SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (KSBY) – A homeless man in California has become a millionaire, thanks to a scratch-off ticket.
Wilson Samaan, the manager of Sandy’s Liquor where the winning ticket was sold, said the lucky winner is a longtime customer who is homeless.
Samaan has worked at the store since 2013 and says this is the first time a customer has ever won a lottery prize of this size.
“He came to the store, he scratched it and is like, ‘Oh my god, is that real? Wilson, can you come and take a look?’ I’m like, ‘Let me see,’ so I grabbed the ticket out of his hand went to the machine over there … he’s like man, I’m not homeless anymore!”
Samaan said at first, the lucky winner thought he won $100,000.
“I’m like no bro, that’s $1 million,” Samaan said. “We gave each other a high five.”
Samaan did more than just sell the man the winning ticket. He also drove the man to lottery headquarters in Fresno to collect his prize.
A spokesperson for the California Lottery said it can take anywhere from a few weeks to a couple of months for winners to be awarded their prize after they come forward.
“We process over 10,000 winning claims a month, so that’s part of why it takes a little bit of time,” said Carolyn Becker with the California Lottery.
The lucky winner, who did not want to be identified, said the big win is a life-changing amount of money.
He said he intends to make a down payment on a house, get a car, then invest and save the rest.
Samaan said he is ecstatic that one of his loyal customers won a $1 million prize.
“A lot of happiness for the person, especially like a loyal, regular customer … I wish them all the best,” he said.
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