21 Friends Split Mega Millions $1 Million Prize

A group of 21 friends is splitting a Mega Millions ticket that won the group $1 million more than a week ago.

Felicia Hinton of Fort Worth bought a Mega Millions ticket at a 7-Eleven location on Golden Triangle Boulevard in North Fort Worth that won her and a group of 20 others the prize.

"We've played Mega Millions before, but only a couple of times with this group," Hinton told Texas Lottery officials.

Hinton saw that the jackpot hadn't been hit after the March 11 drawing, so she waited until later to check the group's tickets.

"I went and scanned the tickets. We were winning $1 here and $2 there. Then I scanned this ticket and it said to contact the Lottery Commission," said Hinton. "I asked the clerk, 'What does that mean?' He said, 'That means you won at least $1,000.' So, I kept scanning the rest of the tickets."

Another customer recommended that Hinton should check the numbers to find out the amount won — and when she did, she found out that one ticket matched all five numbers, but not the jackpot-claiming MegaBall.

Hinton then sent the information onto friends — who didn't believe her until they checked for themselves.

Last week, Hinton and three friends traveled to the lottery's headquarters in Austin to claim the prize.

"We have 21 people in the group, and we're claiming the prize on the 21st," Hinton said.

A week later, another North Texas hit the $1 million prize with a ticket he bought in Garland.

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