Family finally wins the $1 million lottery, thanks to a pact they made 30 years ago

A family that formed a syndicate to play the lottery two decades ago has finally won a £1 million ($1.2 million) prize. The Cobbs sydicate comprising Audrey Cobb, her children David Cobb and Carol Nobbs and Sandra Digby was formed at a Christmas get-together in Peterborough, England, in 1994. They followed a strategy of playing the same set of numbers for nearly 30 years, as per The National Lottery , U.K.

The Cobb's Syndicate's recipe for success

The family of four won the £1m prize on the Lotto after matching the five main numbers plus the Bonus Ball on June 22. While they finally won, their strategy of playing the same numbers 5, 9, 18, 32, 44, and 58, took nearly 30 years to work.

When the time came it paid off big as their ticket matched the number 34 Bonus Ball as well. After the long wait, each member of the syndicate will now get  £250,000 (~$3,21,457).

David, who served as the leader of the syndicate, told The National Lottery that he always believed the group would win.

"From that Christmas catch-up when we jokingly set up the syndicate a few months after the first Lotto draw in November 1994, I’ve been waiting for this moment," David said.

A rollercoaster of emotions

It was David's wife, Linda who checked the National Lottery app, after the the Lotto draw. She saw a message alerting the users about the win. “Linda always plays our own line and also kindly ensures our family syndicate line is played at the same time," David said in the press release.

He added that Linda calmly told him to check out this message. David said that he was a bit grumpy at first because Linda didn't reveal the details but David found his glasses and read the message, he was at a loss for words.

The couple knew that the National Lottery phone lines wouldn't be open at 7 am on a Sunday morning, so they set off on a 10-mile bike ride to kill time. Once they called and confirmed the win, David immediately visited his mum.

“I told Mum I had some good news and wanted to tell her and my sisters at the same time," David said. He added that his mother was already on to him as she asked if they had won the lottery.

They soon called sisters Carol and Sandra on a group call and informed them about the win. David said that Sandra almost fainted upon hearing the news and Carol burst into tears.

"It was an incredible moment, especially for my sister Carol who has had a few tough years. She burst into tears when she realized the size of the win and what it meant," David said.

Treats for everyone in the Cobb's syndicate

In the press release, David said that while Carol had already found a new home that she would get with the money, Sandra plans to get a new car, and ditch the VW Polo she currently owns.

Meanwhile, David and his mum aren't sure if they will make a big ticket purchase or get some extra treats with the money.