"We go to the same store every Tuesday," Maxine Hilliker said. "We always play the same numbers. I've been playing them for over 22 years in California, Florida and now North Carolina. We use my birthday, my husband's birthday, and the birthdays of my three sisters. We've never won anything big."
The Hillikers broke that streak last week. James Hilliker said he saw Monday morning that their numbers had come up, but he didn't tell Maxine until later in the morning, when he read the numbers aloud from the newspaper.
The couple said the money came at what was already a time of celebration.
"Our wedding anniversary is next week and today is my 90th birthday," James Hilliker said during the couple's trip to lottery headquarters to collect their prize. "I can't even believe this is real. I just can't believe it."
The couple said they plan to treat themselves to an anniversary cruise with their winnings.
