The big win remained undiscovered for a full two weeks before Sigrid visited a local convenience store to check the ticket. When she realised that they had won the top prize, Sigrid began to cry and immediately called her sister to share the good news. Over a month after the draw took place, an emotional Sigrid, accompanied by her close siblings, accepted the prize at a press conference held on July 24th.
While it took the Endresons several weeks to step forward, the prize couldn’t have come at a better time for the family as many of them are in the process of rebuilding their lives following the devastating effects of Hurricane Sandy in 2012.
69-year-old John Endreson lost his home in the storm but said he felt lucky to have survived: "I was able to redo my house and help my family and my brothers. I was quite fortunate. I just feel so lucky. And this is just the icing on the cake."
The family’s custom of buying shared lottery tickets began with their late mother, Flossie Endreson, and after her death all seventeen siblings decided to continue the long-held tradition. "She would be so happy that everyone was part of it,” said Sigrid.
The Pick-6 Lotto is drawn twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays and has a minimum guaranteed jackpot of $2 million. The Endreson’s fantastic $20 million top prize was a result of a phenomenal 52 consecutive rollovers.
