The man couldn’t believe his luck when he looked at the winning lottery ticket, according to the store where he purchased it, Sandy’s Liquor.
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“He’s like, ‘Oh my God, come take a look at this. Is that true?’” said Wilson Samaan, who manages the San Luis Obispo store, of the loyal customer who purchased the winning ticket. That customer is a local unhoused man, per The San Luis Obispo Tribune, which first reported on the story after Sandy’s posted about it last week on Instagram.
Samann had gotten to know the man pretty well over the past few years, and had even trusted him to watch over the store in the past, according to the Los Angeles Times. However, a bad knee prevented the man from accepting Samaan’s job offer.
“He’s a good, trustful person,” Samaan said. He declined to identify the man, said the Tribune.
When the customer asked Samann to check out the ticket, the manager ran it through the store’s machine.
“Bro, you hit the jackpot,” Samann told him, adding a high-five. At first, he thought the customer had only won $100,000 but the Triple Red 777 ticket actually won the big jackpot for that game: $1 million.
It was one of two tickets the winner reportedly purchased on the evening of April 6 for a total of $25. The other ticket won $200, which Samann cashed out immediately for him. Later, he drove the customer to Fresno and helped him redeem the big scratch off winner after the man told Samaan he planned to send the information in the mail.
“I was so excited, I believe more than him, because he deserves it,” Samaan said. “It’s gonna change his life forever. I hope for the good.”
He said the man plans to buy a car, a small house and invest the money he won.
Now, Samaan has also posted the winning ticket behind the store counter and – as the retailer that sold the ticket – Sandy’s is expected to get a 0.5% share of the jackpot, or $5,000. People have come by to take photos with the ticket, which Samaan said is the largest lottery win for the store since he started working there in 2013.
According to the Tribune, a California Lottery representative said they could not “confirm or acknowledge any big wins like this until the person who won comes forward and their claim is thoroughly vetted by our security and law enforcement division,” when contacted over the weekend.
Per the outlet, the process usually takes about six to eight weeks, though it could take longer.
The Los Angles Times also reported that Carolyn Becker, a spokesperson for the California Lottery said the organization hasn’t yet confirmed the identity or validity of the winner. She did confirm that a $1-million Triple Red 777 game was sold at Sandy’s Liquor in San Luis Obispo this month. Chances of winning that game are 1 in 2.047 million, according to the California Lottery.
“We never announce winners until the claims and vetting process is over,” Becker explained.
As the California man waits for the vetting process to complete, time is running out for a woman in Pennsylvania who was searching for a lost lottery ticket. Audacy reported on her story earlier this month.
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