An 85-year-old retiree from New Jersey, USA was shockedwhen he realised he won a million dollar jackpot – that, too, the day after doctors cleared his wife of cancer.
Harold McDowell’s wife was cleared of both liver cancer and colon cancer on Friday after a long battle with the ravaging illnesses.
The next day, the pair went to the Borgata Hotel casino in Atlantic City to celebrate, where Harold won the jackpot prize of USD 1 million after betting a mere $5 in a poker game.
The shocked retiree told the local press: “I happened to be playing next to my wife. I had my back to her. I turned around said: ‘I just won a million dollars’.”
He added: “It was better news that she’s healthy — money isn’t the most important thing.”
The couple are planning to treat themselves to a cruise before giving the rest of their winnings to their children.
The casino added that the odds of a win like the retiree’s are 1 in 20,348,320: ”This is the first time this bet has hit at Borgata, and experts at wizardofodds.com confirm that the odds of hitting the 6 card Bonus are 1 in 20,348,320.”