A stroke of luck for a homeless man from San Luis Obispo can finally allow him to afford a house – and the second chance he dreamed of.
A Customer of Sandy’s Liquor in the city of the Central Coast won a 1 million dollars of the Californian lottery this month, statement officials said. According to the store manager, Wilson Samaan, the man is a longtime client who is homeless and did not want to speak publicly. But Samaan could not contain his joy for the client during an interview with Times on Wednesday.
“I was so excited – even more than him,” said Samaan. “He’s a good person, he deserves every penny. … I was very excited that it happened to a person who deserved it, and he really needed it.”
The victory of the man, reported for the first time by the gallery of San Luis Obispo, is verified by the state lottery, said officials. The store shared a photo on the big victory on Instagram, congratulating its “loyal customer”. Samaan said it was the biggest lottery victory for his store since he started working in 2013. As a retailer who sold the ticket, the store will receive $ 5,000, a share of 0.5% of the jackpot.
Samaan said he had got to know the winner in recent years, even trust him to watch the store when he has to restore articles or face a problem. Samaan had offered a job to man at some point, but he said that a bad knee had left him incapable of doing the necessary manual work, such as the filling of shelves or coolers.
“He’s a good trusted person,” said Samaan.
The man discovered the victory of scratching in the store last week, said Samaan.
“It is like,” Wilson, comes here, is it true, is it real? “” Recalls Samaan. “I scanned him and said to myself:” Brother, you hit the jackpot! ” »» »
Initially, the man thought he had won $ 100,000, but Samaan told him that it was even more than that.
“He said he would not waste the second chance that he was gifted, so he will buy a car and a small house. Then, the rest of the money, he will invest or find a business,” said Samaan.
The store manager said that he had ended up driving his friend to the nearest Californian lottery office office in Fresno, to make sure the ticket was there. The man was initially sending him by post, he said.
Carolyn Becker, spokesperson for California Lottery, said that the organization had not yet confirmed the winner’s identity or validity, noting that the verification process can take weeks. However, she confirmed that a triple Red 777 game of $ 1 million had been sold in Sandy’s Liquor in San Luis Obispo this month.
“We never announce the winners as long as complaints and the verification process are not over,” said Becker.
The triple Red 777 game has a first price of $ 1 million; The chances of winning which are 1 in 2.047 million. But the overall chances of winning cash prizes in the game are 1 in 2.92, according to California Lottery.
There are still five of the 13 best prices in the unmarried game.
California Daily Newspapers
