Couple who played lottery on first date just won $66.9M. ‘A love story worth millions’

A Minnesota couple whose love story began more than 30 years ago when they played the lottery on their first date are now winners of the $66.9 million Mega Millions drawing, lottery officials say.

Calling it “a love story worth millions,” the Minnesota Lottery said the couple shared a pizza and played scratch-off tickets during their first date on April 17, 1990. Not only was it the first date for the couple, but the date also marked the first day scratch-off tickets were sold in Minnesota.

As the couple’s relationship blossomed and turned into marriage, the wife continued to play mostly the same lottery numbers. On April 12, those numbers paid off in a massive way.

She checked the winning Mega Millions numbers on her phone that night — and she instantly recognized the winning combo of 2-8-14-20-31 with a Mega Ball number of 17.

The wife texted her husband, who was in the basement watching sports.

“I texted him, ‘Come up here right now. I’m not even kidding,’” she told lottery officials.

They confirmed they had the winning ticket, and the wife admits she “got about five minutes of work” done the following day.

They accepted the cash option, which is worth an estimated $66.9 million before taxes. The two are the first Mega Millions jackpot winners in Minnesota since the state joined the game in 2010.

The couple, who chose to remain anonymous, said their immediate plans are “typical,” as they hope to purchase a home and car and travel together.

This story was originally published April 29, 2022 at 6:59 AM with the headline "Couple who played lottery on first date just won $66.9M. ‘A love story worth millions’."