(RNN) – A group of 11 office workers who made a “spur of the moment” decision to pool together for Mega Millions have been announced as the winners of last week’s $543 million jackpot.
The winning ticket was sold in San Jose, CA. The California Lottery announced the winners on Friday.
Only one of the group of 11, Roland Reyes, was identified.
“It was spur of the moment. ‘Hey, did you hear about the jackpot? We should play,’” Reyes said of the group’s decision to buy tickets together.
He said that, despite the life-changing payout, everyone plans to keep working at their current company.
“We want to keep our jobs,” Reyes said. “We love that company. We love what we’ve built there. We have a good time and want to stay together.”
“We’re just normal people!” he added.
The California Lottery did not identify the company. In its press release, the organization said, “The winners decline to speak with the media … No further information about them will be released.”
The lottery also did not say if the winners had decided to take a lump-sum payment of $320.5 million, or to accept annual payments spread out over 30 years.
If they took the lump payment, it would amount to more than $29 million per person in the group of 11.
The lottery said the other, unidentified winners mentioned “paying off mortgages, kids’ college tuition, helping family members, going back to school and, of course, travel.”
Kewal Sachdev, the owner of Ernie’s Liquor, where the winning ticket was sold, will also receive $1 million as a “retailer bonus,” the California Lottery said.
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