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.
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Thanks to LottoMetro for the tip.
Awesome story puts a smile on my
brotherly love indeed good to see someone keeping their word you men have made your parents proud.
That is Good Karma...
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!!!
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!
Aw the good ole' fashioned way! This is how it should be done! Way to go for you two!!!
It is good to hear that someone has played their same numbers for so long and gained from it.
I really like stories like this. It's what keeps me playing.
Eric Hale is a very good guy for keeping his promise to his brother after all these years of playing.
I don't have to worry about this as my brothers don't speak to me LOL
Blood is thicker then money. That's the way it should be. Good for them.
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.
Congratulations Eric and Quinn Hale Spend Wisely
Maybe you Win Lottery your Brothers will call you
C'mon people now Smile on your brother Everybody get together
Try to Love one another right now.
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
WTG, BRO.
Money doesn't change everyone !
I hope they can prove they promised to share any jackpot. The IRS doesn't take kindly to losing out on a gift tax which, the last time I looked, was 55%. And payable by the giver.
Otherwise, good for you, bro!
I would like to think my brother would share with me if he won. Now if I won, we would have to come to some kind of agreement. I would keep 99% and he can have 1%.
They must have consulted a tax lawyer who advised them to claim together rather than one person to claim and write a personal check to his brother at which point it would be considered a gift. The brothers can easily claim they are in a lottery pool together and IRS would just have to accept it. I would give my brother half even if we have no such agreement. He's a good man.
great story
The not so great part of the story, is how many years it took to win. I Wonder how much money that was spent to actually get that big winner.
#GoodStory
Even he only spent $10 per week playing for over 20 years would make expenditures well beyond $10,000.
If you are a lottery winner and are looking for a brother, I'm available.
Dallas,ICAM !
i love this story this week... Truly a great bro. and he will keep being bless,imo with great health,happy life,for his promise
...
Some fam will "go back on their word!"
Then we see in diff states,sadly they are "spending more cash on lawyers"just to negate,what was originally agreed upon,
My parents, always say any family"loan of $ etc.
Just b sure to always "Get it in writing,if your going to be sharing a large sum of money etc."
But he said about this OREGON STORY.
No need here,because this "mature loving bro did the RIGHT THING...
so nice to see this."
adios.
Noche...
Feel Good Story ! Now thats a true-blue brother.
Congratulations to them both. Love it when the right thing to do wins out over the easy way out .
What a great story! Congratulations to Eric and Quinn!