Unwanted video game interruption turns out to be $50,000 lottery prize

UPI
A Missouri man's video game session was interrupted by a phone call from a friend alerting him to a $50,000 Powerball prize. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI

Jan. 15 (UPI) -- A Missouri man said he was hesitant to pause his video game when a friend called but it turned out to be good news: the duo had won a $50,000 lottery prize.

The Clay County man told Missouri Lottery officials he was playing a game recently when he received a poorly-timed phone call.

"My buddy calls me up and says, 'Hey, you got a minute?'" the man recalled. "I'm like, 'I'm in the middle of a video game; I can't pause. What's up?'"

The call turned out to be more fortuitous than expected.

"He said, 'No, you're going to want to get off for this.' So I was like, 'Alright, this is serious now,'" he laughed. "He asked me to check the winning numbers on the [Missouri Lottery] website."

The two men had purchased a Powerball ticket together at the Price Chopper store in Liberty, and their ticket turned out to be a $50,000 winner in the Dec. 2 drawing.

"I was like, 'Bro, did we just...? Yeah, we did!'" he said. "My buddy now calls me Richie Rich."