Best friends of 30 years split $15.7 million Lotto 6/49 lottery jackpot

Sep 10, 2022, 1:48 pm (4 comments)

Canada 6/49

Pals played together for the past three years

By Kate Northrop

BAY ROBERTS, Canada — A pair of longtime friends split a $15.7 million (US$12 million) Lotto 6/49 jackpot after playing the lottery together for the past three years.

Doug Ellsworth and Lawrence Russell thought that combining their efforts in the lottery would give them an advantage. Turns out, they had the right idea.

Having shared a close friendship for three decades, the two will get to share a huge amount of money as well.

Ellsworth was the one to buy the winning Lotto 6/49 ticket at Water Street Variety on Water Street in Bay Roberts, Newfoundland and Labrador. The duo plays the lottery together using family birthdates.

As he was the one possessing the ticket, he was also the one to figure out that their combined efforts had paid off.

"I looked at the ticket and ticked the numbers off one at a time and saw all six of our numbers," Ellsworth told the Atlantic Lottery. "Then I put the ticket in my briefcase and everywhere I went, I took it with me until we went to validate the ticket Monday morning."

The winning numbers for the Lotto 6/49 drawing on Aug. 27 were 9, 12, 19, 20, 23, and 28, with Bonus Ball 31.

Both Ellsworth and Russell went back to the convenience store to validate the ticket.

"I pulled the owner of the store aside and asked her, 'How would you like to validate a $15.6 million ticket?'" Ellsworth related. "She just started screeching and crying and said, 'You didn't buy it here, did you?' and I said, 'Yes, I did.'"

The retailer will receive a commission worth one percent of the prize, or $156,864 (US$120,179).

Each of the friends have their own plans for their newfound fortune, with Ellsworth wanting to buy a new vehicle and build a custom home and Russell planning to purchase a new pickup truck and RV so he can travel across the country. However, they agreed that the best way to use the money will be to help friends and family while contributing to good causes near and dear to them.

Ellsworth also wants to use the winnings to organize a family reunion to bring his entire family together for the first time since the pandemic began.

However many plans the friends put into place, both agreed that a momentous win this lucky has been difficult to digest.

"The feeling comes and goes, I think, 'No, it can't really be that much,' and then reality strikes," Russell described. "It's starting to sink in more, though, day by day."

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

Lottery Post Staff

Comments

Mata Garbo

A big congrats to the two gentlemen and to the lucky store owner.....$120,000 US dollars just for selling the ticket. 30 years of friendship!......that is wonderful.

✈️🛳🏦

Chevaun

Deserving winners they seem cool

Ranett's avatarRanett

Great job guys.

rdgrnr's avatarrdgrnr

Nice to see a couple old geezers win once in a while. 👍

End of comments
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