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The 'machine began to sing' for $1.42 million Cowboy Draw jackpot-winning friends

A big yeehaw for this friend group!

The 'machine began to sing' for $1.42 million Cowboy Draw jackpot-winning friends
Frank Magee, his brother Glenn Magee, and their friend of 20 years, Tom Holdren, holding their Wyoming Lottery checks. Photograph credit to the Wyoming Lottery.

A group of friends in Wyoming waited for the right moment to play Cowboy Draw from the Wyoming Lottery, as it ended with a $1.42 million win!

The jackpot-winning ticket

Frank Magee, his brother Glenn Magee, and their friend of 20 years, Tom Holdren, who all work in Afton, are no strangers to playing the lottery. The guys like to wait it out for the jackpot to get to around a million dollars and then they will start buying tickets together.

Well, the Cowboy Draw jackpot climbed to $1.42 million, so the guys decided to buy some tickets and try their luck.

It worked, as Frank recently checked their tickets at a local retailer, and he was shocked when the “machine began to sing!”

Frank told lottery officials that he had won $1,000 four other times before, so it just figured it was that again. However, after reviewing the winning numbers, the clerk confirmed that they had won the Cowboy Draw jackpot, so a big yeehaw to them!

The winning numbers

The guys hit the $1.42 million Cowboy Draw jackpot during the July 8 drawing. The winning numbers for that draw were 6, 15, 25, 33, and 44.

The three friends matched all five of the numbers on their winning ticket to take home the big jackpot!

Paying those bills

The lucky winners made their way to the Wyoming Lottery Headquarters to collect their winnings. They agreed they would all split the money equally.

With his winnings, Frank and his wife, who own Rocky Mountain Seafood in Afton, said they are excited to pay off their house. Tom is going the same route, as he said the money is going to help him become debt free. With the same mindset, Gleen said he is going to pay bills with his winnings.

Giving back to the state

The Wyoming Lottery recently announced it transferred over $1.4 million in July 2024 to cities, towns, and counties in the state. The Wyoming Lottery transfers a statutory amount of 75 percent or more of net revenue to the state each quarter. This money is then distributed by the State Treasurer to Wyoming's cities, towns, and counties.

The Wyoming Lottery launched in 2014, and since that time, the organization has given $39.4 million directly back to the state.

In a press release, Wyoming Lottery CEO Jon Clontz said:

Each quarter, we look forward to making these transfers, as we know the cities, towns, and counties appreciate the funds. Our mission is to always maximize what we give back to Wyoming, and these quarterly transfers help us accomplish that mission.

These quarterly transfers to Wyoming's cities, towns, and counties started in April 2016. The mission was to maximize giving back to the state.

WyoLotto launched in August of 2014 after the Wyoming Legislature, and then Governor Matt Mead signed a bill into law creating a lottery in the state.

Enjoy playing the Wyoming Lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.

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