Decade of Playing Lottery Pays Off for 5 Friends

Two limo drivers, a housekeeper, a teacher, and a small-business owner finally have enough money to form a Village People for the new millennium after winning a $106 million lottery jackpot last month. But, they'll probably just use it for travel or something. WNBC-TV reports the five friends—announced as winners Thursday—have been buying lottery tickets together for a decade. Last month, it was limo driver Edgar Lopez's turn to buy the ticket, which he did at a convenience store in Yonkers, New York, according to CBS New York. After the numbers were announced, Lopez had some news to deliver. "I told them that something good has happened," he tells WABC-TV.

WNBC reports the five longtime friends will be splitting the winnings evenly, with each getting a check for approximately $8.5 million. "We promised each other that we would split the prize if we ever won," Lopez says. "We have worked hard all of our lives, and to have this happen is just amazing." Some of the winners are planning trips to France and Miami, while others say they'll save their share of the prize. But it wasn't just a big win for Lopez and his friends. According to the Journal News, the Yonkers convenience store that sold the ticket gets a $10,000 cut, which store owner Sammy Patel says he'll share with his employees. "This is good for my store," he tells the Journal News. "It's a lucky store, maybe." (A 7-Eleven clerk's mistake won a man $380,000.)