Two lottery players became instant multi-millionaires when their Scratchers tickets won them each $5 million, California Lottery officials announced Friday.
Both lucky tickets were purchased in Los Angeles County and were the top prizes for their games.
The first was sold at Hody Lane Liquor, located at 5201 Pacific Coast Highway in Long Beach, according to a state Lottery news release.
Jaquelin Pedraza told the state Lottery that her father was actually the one who went into the store to buy the ticket. The woman said she initially thought he was pranking her when she won the grand prize.
“I said, ‘This isn’t real, this is one of those joke tickets!,’” Pedraza recalled. “But when I saw the bar code, I scanned it on my phone, and I knew it was real.”
The second Scratchers winner was identified as Steven Semenickat, a retired Caltrans employee. He bought this ticket at Gus Mobil, located at 8360 Sunland Blvd. in Sun Valley.
“I couldn’t believe it; I thought, ‘Wow, this really happens!’ I’m so excited,” Semenick said, according to the release.
Each store that sold a winning ticket will get a $25,000 bonus.
For those hoping to win more than $5 million, Mega Millions will hold its next drawing on Friday night. The jackpot is at an estimated $325 million.
