Friend group took turns buying Mega Millions tickets. Then they won big time in Idaho
“The Big Friend Group,” as they’re known, takes turns each month buying Mega Millions tickets in Idaho, lottery officials said.
The group of nine, who have been friends for 12 years, uses the game as “a fun way” to keep in touch, one of the winners said, according to an Idaho Lottery Facebook post on Tuesday, Jan. 10.
“Each ticket has 9 lines, so every member can participate,” the winner said.
To their surprise, the group won $1,000,000 from a Mega Millions ticket they bought at a Jacksons Food Stores in Boise in November, lottery officials said.
“Of course, we never thought we’d win this big,” one of the winners said, according to lottery officials.
Eight friends received $111,100, while the one friend who bought the ticket got $111,200, lottery officials said.
“The Mega Millions jackpot is currently estimated at $1.1 billion,” Idaho Lottery said. “That makes it the fifth largest lottery jackpot in US history.”
The next Mega Millions drawing will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 10 at 11 p.m. ET, McClatchy News reported. This is the fourth time the jackpot has hit $1 billion in the past four years.
This story was originally published January 10, 2023 at 1:07 PM with the headline "Friend group took turns buying Mega Millions tickets. Then they won big time in Idaho."
