Best Brother Ever? Oregon Man Keeps Childhood Promise, Splits $1 Million Powerball With Brother

— -- Eric Hale is a really good big brother. His brother, Quinn Hale, would probably agree, since Eric won $1 million in the Oregon Lottery and split the prize with him, just like he promised he would when they were children.

Eric, of Bend, Oregon, said he likes to “dream big.

“When I was a kid, I promised my brother that if I ever won the lottery, I would split it with him. He was my first call when I realized I won,” he said in a statement issued by the lottery.

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When he called his brother to tell him the good news, Quinn, of Yakima, Washington, was in disbelief.

“I still am in shock even though we have the checks,” the younger brother said. “This is beyond cool. I never believed he would actually do it.”

The brothers beamed as they held on to the prize check they collected on Oct. 9 at Oregon Lottery headquarters in Salem.

According to the lottery, Eric’s winning ticket was from a Powerball drawing on Sept. 24. The top prize was $228 million, and, playing the same numbers as he has for the past 20 years, the older Hale bought a ticket that had five jackpot numbers but not the Powerball number.

Eric said he waited to claim his prize so he could consult with a financial adviser, according to the lottery. Each brother will take home about $335,000 after taxes, the lottery added.

According to the Bend Bulletin, Eric, 45, will use some of his winnings to get his master’s degree in clinical counseling. He'll also invest and go on a trip to China. Quinn, 43, will pay off student loans from his doctoral studies and pay down on a motor home.

Eric acknowledged he could have made good use of the $1 million.

“Sure, I could have headed for Costa Rica, but I kept my promise,” he said, according to the lottery.