Brotherly love: Man splits $1M lottery winnings with brother

Sounds like someone won the genetic lottery.

When Eric Hale won $1 million from the Oregon Lottery, he had the chance to fulfill a childhood promise to his brother — in the form of half his earnings.

Yes, Eric, of Bend, Ore., gave his brother Quinn Hale, of Yakima, Wash., $500,000 of his Powerball earnings, which comes out to about $335,000 after taxes. It was collected Oct. 9.

"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," Eric Hale said in a statement from the Oregon Lottery.

Eric, 45, and Quinn, 43, lived together during their 20s and 30s and have been close since childhood, the Bend Bulletin reports. According to the local paper, Eric plans to use the winnings to pursue a master's degree and travel in China, and Quinn will put some winnings toward paying off student loans and buying a motor home.

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

Follow @lindsdee on Twitter.