Friends who pledged to split any NC lottery prizes are keeping their word

It’s common for people to say they’ll share lottery money — never dreaming they might actually win.

But that’s not the case with two “longtime friends” from Laurinburg, North Carolina, according to the N.C. Education Lottery.

Walter Bonds and Curtis Hudson actually made good on their lofty pledge after discovering Hudson won six figures with a $2,000,000 Diamond Deluxe ticket, officials said.

“We decided if either of us won a big prize we would split it,” Bonds told lottery officials. “And we are both men of our words.”

Hudson won $100,000 with a $20 ticket purchased at Carlie C’s, a grocery store on South Main Street in Laurinburg. The first thing he did was call Bonds to tell him they won, officials said.

“I could hear it in his voice,” Bonds said.

Chances of winning $100,000 in the game are 1 in 767,778.75, the state lottery says.

The duo claimed their prize Monday, May 20, and split it down the middle. Each got $35,753 after state and federal taxes, officials said.

The men said they have “worked together for years” and playing the lottery is part of their camaraderie, officials said. They have a soft spot for scratch-offs, but Hudson said he also likes to take chances.

“Whatever I feel good about at the time, that’s what I buy,” Hudson said.

He intends to use his share of the prize for home improvements, while Bonds will deposit his into savings.

Laurinburg is about a 100-mile drive southwest of Raleigh, near the South Carolina state line.

This story was originally published May 22, 2024 at 7:16 AM with the headline "Friends who pledged to split any NC lottery prizes are keeping their word."