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White Christmases are nice, but these ten winners will have a green holiday this year because they’ve all just become California Lottery’s newest millionaires.
Thomas Nguyen won $2,000,000 playing an Instant Prize Crossword Scratchers® he picked up at the 7-Eleven on Kooser Road in San Jose (Santa Clara County), and he has a peculiar and fun way to play.
“I buy tickets, but I don’t scratch the entire thing at once. I scratch a little at a time,” he said. “It takes me all day to uncover the whole ticket, and when I played this one, I thought I won $2,000, but when I realized how many zeroes were there, I realized it was $2 million!”
Nguyen is a regular at the 7-Eleven, and he happened to buy his big winning ticket on his birthday! He says he plans to build a house for his family with the prize money and said he believes this win was “a blessing from a higher power.”
Elsewhere in Northern California, Daniel Fagundes won $1 million playing a Power 10’s ticket he bought at Santa Fe Market & Liquor on East Whitmore Avenue in Hughson (Stanislaus County). Unlike Nguyen, Fagundes didn’t even make it out of the store before he scratched his winning ticket.
“I scratched it right there in the store and knew I won right away. I was in shock,” he explained. “I called my wife, and she didn’t believe me. Finally, I said, ‘I won a @#$%ing million dollars!’ And then she knew it was true, but stayed very calm, unlike me!”
Fagundes went on, “This is an amazing thing that happened, and we have already started planning financially. I even already retired!”
Eight other California Lottery winners are also new millionaires, some several times over.
Michael Warden won $5,000,000 playing a 100X Scratchers from Lone Hill Liquor in Glendora (Los Angeles County).
Another $5 million winner is Varinder Mohan, who won playing the West Coast Winnings game. He bought his lucky ticket at Coalinga Smoke Shop (Fresno County).
The only draw game winner in the batch is Dennis Mangubat, who won $2,595,149 on a Powerball ticket in late August, when he matched five out of six numbers, missing only the Powerball number. He bought his ticket the 7-Eleven on Gellert Boulevard in Daly City (San Mateo County).
Agustin Cantu won $2,000,000 playing an Instant Prize Crossword Scratchers he bought at the original Royal Donut in Burlingame (also in San Mateo County).
Rounding out today’s announcement are four winners of $1 million each.
Julio Bracamontes won his fortune on a 50X Fortune ticket he bought at Amigos Market on Firestone Boulevard in Los Angeles.
Maria Esparza Franco also played 50X Fortune and won $1 million. She bought hers at Rotten Robbie on Oakland Road in San Jose (Santa Clara County).
Israel Parkins Rodriguez was playing California Dreamin’ when he struck it rich after buying his ticket at Vista Liquor in San Pedro (Los Angeles County).
And finally, Susan Beach won her riches playing Sparkling Riches; she bought the lucky ticket at Tropicana Liquor in San Jose (Santa Clara County).
