Megaplier Makes Million
Last Updated: Thursday 22nd November 2018, 14:58
An 89 year old MegaMillions player has won $1 million and is now planning to make his 90th birthday party extra special. Volney Pinder, who lives in Texas, matched five of the six numbers drawn, which gave him a prize of $250,000. However, because he had paid a little extra to take advantage of the Megaplier feature, he actually won four times that amount.
The MegaMillions winner is now planning to take his wife Florence on a cruise to Alaska – something that will give him rights to a relatively rare claim to fame. “I’ve been to every state in the Union, except Alaska,” he explained. “Now I can say I’ve been to all of them.”
Volney Pinder served with what is now known as the US Air Force during World War II (it was referred to as the US Army Air Corp at the time). “I tell people I fought the battle of Los Angeles, ferrying P-38s in and out of the area,” he said. “We had a lot of fun dropping bottles on barns.” Volney continued to pilot planes for many years after the war ended, and participated in a number of air shows.
Married for 58 years, Volney was reading the Houston Chronicle and Port Arthur News when he discovered that he had matched five of the six numbers drawn. However, he didn’t tell his wife about the win for three days. After he had broken the news he visited the store that sold him the winning ticket. Volney said that the clerk at the store was excited because someone had bought a ticket that had matched five numbers, but still the winner didn’t admit that he was that “someone”.
Eventually Volney came forward with his wife to claim his prize, and when he did so the couple were asked how they intended to use their money. “We’re going to spend it,” Florence said. “Maybe we’ll get a new car.”
