Best friends Tom Cook and Joe Feeney made a pact to one another in Wisconsin twenty-eight years ago that whoever won the Powerball jackpot, if they were so lucky, would split the earnings with the other.

Tom, who chose a ticket valued $22 million in late June 2020, experienced the same thing. He was aware of his commitment.

Tom purchased the $2 winning ticket for the June 10 drawing from a Synergy Coop retailer. Shortly after buying it, he checked the figures while eating breakfast. Tom read the figures and then ‘froze.’ He gave the ticket to his stunned wife.

When the knowledge finally hit, Tom recalled the commitment he and Joe had made almost three decades earlier. He then called his pal to tell him the momentous news.

I asked, ‘Are you jerking my bobber?’ when he called. Joe, an enthusiastic fisherman, describes his feeling after reading the lottery’s news announcement. The odds of winning were 1 in 292,201,338 total. Tom wasn’t kidding at all.

Since Powerball’s inception in 1992, the seasoned team had played it each and every week. While thinking about what they would do if they won all that money, they made the pledge to one another.

And Tom asserts, ‘A handshake’s a handshake, man,’ despite the fact that it took place many years ago.

What a wonderful man.

When Tom realized he had won, he promptly gave his two weeks’ notice at work and retired. Joe only needed to have fun because he was already retired from the fire service.

Tom and Joe were given a choice between cash and about $16.7 million. After paying their federal and state taxes, the men each received around $5.7 million.

They don’t have any extravagant plans for their substantial earnings, but both of them are looking forward to having more family time.

Tom realized he and his friend could now do whatever they pleased, and he couldn’t think of a better way to spend his retirement.

His desire to spend time with his grandchildren and great-grandchildren was strong. He was able to create and share new experiences with them thanks to all that money.

He told PEOPLE, ‘I’m looking forward to spending time with them, without thinking about whether I got time to go, where we can go, or if we can afford it.

I got grandchildren, great-grandchildren.’ Tom and Joe frequently traveled in a Chrysler PT Cruiser with their wives.

Well, winning allowed them to purchase newer, better vehicles!
The victory by Tom and Joe was Wisconsin’s 18th Powerball grand prize.

The state had a massive $768.4 million jackpot winner in March 2019. Wisconsin comes up at number four on the list of states with the most victories overall.

Furthermore, the answer to the question of whether devoted players continue to play Powerball after winning is yes. After winning, Tom purchased two more lottery tickets.

What am I losing? said he.

But there are other notable winners besides Tom and Joe. The Synergy Coop received a $100,000 bonus for selling Tom the winning ticket. But talk about good fortune!

View the interview between Tom and Joe in the video below!