Two friends celebrate multi-million dollar TN lottery win after one almost backed out
It’s a decision one Tennessee man won’t soon forget.
That’s because Brandon Thompson almost backed out from splitting the cost of two lottery tickets with his friend Wyatt Close, according to the Tennessee Education Lottery.
Thompson was glad he didn’t because the last-minute decision won them $3 million, lottery officials said.
The friends were on their way to work when they stopped at QuikTrip on Sparta Pike in Lebanon to buy a couple lottery tickets on Oct. 1, according to the lottery service. Lebanon is about 30 miles east of Nashville.
The store didn’t have the lottery game Close wanted so he bought two Jumbo Bucks Titanium instant tickets — and the second paid off big time.
“I saw those black bold numbers and just started jumping,” Close said in a news release.
“I thought he was going to jump through the roof of the van,” Thompson added.
The friends weren’t the only two to collect a lottery win in the millions.
A retired coast guardsman won $1 million in the North Carolina lottery — “and his wife was left in disbelief,” McClatchy News reported.
“I went to the internet to verify the numbers,” Ronald Statzer said in a news release. “I saw the first one come up, the second one, the third, the fourth one, and then the fifth one. And I said, ‘Oh my God,’ and I went downstairs and told my wife.”
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREWhen gambling is more than a game
Gambling is designed to be a source of entertainment.
If you or a loved one shows signs of gambling addiction, you can seek help by calling the national gambling hotline at 1-800-522-4700 or visiting the National Council on Problem Gambling website.
This story was originally published October 8, 2021 at 3:10 PM.
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