probably the biggest one we've had," she said.

Eric acknowledged he could have made good use of the $1 million.

"Sure, I could have headed for Costa Rica, but I kept my promise," he said, according to the lottery.

Eric Hale is Oregon's second $1 million Powerball winner this year. The first was from Jacksonville, according to local media archives.

News story photo(Click to display full-size in gallery)

Thanks to LottoMetro for the tip.

Bend Bulletin, ABC News, Lottery Post Staff

Comments

dallascowboyfan's avatardallascowboyfan

Awesome story puts a smile on my Smile brotherly love indeed good to see someone keeping their word you men have made your parents proud.

MADDOG10's avatarMADDOG10

That is Good Karma...

HaveABall's avatarHaveABall

Quote: Originally posted by dallascowboyfan on Oct 15, 2014

Awesome story puts a smile on my Smile brotherly love indeed good to see someone keeping their word you men have made your parents proud.

Congratulations, Eric, on your regularly played chosen Powerball numbers finally winning a substantial prize ... bringing you into the black, after 20 years of red balance sheet!  It was good of you to share half with your brother.  Especially if he wasn't regularly paying into the game himself!@

Vital Note.  Eric and Quinn, please don't spend too much of the money before April because you will EACH still be required to pay our Federal Government an additional 17% -- to complete top-tier bracket Income Taxes and newer 'high-income earner extra medicare taxes' due!!!

Cheers

maringoman's avatarmaringoman

Eric had picked the five numbers — 7, 14, 21, 24 and 41 — correctly but missed the Powerball itself, according to the Oregon Lottery. He played the same numbers he has played for the past 20 years.

Eric is one patient and generous brother. Congratulations sir!

user71926's avataruser71926

Aw the good ole' fashioned way! This is how it should be done! Way to go for you two!!!

bigbear29

It is good to hear that someone has played their same numbers for so long and gained from it.

rcbbuckeye's avatarrcbbuckeye

I really like stories like this. It's what keeps me playing.

ThatScaryChick's avatarThatScaryChick

Eric Hale is a very good guy for keeping his promise to his brother after all these years of playing.  Yes Nod

dpoly1's avatardpoly1

I don't have to worry about this as my brothers don't speak to me LOL

Party

Goteki54's avatarGoteki54

Blood is thicker then money. That's the way it should be. Good for them.Cheers

HaveABall's avatarHaveABall

Quote: Originally posted by dpoly1 on Oct 15, 2014

I don't have to worry about this as my brothers don't speak to me LOL

Party

Well, dpoly1, if you had made such a promise, years ago, to share any 1st or 2nd prize wins with your siblings, them not speaking to you would probably be a reasonable response to them (unless they had the written version of your promise, signed by you) if they asked you why you didn't follow through with your years-old promise to share.

Lurking

helpmewin's avatarhelpmewin

Congratulations Eric and Quinn Hale Spend WiselyParty

helpmewin's avatarhelpmewin

Quote: Originally posted by dpoly1 on Oct 15, 2014

I don't have to worry about this as my brothers don't speak to me LOL

Party

Maybe you Win Lottery your Brothers will call youLove

C'mon people now Smile on your brother Everybody get together

Try to Love one another right now. Lovies    Guitar      Dance Banana   Hurray!   White Bounce  Pumpkin    Drum

CDanaT's avatarCDanaT

Quote: Originally posted by dpoly1 on Oct 15, 2014

I don't have to worry about this as my brothers don't speak to me LOL

Party

LOL......I have a few of them  in the immediate family DP...Sorta brings a tear to your eye on the day you go collect the big check and they won't be there to help you celebrate. Course,<scratching head>You could always call and tell them heres your share Puke Green laugh

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