Man Wins $7 Million Gambling in Friend's Honor after Funeral

By Scott Stump, NBC News

Credit: NBC News/TODAY

While in Mississippi for a memorial service last week, Mary and Tyler Morris won a slot machine jackpot that they say is all thanks to their recently departed friend.

February 21, 2013 Updated Feb 21, 2013 at 10:12 AM PDT

A Michigan man went to Mississippi for a friend's funeral last week, and came back a multimillionaire.

Tyler Morris, 73, drove with his wife to attend the funeral of his longtime friend Max Anderson, 86, on Feb. 15, and stopped by one of Anderson's favorite hangouts afterward: The Palace Casino Resort in Biloxi, Miss. He decided to play penny slots in honor of Anderson, who had often gone with Morris to the casino over the years, and always played the slots.

Morris put his money on The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship, a game with a maximum bet of $3.50, and ended up winning $7,217,175.15.

“I was shooting craps at first, and I felt like somebody was watching me,’’ Morris told TODAY.com. “I looked over my shoulder and zeroed in on that penny slot machine because my friend always played it. Then I won $7 million. As I was playing, I thought I was getting the message from my friend.’’

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