Lamont Reaves won $32,000 on the Mega Millions during last Tuesday’s $1.537 billion jackpot and has decided to use his prize to visit the only Blockbuster in the country still standing.
A man who won a slice of $1 million in the lottery on an office pool has said he wants to use his winnings to experience ‘American history’ first hand.
Lamont Reaves, from North Carolina, won $32,000 on the Mega Millions during last Tuesday’s $1.537 billion jackpot and has decided to use his prize to visit the only Blockbuster in the country still standing more than 2,000 miles away.
‘I’m going to go to Oregon and visit the last Blockbuster store,’ Reaves said to Fox46.
When asked why he responded, ‘It’s Blockbuster. It’s historical and nostalgic.’
Other people in the group of 22 who work at Union County Department of Social Services in North Carolina have various other plans on how they plan to spend the cash.
Some plan to make investments or pay off student loans, others plan to travel.
The ticket matched the five white balls to win $1 million beating odds of one in 12,607,306. It was one of two sold in North Carolina to win $1 million prizes in the draw.
The group will split their million dollar prize 22 ways meaning the $45,000 will be worth around $32,000 each after claiming the cash.
The final Blockbuster store is still open in Bend, Oregon and seems to be something of a tourist attractions
‘We didn’t even realize how much the tickets were,’ winner Katherine Lindsey McIntyre said. ‘We just had everyone who wanted to participate chip in $1.’
DeCora Bowers was the first one to realize the group’s good luck.
‘I checked the numbers on my phone using the lottery app,’ Bowers said. ‘I was looking at the numbers and flipping through the tickets. When I got to the last one I couldn’t believe it.’
She ended up calling her colleague Mary McNeely to tell her her of the group’s luck.
Pamela Dennis, left, was at home sick when she found out about her big win. Barbara Medlin, right, plans to use the money to fulfill her dream of having a second child and an adoption.
DeCora Bowers was the first one to realize the group’s good luck after checking the lottery tickets on her phone
‘I started screaming when she told me,’ McNeely said. ‘I woke everyone up in my family because I was so loud.’
Barbara Medlin plans to use the money to fulfill her dream of having a second child.
‘My husband and I have had a lot of fertility issues,’ Medlin said. ‘We’ve been trying to save enough money to adopt. We were $7,000 short, so that will take care of it for us. It’s a huge relief.’
More phonecalls were made on the night of the win as members of the group called one another and played phone tag. Those who didn’t pick up the call found out at the work the next morning.
It came as a real surprise to Marilyn Vaughn who didn’t even know she was part of the pool but somebody had chipped in $1 for her to enter.
‘I heard everybody screaming and hollering,’ Vaughn said. ‘Another coworker asked me if I was in the pool, and I said, ‘What pool?’ Apparently someone had paid a $1 for me. I couldn’t believe it, I was in shock!’
Vaughn went on to tell another co-worker, Pamela Dennis, who was at home sick.
‘I was dressed in my pajamas and bathrobe and resting when I got a knock on the door,’ Dennis said. ‘I opened it and Marilyn was there saying, ‘We won! We won! We won!’ I couldn’t wrap my head around it, I was stunned.’