The winning ticket was sold at Sandy’s Liquor on the Central Coast of California. A homeless man, who was described as a “longtime customer,” was in disbelief over the prize.
“He came to the store, he scratched it and is like, ‘Oh my God, is that real?’” Wilson Samaan — the manager of the establishment who has worked there since 2013 — recalled to CNN. “I’m like, let me see. So I grabbed the ticket out of his hand [and] went to the machine over there.”
“He’s like, ‘Man, I’m not homeless anymore!’” Samaan relayed. ‘I’m like, ‘Man you hit the jackpot.’”
The store manager noted that the man initially thought he won $100,000.
“He’s like, ‘$100,000.’ And I’m like, ‘No bro. That’s $1 million! Congrats brother.’ And we gave each other a high five,” Samaan said.
The manager went above and beyond for the longtime customer by driving him to Fresno to turn in the ticket rather than send it in the mail.
“I drove him to Fresno, I think the next day or Wednesday, because he’s like, ‘Do I want to send it in the mail?’ And I told him: ‘That’s a million-dollar ticket. No, I will drive you there,’” Samaan told CNN. “I wish them all the best.”
The lottery winner told the outlet that he plans to purchase a home and a car, invest, and put aside some savings once he receives the prize money.
Carolyn Becker, a spokeswoman for the California Lottery, said there will be a “very thorough vetting process” before awarding the prize, as they want to ensure that they are “giving it to the right person.” It can take months and, according to CNN, “involves an interview with the winner, checking to see if the person owes the state any money, and a few other factors.”
Becker added that they process roughly 10,000 winning claims per month.
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